"I carry where I'm from on me all the time," Doechii told Hypebeast in an interview earlier this month. Hailing from the swamps of Southern Florida, the self-proclaimed Swamp Princess serves up a heaping helping of soulful sonics on her debut studio album, aptly entitled Alligator Bites Never Heal.
Doechii drives it home – in her "NISSAN ALTIMA," of course – for her Everglades hometown on the sharp 19-song offering. Complete with a handful of her "Swamp Session" freestyles, Alligator Bites Never Heal transports listeners down to Tampa on what Doechii refers to as "editorial rap" tracks like "BULLFROG," "CATFISH" and "PROFIT."
"If rap was high fashion, what would it sound like? That's editorial rap," she explained to Hypebeast of her coined genre; on the chorus of standout staccato Swamp Session cut "BOOM BAP," she clarifies further: "Say it's real, and it's rap / And it boom, and it bap / And it bounce, and it clap / And it's house, and it's trap."
Carried by her Floridian fearlessness – a sentiment she credits for her signing and success – Alligator Bites Never Heal signals a confident and cohesive debut from the TDE talent. As she says on "DEATH ROLL": "I love the way my ideas flow when I'm not scared."
"Curiosity and courage play the biggest role in my artistry. I’m very curious, but I also have the courage to fulfill those curiosities and experiment with things. Those two things are the reasons why I got signed.
Stream Alligator Bites Never Heal – out everywhere now and revisit Hypebeast's full conversation with Doechii here.