7 Surprising Facts About Doechii, the Grammy-Nominated Rapper
From her genre-bending sound to her unapologetic style, here’s everything you need to know about the rising rapper who is redefining hip-hop.
Doechii is taking the music scene by storm, one hit at a time.
The multi-hyphenate rapper, born Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon, has been making waves with her genre-bending sound and unapologetic persona. While she first caught attention in 2021 with her viral hit “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” it’s her evolution as an artist that has solidified her as one to watch. And she’s got the accolades to prove it. Doechii’s third mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal racked up three nominations at the 2025 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Album.
With razor-sharp lyrics and experimental beats, Doechii brings electrifying energy to every performance, as seen during her “Alligator Bites Never Heal” tour. Her bold style and boundary-pushing creativity have earned her a dedicated fanbase and consigns from industry heavyweights. Last year, she dropped the nostalgic R&B hit “What It Is (Block Boy)” and took her artistry to new heights with a feature on Tyler, the Creator’s latest album, Chromakopia. It’s no surprise she’s been dubbed the “Swamp Princess,” a fitting nod to her Florida roots and distinct artistic flair.
Keep scrolling to read surprising facts and must-know tidbits about the Queen of the Swamp and her meteoric rise in music.
Doechii is a Leo
Doechii's birthday is August 14th, 1998, making her a Leo. People of this zodiac sign are known to be natural born leaders, with creativity and confidence among its standout traits. That tracks for the boundary-pushing rapper.
She adopted the name “Doechii” after being bullied as a kid
If you can believe it, there was a time when Doechii wasn’t as audacious as she is now. After being bullied for her shyness throughout elementary school, she declared she’d enter sixth grade adopting a new identity called “Doechii.”
“It literally just came to me,” she said in an interview with Vulture. “Jaylah might’ve been getting bullied, but I decided Doechii wouldn’t stand for that shit. My whole attitude was different. It stuck.”
She got her start releasing music on SoundCloud
While she’s swiftly on the cusp of mainstream success—after all, she was the most nominated female rapper for the 2025 Grammy Awards—Doechii has been releasing music for nearly a decade. She first amassed a legion of fans on SoundCloud, who were taken with how effortlessly she transitions from sultry, seductive croons to sharp, staccato raps.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and religion helped her come to terms with her sexuality
Doechii credits Julia Cameron’s self-help book The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity and music with helping her come out as bisexual. The book underscores the link between creativity and spirituality, which prompted Doechii to reflect on her relationship with God. For years, she said, religion complicated her understanding of her bisexuality. Her sophomore EP, Oh the Places You’ll Go (2020), marked a turning point. “It was me letting go,” she told Vulture. “Before, I didn’t even acknowledge I was gay. I was low-key closeted, but not really. I just felt like I didn’t need to talk about it in my music. Really, it was more about me being scared to accept the fact that I like coochie.”
She was a supporting act for SZA and Doja Cat
Doechii joined SZA on her six-city “Good Days” tour in 2021, a partnership that later led to their 2022 single, “Persuasive.” Doja Cat’s “The Scarlet Tour” saw Doechii alongside Ice Spice as supporting acts, which she described as “fire” in an Interview Magazine conversation. “I toured with SZA, which was really good,” she recalled. “But the tour with Doja was fire because it was longer, and she’s so nice, and her crowd fits my aesthetic. I got a lot of experience, and I was performing my ass off.”
The CFDA named her a "Fashionable Celebrity to Watch"
In 2023, the CFDA included Doechii on its list of “Fashionable Celebrities to Watch." It makes sense. The rapper has a keen eye fo style, evident in her self-described love for trashy couture and Dsquared2 trucker hats on red carpets.
In a conversation with JT for Interview Magazine, Doechii shared her aspiration to achieve Rihanna's level of influence, where her impact on fashion matches her musical success. “I feel like it is right on point,” she said of the mention. “Because next year, I’m turning up the heat and I’m going to try a lot of different things. I want to eventually get to a place like Rihanna, where she’s known for her fashion as much as her music.”
She's rumored to be the opening act for Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s "Grand National Tour" in 2025
Earlier this month, Kendrick Lamar thrilled fans by announcing his Grand National Tour, where he'll be joined by longtime collaborator SZA, sparking excitement across both fanbases. The tour—which is set to kickoff in Minneapolis April 2025—arrives after an astronomical year for Lamar. Amid an ongoing rap battle with Drake, he surprised fans with the release of his sixth studio album GNX and dropped the music video for lead single, “Squabble Up.”
Speculation surrounding Doechii being the tour’s opening act has continued building, as the three are all signed to Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Lamar even gave her latest EP his stamp of approval via Instagram stories back in October, calling her “the hardest out.” In a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, Doechii remained coy and tight-lipped as to the validity of the rumors when pressed about them. "I don’t know what Kendrick has up his sleeve. I don’t know what’s to come, but I’m prepared to receive any opportunity that comes my way—but I truly have no idea,” she said.
