Doechii: The rap heavyweight comes through to dish on 'Alligator Bites Never Heal,' the highs and lows of fame and Lauryn Hill's impact

Ready for a deep dive into all things rap artist Doechii? Look no further than what she’s dishing out these days with Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden and her Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape streaming.

Doechii slides through with Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden and doesn’t hold back

There’s ample moments from the Q&A between Doe and Ebro ranging from her talking about the new project demanding attention and her music roots to just how much of an impact hip-hop icon Lauryn Hill has had on her personally.

Doechii tells Apple Music about the meaning behind the title ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’

Doechii: I think it's not necessarily about where I come from, the damage of where I come from. I think it's a general statement of certain patterns happen in your life, certain hardships happen. You have lows, very low lows, and then you have really high highs. And I think that in those lows, when you get wounded, it'll happen again. At some point in your life, you'll get hurt again. I think that's what that's ultimately about. I'm still kind of processing the title myself and figuring out what it means to me as well.

Ebro: Really? So how’d you decide?

Doechii: It always resonated with me. I've had that title in my head, on my heart really, for a long time, for years. Since I think 2021 or something like that. And I'm still unpacking what it really means to me, but I know that there's this sadness to it, kind of like this thing always happens. There will always be a situation that will puncture you or wound you or hurt you, but at the end of the day, in a way, ironically, you will heal and scars will always be there to remind you what happened. But it's kind of like a victory thing as well.

Doechii tells Apple Music about her roots in rap music and how she is keeping classic hip-hop alive

Doechii: But my roots in rap are from Boom Bap, and I taught myself how to rap through battle style rapping. And with me kind of coming back to myself, I'm recently completely sober, no nicotine, no alcohol, no smoking, no nothing. And so I just kind of re-fell in love with hip hop and I realized that there is a sense of tradition in hip hop that I really want to represent and bring back.

Ebro: Oh, she's trying to make me more of a fan, son. Keeps cool. Yo, y'all see what she's doing?

Doechii: No, but for real though. I feel like there is importance in tradition. I feel like it is important for us to uphold the heart of hip hop, which is lyrical composition. It is skill, it is wittiness, but it is also talking about our feelings… being honest about what we're going through and connecting us as people.

Ebro: There you go.

Doechii: I feel like especially in the time of an economic recession, people need to feel things right now and we need to talk about it and we need to do it through rap, which is why I chose the sonical direction that I chose, was like, I want to take us back to this classic space in hip hop and just remind people of the traditional roots of where this started. And do it in my way and push it forward.

Doechii tells Apple Music about the struggle of having her voice heard and navigating her vision within a record label

Ebro: How has that been as a creative? What's that struggle? What's that journey been to get people to see your visions and believe in what you're trying to express?

Doechii: It's been a journey. Like I said, about those lows and those highs. It's definitely been a journey. Sometimes I joke with my friends and I'm like, "I shouldn't have showed all my cards. I shouldn't have showed people I could sing and I could do this and I could do that." Because it's like, I think that... How do I word this? What I experienced was kind of like, "Okay, she can do everything. She can sing pop, she can rap, she can also dance and all this other stuff." And it was just kind of like, "Okay, well where do we put it? This could be commercial, but this could be underground." And I feel like it just felt so scattered. You know what I mean? I felt scattered creatively, which led me into that dark space that I was talking about because it's just a lot to deal with. It was a battle between me figuring out myself as an artist and expressing myself through different ways in different genres. I have always done that for a long time, but navigating that with a label was interesting and different.

Ebro: Because deadlines and they need things to fit for the business.

Doechii: This is a business, and this has to make sense. And so I think that I was trying to figure that out and figure out do I fit commercially? Where do I fit commercially? Do I want to be commercial? Do I not? What does this mean for me? You know what I mean? I love to sing. I love it, but I also really love to rap. I think I've been trying to navigate this superpower that I've been bestowed with.

Doechii tells Apple Music how the culture shock and loneliness of moving to LA inspired 'Denial Is A River’

Ebro: Why you say, "Oh God.”?

Doechii: It’s a vulnerable one. And it's funny, don't get me wrong. It's really silly and people think it's funny, but it's actually-

Ebro: Yeah, but there's real shit in there.

Doechii:… it's really dark.

Ebro: And you talk about the addiction stuff in there.

Doechii: I wouldn't say addiction.

Ebro: Or usage.

Doechii: Unhealthy relationship.

Ebro Darden: Usage. Yeah, because yeah. But was that usage, that unhealthy relationship, that lifestyle, was there something about your journey as an artist that put you in that place?

