Tampa, Florida native Jaylah Hickmon, who performs as Doechii, built a reputation for her bold, high-energy presence that moves fluidly between hard-hitting club records and reflective storytelling. After years of independent output, her candid 2020 track “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” exploded online in 2021, earning her slots at the BET Hip Hop Awards and a contract with a major label. The 2022 project she / her / black bitch featured SZA alongside Rico Nasty, while the 2023 Kodak Black collaboration “What It Is (Block Boy)” became her breakthrough Billboard Hot 100 entry at number 41. In 2024 she joined City Girls’ JT for “Alter Ego,” dropped tracks such as “Nissan Altima,” and delivered her wide-ranging debut mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal through Top Dawg Entertainment, which received Grammy recognition.
Born and raised in Tampa, Hickmon studied dance and acting at a performing-arts high school before launching her recording career in 2015 under the name Iamdoechii, later shortened to Doechii. She began uploading material to SoundCloud in 2016; the 2018 single “Girls” marked her first official release, followed by the 2019 EP Coven Music Session, Vol. 1 and the standalone cut “Spookie Coochie.” “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” served as the lead single for her 2020 project Oh the Places You’ll Go and drew widespread label interest after going viral the next year. She issued her third EP, Bra-Less, performed with Isaiah Rashad at the BET Hip-Hop Awards, joined him on “Wat U Sed,” and supported SZA on tour in 2021.
In 2022 Doechii joined both Capitol Records and Top Dawg Entertainment, becoming the latter’s first female rapper. Her initial release on the imprints was the cannabis-themed “Persuasive,” and she appeared on David Guetta and Afrojack’s “Trampoline,” which also featured Missy Elliott and Bia and peaked at number 26 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The aggressive single “Crazy” arrived with a provocative video containing violence and nudity. August brought the EP she / her / black bitch, which contained a SZA remix of “Persuasive” and Rico Nasty on opening track “Swamp Bitches,” while “Stressed” followed in October. She reunited with Kodak Black for the 2023 single “What It Is (Block Boy)” and issued a solo version, then released “Universal Swamp Anthem,” “Booty Drop,” and “Pacer.”
The 2024 collaboration “Alter Ego” with JT included several remixes, among them one by Kaytranada. Doechii continued with the solo releases “MPH,” “Rocket,” and “Nissan Altima,” the last of which appeared on Alligator Bites Never Heal. The August mixtape debuted at number 117 on the Billboard 200; with contributions from producers including Childish Maejor, Camper, and Kal Banx, it explored her contradictory impulses—assertions of power alongside admissions of insecurity and the dual weight and thrill of public attention. The project earned three nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album and Best New Artist.
