DOECHII

words by Michael Cuby
images by Kanya Iwana

Doechii has always set intentions for herself.

"I don't know how to explain this, but I just feel very intuitive and I know when I'm ready for certain things," the rapper tells me matter of factly one July afternoon, sitting at home in Los Angeles as she gets her glam done before a busy day of content creation and music making. "I have a very deep spiritual connection with God, so a lot of my intentions are just set from visions that I get."

Take her name, for eksempel. Born Jaylah Hickmon, the recording artist started going by "Doechii" in middle school in a bold move to separate herself from her more conformist peers. "jeg var som, you know what? I'm going to be who I am. I'm going to be a superstar and brand myself." Though she "didn't even know what 'branding' was at the time," she knew she was meant to stand out. "I started wearing these tutus and coming up with silhouettes, just implementing my creativity. I started to mold this woman that God kept showing me I would be. And now, I'm her."

Whatever God's vision was, it must have included great success. Over the last seven years, Doechii has risen from the depths of Soundcloud to the upper reaches of the Billboard charts. Though she's yet to release an official debut album, she's already scored collaborations with artists like Janelle Monáe, Ravyn Lenae, and SZA. Doja Cat is a huge fan, as is UGK's Bun B. She's such a hot commodity right now that, when asked to reflect on 2023 alone, she has to pause to refresh her memory. "Coachella. My first charting song. Og Billboard Women In Music var det også i år, højre?" (Det var. Hun vandt Rising Star Award.) At sætte hensigter har helt klart virket for Doechii indtil videre. Så når hun siger, "Ultimativt, det ville være fantastisk, hvis folk tænkte på 'popkultur',' de tænkte på mig," det er svært ikke at nikke indforstået.

På dagen for vores opkald, Doechiis seneste single, "Hvad er det (Blok dreng)," når et nyt højdepunkt på hitlisterne, stadig tættere på Billboards top 50. Det er hendes første sang, der gør det. Sangen, -en "nostalgisk" R&B anthem that foregrounds her buttery soft vocals, er et omdrejningspunkt fra de hårdtslående rim, hun udstillede om karriere som rap som sidste års "Helt vildt" men kunstneren, der regner Lauryn Hill og Erykah Badu som nøgleinspiratorer, har altid været noget af en musikalsk kamæleon. Tampa, Floridas indfødtes alsidighed er en del af hendes appel. Det var det, der fik hende til at bemærke af Top Dawg Entertainment, som sidste år signede hende som den første kvindelige rapper på deres liste.

Doechii begyndte ikke med store etiketter. Kunstneren begyndte at lave sin egen musik, da hun stadig gik på scenekunstgymnasiet, selvfinansierende projekter med penge, hun tjente fra sin populære YouTube-kanal og "Bliv vågen, Forbliv sort" hættetrøje forretning. Men efter hendes hjemmelavede succes 2020 Oh the Places You'll Go EP (og dens TikTok virale single "Yucky Blucky Frugtkage"), Doechii vidste, at underskrivelse var det naturlige næste skridt. "Jeg ville ikke bare være selvstændig kunstner, " indrømmer hun. "Jeg vil være en global superstjerne." På trods af interesse fra flere labels, Doechii landed with TDE because of its legacy and the creative freedom she felt they provided. "Plus, it's Black owned," she adds. "And that was very important to me."

Being on a label made famous for breaking stars like Kendrick Lamar and SZA has, naturally, come with a fair amount of "good pressure." But as a former gymnast, Doechii thrives through regimented discipline. Since signing, she's only expanded her following, gaining new fans with the cheekily titled, five-song EP she / her / black bitch. (The title originated as a joke it's a reference to both Kendrick Lamar's "The Little Homies" production company and Diahann Carroll's infamous line about being "the first Black bitch on television.") She's also become a must see live act. After annihilating the Coachella stage this past April (and the BET Awards last summer), she's now gearing up to open for Doja Cat's highly anticipated Scarlet Tour this fall.

And that's not to mention her work on screen. Earlier this year, Doechii appeared in Earth Mama, Savanah Leaf's critically acclaimed A24 debut about a pregnant mother's struggles with the legal system. Playing the protagonist's super religious (and at times judgmental) best friend, Doechii exhibited a natural radiance on screen though that came as no surprise for anyone who has seen her inventive music videos. "The same way I tap into real emotions on stage is the same way that I tap into them on camera," the artist says of her first acting experience. "I'm just very in tune with my emotions, and I like to implement them whenever I'm performing."

It's incredible what she's achieved while staying completely true to herself. As a self admitted textbook Leo, Doechii cops to being "very ambitious and loyal and braggadocious, but also down to earth." One can sense her Leo like confidence in the way she has publicly navigated her queer identity. Even while still living in "redneck, racist, homophobic" Tampa, she recalls telling herself, "Okay, girl, you like girls. Who gives a fuck?" (The only other queer person she knew from her hometown, Matthew, still does her hair to this day.) And now, as Doechii pushes ever closer into the mainstream, she has maintained that attitude, proudly discussing her bisexuality through her music in her lyrics, beats, and visuals, as she does with the ballroom influenced "Persuasive." "It's just not a big deal. I just love who I love and that's it."

Hun har fundet ud af meget i den ende alder af 24 (hun er næsten 25, selvom hun godt kan lide at spøge med, at hun er ved at vende 21), men der er stadig andre ting, Doechii ønsker at opnå, mens hendes karriere fortsætter. "Jeg er åben for at lave næsten alt i underholdningsbranchen," siger hun for glad. "En dag, Jeg vil instruere. Måske er jeg på mode. Jeg er ikke tæt på noget." Når der trykkes på om en femårig plan, hun nævner at ville "hamre et album ud hvert år i de næste tre år." Og efter det? "Tag et år fri og kom tilbage med et skide folkealbum for at pisse folk og få det til at være det mest hadede album nogensinde."

Jeg går ud fra, hun laver sjov, men med Doechii, man skal altid forvente det uventede. Hun fortæller mig det samme, når hun driller sit kommende store debutalbum, som hun insisterer på stadig er på vej til en 2023 frigøre. ("Helt sikkert inden jeg tager på turné med Doja," hun lover.) "I skal alle sammen danse. Det bliver rigtig sjovt," hun giver slip. Hun holder forudsigeligt ordknappe om resten, bekræfter kun, at det nye projekt bliver væsentligt mere konceptuelt end noget andet i hendes diskografi. Det bliver endnu et omdrejningspunkt for Doechii, selvom én ting er forblevet det samme. "Jeg vil ikke give noget væk," hun siger. "Men jeg skabte det med meget klar intention."

Hot Like Fire Issue 23