Doechii: I think that when... I kind of came from the south, from Tampa, Florida and I moved to Los Angeles, that was a culture shock for me. The way people interact with each other, the way they talk to each other. It was not like anything that I had really experienced. So I didn't off bat make a lot of friends. I didn't connect with a lot of people, which led to me ultimately being lonely at some point. And it's just me and my label. I'm just one young girl, my family's not with me, not around me. And so I think that over time I just started to party a lot and that just turned into... It's little things. It turns into, there's a bottle everywhere you go at every show. There's a bottle in your sessions. Anybody's like, you want this, you want that? And then you start to develop an unhealthy relationship with these things, and now I'm drinking too much, and on Denial Is A River. I'm really combing through that process. You're witnessing me talk about my transition through Hollywood and navigating that and how it had negative impacts on me.

Doechii tells Apple Music the artists who have shaped her sound and the rap acts she's currently listening to

Ebro: Is there an artist or multiple artists when you were inspired by or someone that was really like the flip the switch? I know I'm going to be in the music business. I'm going to do this as my profession.

Doechii: Yeah. Two big artists for me. Beyoncé made me want to do it as a business and be an official artist. I didn't know that you could be an artist without being signed. I didn't know being independent was a thing. And then I became a huge Kanye West fan and his grind, oh my God, it just did so much for me. So Kanye showed me how theatrical and crazy it could get, and Beyoncé just showed me pure performance, etiquette and boss energy.

Ebro: I love that. I love that. Do you listen to a lot of rap still today?

Doechii: 100%. Recently I've been into a lot of MF Doom, rest in peace. I've been into a lot of MF Doom, Westside Gunn. Love him. He's so talented.

Ebro: So incredible.

Doechii: Tyler, the Creator, Jay-Z. I'm from the south. So I didn't grow up on a lot of Jay-Z, but I recently went through all of his discography. Oh my God. Everybody knows he's crazy, but, damn.

Doechii tells Apple Music about being inspired by Ms. Lauryn Hill 

Ebro: Yeah, I love it. Where does Lauryn Hill fall in your inspiration?

Doechii: Huge.

Ebro: Like that album?

Doechii: Huge. Huge. It's the first album that I had a physical copy of. I know it top to bottom. It molded me, honestly.

Ebro: And you have a Black woman talking about pro-blackness, family and spirituality and purpose and positivity. But the beats are dope. The rhymes are dope. The songs are dope. It literally checks all the boxes of everything you could ask for in an album.

Doechii: I miss that.

Ebro: It’s hard. It's a very tough accomplishment though. I'm sure you could talk about trying to get all your thoughts into an album when you have a lot of them, right?

Doechii: Yeah. I think it takes a lot of wisdom, but so much bravery to be that vulnerable. I mean, she said everything she needed to say. You know what I mean? And it just makes me think about how I miss, and I need vulnerability right now in hip hop more, that's all.

Doechii: The cross-country goals are officially on deck with 'Alligator Bites Never Heal' tour happening

Need more than just hearing and seeing rap artist Doechii on your iPhone to get your fix? How about preparing to see her in-person for a full-fledged Alligator Bites Never Heal tour happening soon-soon? Say less.

Doechii’s ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’ tour is happening next month

While you’ll have to wait until October for the fun to begin, tickets officially go up for sale this week. With spots like Atlanta’s The Loft and New York’s Music Hall of Williamsburg locked in, venue spots are easily going to fill fast-fast to see Doechii in action.

Doechii announced Alligator Bites Never Heal The Tour – a headline run in support of her critically acclaimed mixtape, which was released last Friday. The tour will kick off on October 11 in Atlanta, GA at The Loft and include shows at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York City (October 15) and The Roxy in West Hollywood, CA (November 3). In addition to eight U.S. dates, Doechii will play shows in Berlin, Paris, London and Amsterdam. See below for itinerary.

The artist pre-sale for the North American dates will begin Tuesday, September 17, at 9:00 AM local time. General on-sale begins on Friday, September 20, at 9:00 AM local time. For more information, visit www.iamdoechii.com.

Released via Top Dawg Entertainment / Capitol Records, Alligator Bites Never Healis available for download / streaming HERE. The hip-hop/rap mixtape captures a rare talent in her rawest form yet. She takes on those who would try to cram her and her work into one genre box or identity on “Boom Bap,” delivers blunt-force bars on “Bullfrog,”unleashes a horrorcore growl on “Catfish,” and drops countless quotables on “Nissan Altima” (“I’m the new hip-hop Madonna / I’m the trap Grace Jones”).

In a four-star review, Rolling Stone hailed Alligator Bites Never Heal as ““one of the year’s most fully-realized breakout albums.” Read Rolling Stone’s interview with DoechiiHERE. Complex named the mixtape as “one of the best rap projects of 2024” while NPRcalled it a “thrilling experience.” BET noted, “Her unfiltered honesty throughout is truly commendable.” Pitchfork said, “On her most ambitious and musically diverse release to date, the TDE rapper and singer meets the pressures of success with defiance and irreverence.” Check out the cover story from PAPER’s 40th anniversary issue, which features Doechii as her alter ego, Ricardo, HERE.

