Doechii facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Doechii
Doechii performing at the Grammy Museum in December 2024
Background information
Birth name	Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon
Also known as	Iamdoechii Swamp Princess Doechii the Don Diva Doechii with two I’s
Born	(1998-08-14) August 14, 1998 (age 26) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Alternative hip-hop R&B pop rap jazz rap hip house
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2016–present
Labels	Top Dawg Capitol

Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon (born August 14, 1998), known professionally as Doechii, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained attention on TikTok, leading her to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment, in a joint venture with Capitol Records in 2022. Her 2023 single "What It Is (Block Boy)" (featuring Kodak Black), became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Doechii's third mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024), was met with critical acclaim and won Best Rap Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards; this made her the third woman to win in the category. The mixtape spawned two further Billboard Hot 100 entries: "Nissan Altima" and "Denial Is a River".

Doechii has guest appeared on several tracks including "Anxiety" by Sleepy Hallow, "Balloon" by Tyler, the Creator, and "ExtraL" by Jennie. She made her feature film debut in the 2023 drama Earth Mama. Her accolades include a Grammy Award from three nominations and the 2023 Rising Star Award from Billboard Women in Music, as well as nominations for two MTV Video Music Awards, a BET Award, and two Soul Train Music Awards.

Early life

Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon was born on August 14, 1998, in Tampa, Florida, where she was raised. Her father and uncle were both rappers, though only her father recorded professionally. She has younger twin sisters. She has described her upbringing as Christian. Doechii attended Howard W. Blake High School and grew up performing ballet, tap dancing, acting, cheerleading, doing gymnastics, and playing soccer. She planned to become a professional choral singer until a friend encouraged her to produce and release her music online as an independent artist.

Career

She started writing poetry and rap in high school, and was making music by 2014. Doechii released her debut song "Girls" on SoundCloud in 2016 as "Iamdoechii". She once sold hoodies with the phrase "Stay woke. Stay black." in protest of police brutality.

Doechii performing at The Filmore in July 2022

One of Doechii's first projects, Coven Music Session, Vol. 1, was released in 2019, and her debut EP, Oh the Places You'll Go, was self-funded and released in 2020. It was described by Rolling Stone as a mix of pop, dance, and hip hop. "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake", a single from the EP released in September 2020, was inspired by her reading The Artist's Way and went viral on TikTok in 2021, earning her attention from record labels. Also in 2021, she released her second EP, Bra-Less; she was featured on Isaiah Rashad's song "Wat U Sed" from his album, The House Is Burning, which she performed with Rashad at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards; and was an opening act during SZA's 2021 tour. In March 2022, she was signed to Capitol Records by Chris Turner and Top Dawg Entertainment, making her the first female rapper on the latter label. That same month, she released "Persuasive", her first single published through Top Dawg, and appeared as a featured artist on David Guetta and Afrojack's song "Trampoline", alongside Missy Elliott and Bia.

In April 2022, she released the song "Crazy" with a music video. Her second EP and her first major label release, She / Her / Black ..., was released on August 5, 2022. Her July 2022 performance of her song "Persuasive" was nominated for Push Performance of the Year at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

Doechii performed at the 22nd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2023. Also in 2023, she made her acting debut in Earth Mama, a drama film directed by Savanah Leaf.

In August 2024, Doechii released her third mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, to critical acclaim. Pitchfork called it "her most ambitious and musically diverse release" filled with "playful and melodic sides without skimping on hard-hitting hip-hop". The mixtape won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the third woman to win in the category. Shortly after the event finished airing, she released the song "Nosebleeds" as a celebration of her win.

Throughout 2024, Doechii featured on multiple songs: Katy Perry's "I'm His, He's Mine" (from her album 143), Tyler, the Creator's "Balloon" (from his album Chromakopia), and Banks's "I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend" (from her 2025 album Off with Her Head).

Doechii appeared as a guest judge on a January 2025 episode of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17, with her song "Alter Ego" featured in a lip-sync competition. The song's exposure in the episode resulted in significant chart increases across music streaming platforms. In February 2025, Doechii appeared as a feature on Jennie's song, "ExtraL".

Achievements

Doechii was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance, and won Best Rap Album for the 2025 Grammy Awards. She also received several nominations for the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding New Artist, Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album, and Outstanding Album. Variety named her the 2024 Hitmakers Hip-Hop Disruptor of the Year.

Musical style

Doechii performing in December 2024

Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh described Doechii's rap delivery as "animated" and her song narratives as "quirky". Her music has been compared by critics to that of Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Missy Elliott, and Azealia Banks. She has described her music as alternative hip hop, and has cited Nicki Minaj, Lauryn Hill, Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator, Kendrick Lamar, and SZA as her major musical influences. She has also expressed admiration for artists including Trick Daddy, Grace Jones, Paramore, Madonna, KRS-One, and MF Doom.

Personal life

Doechii currently resides in Los Angeles. She lived in New York City before the COVID-19 pandemic, and published YouTube vlogs about her daily life during that period.

Discography

Mixtapes

• Coven Music Session, Vol. 1 (2019)
• Oh the Places You'll Go (2020)
• Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024)

EPs

• Bra-Less (2021)
• She / Her / Black ... (2022)

Tours

Headlining

• Alligator Bites Never Heal Tour (2024)

Supporting

• Doja Cat – The Scarlet Tour (2023)

Filmography

Awards and nominations