Doechi, SZA

Biography

Doechii, born and raised in Tampa, Florida, attended Howard W. Blake High School where she studied choral music and explored diverse art forms including ballet, tap dancing, acting, cheerleading, gymnastics, and soccer. During her senior year, she began recording songs using a friend's equipment and uploading them to SoundCloud, marking her shift from choral training to pursuing a career as an independent rapper. She released her first EP, Coven Music Session, Vol. 1, in 2019, followed by the concept album Oh the Places You’ll Go in 2020, which featured the TikTok viral hit “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” that amassed over 10 million Spotify streams by May 2021.

Doechii's breakthrough accelerated in 2022 when she signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and Capitol Records, becoming the first female rapper on TDE's roster, a label home to Kendrick Lamar and SZA. She opened for SZA's 2021 Good Days tour, released the EP She / Her / Black Bitch featuring the remix of “Persuasive” with SZA, and scored her first Billboard Hot 100 entry with “What It Is (Block Boy)” featuring Kodak Black. Her genre-blending style, mixing rap, R&B, and playful hip-hop, shone in performances at Coachella 2023 and her BET Awards appearance. In August 2024, she dropped the critically acclaimed mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart and spawning hits like “Denial Is a River” and “Nissan Altima.”

The mixtape earned her three 2025 Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist, and she won Best Rap Album, becoming only the third Black woman to do so after Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. Billboard named her 2025 Woman of the Year, cementing her legacy as a versatile, boundary-pushing artist redefining rap and R&B with raw lyricism and viral appeal.

Fun Facts

• Doechii funded her 2020 EP Oh the Places You’ll Go using unemployment benefits after quitting a job she was 'completely unqualified' for during the pandemic.
• She made history as the first female rapper signed to TDE in its 10-year history.
• At the BET Awards, she delivered an electrifying performance where she snatched her own wig off on stage.
• A 2025 remix of her 2019 track “Anxiety” reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and inspired a TikTok dance challenge recreating a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air scene.
• Alligator Bites Never Heal was described by Pitchfork as her 'most ambitious and musically diverse release,' blending playful melodies with hard-hitting hip-hop.

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• SZA - Opened for SZA's tour and frequent collaborator on remixes (Good Days tour (2021), Persuasive (remix) (2022)) [2021-2022]
• Kodak Black - Featured collaboration leading to first Billboard Hot 100 entry (What It Is (Block Boy)) [2022]
• Missy Elliott - Featured on dance track with David Guetta and Afrojack (Trampoline) [2022]
• David Guetta - Featured artist on electronic track (Trampoline (with Afrojack, Missy Elliott, Bia)) [2022]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia