These days, Doechii is the name on everybody’s lips. From a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, to outstanding performances on NPR’s Tiny Desk and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, to an iconic collab with Tyler, the Creator, the rising Floridian rapper has made it clear she’s one to watch.
Unfortunately, all the love for Doechii comes with its fair share of hate, too. A recent wave of celebrity endorsements for Doechii has spurred a flurry of “industry plant” allegations — which, as is almost always the case, are patently false.
Doechii recently got shoutouts from celebs including Billie Eilish (who wrote “doechii is so fire omg” in an Instagram story); SZA (who posted “doechii is my favorite artist rn hands down” on X); and Paramore’s Hayley Williams (who reposted SZA’s comment, adding the caption, “easily”).
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The praise is well deserved, considering Doechii’s latest mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal received critical acclaim and even earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. But some naysayers assume that the praise for Doechii must be somehow falsified — that she paid for those shoutouts or was “planted” to be a success in the industry.
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“How can I be bisexual and then I’m gonna not date somebody else who’s bisexual?” Doechii asked. “Why, because he’s a man? Who cares?”
Clearly, SZA loves drag — could we see her as a judge on a future season of “Drag Race”?
There’s one big problem with that theory: Doechii didn’t just appear out of nowhere with Alligator Bites Never Heal. She started as an independent SoundCloud rapper back in 2016, and she’s been dropping singles and EPs ever since (including viral hits like “What It Is,” “Persuasive,” “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” and “Alter Ego”).
The hate campaign against Doechii reminds folks of another rising queer superstar who got similar flak last year: Chappell Roan, who, just like Doechii, has been grinding in the music industry for nearly a decade — and who, just like Doechii, was accused of being an industry plant.
Of course, the allegations are doing nothing to slow down Doechii’s meteoric rise to stardom. She just released the highly anticipated music video to “Denial Is A River.” Check it out below.
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