“Doechii cooler than a fan, but she gets hotter than a sauna,” said the Florida rapper Jaylah Hickmon, more commonly known as Doechii, in her latest song, “Nissan Altima,”” and many listeners agreed with this sentiment as they listened to her project. The song was the most viral track on her latest mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, released on August 30, 2024, and it explores who Doechii is creatively while solidifying her style as an artist rising in popularity.

Many Howard students had nothing but rave reviews about the mixtape. “It’s bold; I can feel inspiration from Grace Jones, Janelle Monae, ballroom culture, and I feel like Doechii really shows herself in that genre of black culture really well,” said sophomore Bri Robertson.

Robertson claims to be a “big Doechii fan” and really appreciated telling a cohesive story of who she is, adding to the diversity of genres being mixed together. When asked about her favorite songs, Robertson said, “I definitely love “Denial is a River” [because] she’s so good at storytelling about her personal life, and the beat is so pleasing to me.”

“She perfectly displays her versatility in rapping on different kinds of beats and gets vulnerable with the listeners,” said sophomore Alana Canino shared similar thoughts other thoughts

 Although she has not been a long-time fan of Doechii, Canino points out that she is impressed with how Alligator Bites Never Heal showcases her growth as an artist in the industry, which helps her continue to pave the way.

 “There’s not a lot of dark-skinned female rappers out here doing things in the way that Doechii is doing it. She is not afraid to think outside of the box with her lyrics, instrumentals, and concepts,” said Canino.

Unlike Howard students, critics were not as receptive to the project. Pitchfork gave the project a score of 7.0 and said, “Nobody puts Doechii in a corner. But if this is the sound of Doechii pushing against constraints, a little friction might not be the worst thing.” 

Other publications shared similar thoughts, stating that although the mixtape was entertaining and lively, it failed to show off her full potential. The contrast in opinions hints at a discrepancy in reception between her target audience, black women and black femme-identifying people, versus the market as a whole. 

At the end of the day, music is subjective, so it is truly hard to gauge the success of a project based on other people’s opinions without listening to it for yourself, but it is important to keep this difference in mind as you delve into it.

This is definitely not the last of Doechii, especially as she continues to grow in fame. When asked what she hopes to see from the rapper in the future, Robertson said, “I want to see more collaborations, honestly.” 

Canino expressed similar thoughts and threw a new hope into the conversation saying, “I’m hoping to see her perform at HBCUs in the future. Doechii for Homecoming, anyone?” 

Who knows? With her main demographic growing in size and her mixtape rapidly gaining more success, maybe she could pop out on that stage in October.