The mixtape comes on the heels of Doechii's Eurodance-inspired hit "Alter Ego," dubbed by R&B superstar SZA as "the craziest song I've heard all year." "Alter Ego” received the remix treatment, with JT delivering a verse, further extending Doechii's winning streak. To date, the song has earned over 15 million streams on Spotify alone.

After gaining 600 million plus global streams for “What It Is (Block Boy)” last year, she unleashed “Booty Drop,” a New Jersey Club-influenced single, and “Pacer,” a track Stereogum described as “a shouty maximalist anthem” laced with “electronic streaks and overdriven rock guitars.” In September, she continued to build her momentum when she popped out to Los Angeles to open for Beyoncé. That same fall, the self-proclaimed Swamp Princess hit the road with Doja Cat on her Scarlet Tour dates. This all builds on the heels of Doechii’s 2022 EP she / her / black bitch, where she cemented herself as a distinct voice whose versatile talents range from quick-fire bars to seductive singing. 

DOECHII – ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL THE TOUR

10/11 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft

10/14 – Philadelphia, PA – Foundry at The Fillmore

10/15 – New York, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

10/16 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall

10/21 – Berlin, Germany – Lido

10/24 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Bitterzoet

10/25 – Paris, France – Alhambra

10/28 – London, UK – Village Underground

11/2 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent

11/3 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy

11/12 – Tampa, FL - Crowbar

11/14 – Washington, DC – Union Stage

Doechii: The Top Dawg Entertainment rapper delivers with her 'Pacer'

It’s more than just music when it comes to Doechii these days. The Top Dawg Entertainment star comes through with more than a fire single in the form of her ‘Pacer’ anthem by dropping a hard-hitting accompanying music video.

Doechii’s ‘Pacer’ has arrived for the masses

The rap artist goes the cinematic route from start to finish in the visual. The bars go hard but getting this visual flex? Super must-see.

Doechii releases the song and video for “Pacer” (Top Dawg Entertainment/Capitol Records).

The Tampa-born rapper and singer gave a taste of the song during Coachella in April, and fans have been clamoring for it ever since. In the song Doechii announces full throttle that she is a rock star. Stereogum says ‘Pacer’ is “a shouty maximalist anthem, and Saint 808’s production is full of in-the-red electronic streaks and overdriven rock guitars.”

After gaining 600 million plus global streams for “What It Is (Block Boy)” this spring, she followed with Int’l Players Anthem” freestyle “Universal Swamp Anthem,” and last month, Doechii came out with the clubby single “Booty Drop.” Earlier this month she popped up in Los Angeles opening for Beyonce, and this fall the self-proclaimed Swamp Princess hits that road with Doja Cat on her Scarlet Tour dates, beginning October 31 in San Francisco and running through November 24 in Doechii’s hometown of Tampa. 

Directed by Nikko Lamere, the video is loaded with intense visuals and set-ups. Doechii goes hard: Keep it on repeat. 

Doja Cat: The West Coast rap star secures Ice Spice and Doechii for her 'Scarlet Tour'

Music superstar Doja Cat is something to see in-person but adding Ice Spice and Doechii to the line-up for her new The Scarlet Tour cross-country run? Holy smokes. It’s definitely going to be must-see goals when the 24-date run starts up this fall.

Doja Cat’s ‘The Scarlet Tour’ run secures Ice Spice and Doechii

Whether you’re posting up in Los Angeles and San Diego or prefer those Eastern Standard Time zones, Doja is hitting a city near you and going from late October through mid-December.

GRAMMY award-winning global superstar Doja Cat announces that she will embark on her first North American Arena tour this fall, “The Scarlet Tour.” The 24-date tour, produced by Live Nation, kicks off on October 31st in San Francisco, CA, hitting major markets in the U.S. and Canada before wrapping on December 13th in Chicago, IL. After show stopping performances on multiple massive stages such as Coachella, The Grammy Awards, MTV’s VMA’s, The American Music Awards, The Billboard Awards and more, Doja Cat is thrilled to bring her incredible live show to her fans across North America. Special guests Ice Spiceand Doechii will join “The Scarlet Tour'' across select dates. 

Tickets for The Scarlet Tour will be using advance registration to ensure more tickets get into the hands of fans directly by helping to filter out bots and scalpers from the ticket purchase process.

Fans can register now through Sunday, June 25th at 10 PM PT HERE. Once registration closes, fans will be randomly selected to receive a code that grants them access to the presales starting Wednesday, June 28. A limited number of tickets will be available during a general on sale starting Friday, June 30th at 10 AM local time at Ticketmaster.com while supplies last.  

The tour will also offer a variety of different VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level. Packages vary but may include premium tickets, a photo op with your party in front of the stage, pre-show VIP Lounge access, specially designed VIP gift items and more. For more information, visit vipnation.com. 

Last week, Doja released her new track, “Attention” via Kemosabe Records/RCA Records to mass critical acclaim with Rolling Stone calling it “scorching.” The music video was directed and shot in Los Angeles last month by award-winning director, Tanu Muino (Harry Styles / Cardi B).