The year 2024 was a new kind of golden age for women in hip hop. The space accessible to women rappers had drastically narrowed starting in the mid-2000s, but by the 2020s, it was once again expanding. We have huge names in rap like Nicki Minaj and Cardi B—who became trendsetters even during the genre’s darker periods—and a surge of unique, talented rappers emerging in both the mainstream and indie scenes, to thank. Names like Megan Thee Stallion, Rapsody, Ice Spice, Latto, GloRilla, Flo Milli, and Little Simz come to mind. And then there’s Tampa, Florida’s own Doechii.

Among the rappers at the center of today’s constantly evolving music world, where artists are always seeking fresh voices, stands Doechii. With her powerful voice, distinct artistic vision, and boundless energy, she’s received plenty of attention for the way she works both within and outside the bounds of the traditional hip hop framework. She harnesses her music to explore both her personal backstory and socially conscious messages, demonstrating a level of empathy and innovation that transcends age and gender. In her formative years, Doechii immersed herself in other artistic pursuits, like ballet, gymnastics, and acting, and began writing poetry and rapping once in high school. Her later total dedication to music led her to release a song titled “Girls” on SoundCloud in 2016, followed three years later by her first official release, the 2019 mixtape Coven Music Session, Vol. 1.

The incredible depth of her artistry was already apparent with Coven Music Session and the DIY promo content she put out at that time. She already showed a high degree of curiosity and intuitive sense with her grasp and creative use of genre crossover, vocals that rival her rapping skills, and a knack for weaving profound topics into compelling stories, all of which made her stand out, not to mention her aesthetic choices in her videos. Her exploration of identity and spirituality on Coven Music Session, in particular, became a recurring motif in her later work.

Her immense potential all came together in one pivotal moment in 2022. In 2021, the track “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” off her EP from the year before went viral on TikTok, catching the attention of record executives, and Top Dawg Entertainment reached out. As is common knowledge, TDE is the powerhouse label behind artists like Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and ScHoolboy Q. Doechii’s partnership with TDE then led to signing a major contract with Capitol Records. She was also named one of XXL’s Freshmen for 2022, a badge of honor for rising stars in hip hop. The mere act of being featured on the magazine’s annual list of 10 rising stars is a massive promotional win for any emerging artist. “I was lame as fuck,” Doechii says in her XXL Freshman feature, reflecting on her days as a budding rapper in her first year of high school. “I knew I wasn’t gonna be lame forever, but I was lame because I was scared to be me. I would act dumb and really childish and lame because I was trying to be somebody else.” But she ultimately came to embrace herself for who she is through her fascination with music and by learning how to create her own.

Doechii’s music is bold and unrestrained, like painting freely on a blank canvas, wielding her voice like a delicate brush as she adds distinctive hues to each song. She makes use of a blend of traditional hip hop beats, genre fusion, and outside-the-box hip hop production techniques to bring her mysterious, immersive stories to life. Moreover, she seamlessly navigates between melody and rhythm, riding waves of emotion that are at times intense and at other times tender. The result is a perfect harmony of raw energy, a sense of humor, and emotional depth. Take “Crazy” for example. Through the song’s hard-hitting beat and her strong rap, Doechii expresses her inner world, an oppressive society, and both the liberation and rage that follow. Her wild rapping, set atop a mix of Baltimore club and industrial hip hop, is absolutely captivating. Listen to the explosive wordplay she dances with in the pun-filled bridge after the second verse, where she dexterously rhymes “Mexico,” “letcha know,” and “decimal.” Then throw in her eye-catching avant-garde music video … She’s an exceptional artist in every sense.

Another standout song that showcases her spot-on musical instincts is “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” a track off her third mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, which was released last year and earned her a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 67th Grammy Awards. In the song, Doechii has an open dialogue with a voice that springs up from within her and plays a therapist role. What begins as a diss about an unfaithful ex-boyfriend evolves into a triumphant parade of her ongoing success, layered with unfiltered thoughts and lingering anxieties. Some female fans have praised “DENIAL IS A RIVER” as having done a good job capturing the anxieties Black women face on a daily basis. Its ’90s hip hop sound and theatrical rapping style, reminiscent of Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, make the song that much more memorable.

Then there’s “BOOM BAP,” one of the best displays of Doechii’s unbelievable rap prowess. The title nods to the iconic East Coast hip hop style of the 1990s, as does the style itself, reflecting her reverence for an era of the genre that shaped her, but the instrumentation is where the track takes an unexpected twist. Instead of a typical drum-heavy beat, it begins with a drumless hip hop sound led by an almost poetic piano loop. Then, midway through, the track transitions into a rhythm that sounds like a heartbeat. This fusion of tradition and modernity is what gives “BOOM BAP” its distinctive sonic landscape. Throughout the whole thing, Doechii masterfully modulates the tone and tempo of her rapping, keeping up the excited tension until the very end.

To fully understand and appreciate Doechii’s musical universe, it’s important to also acknowledge her sexual identity, specifically in that she currently identifies as bisexual. In an interview with GAY TIMES, an LGBTQIA+ magazine, she talks about how she’s been a very self-aware person since a young age, including about her sexuality. While she radiates self-esteem today, she’s also candid about the immense hardships she faced growing up as a Black woman in the American South where her surroundings were rife with racism and homophobia. Her religious upbringing and environment were unaccepting of sexual minorities, but through her LGBTQIA+ friendships, she continually reminded herself, “I can be myself … this is normal … everything is okay,” which ultimately brought her to where she is today. In fact, a significant portion of Doechii’s fanbase is part of the queer community. And she speaks proudly of them, citing queer icons like Queen Latifah, Madonna, and Lady Gaga and how they all, as a community, “have great taste.”

All the accolades Doechii’s been receiving underscore her standing in the music world today. She earned nominations for Best New Artist at the 2023 BET Awards, the premier awards show celebrating Black entertainers, and for Best Breakthrough Hip Hop Artist at the BET Hip Hop Awards, and she also took home the Rising Star Award at Billboard Women in Music that same year. She was also up for three nominations at the Grammy Awards this year: Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance (“NISSAN ALTIMA”), and Best Rap Album (Alligator Bites Never Heal). Plus, back in December, her video for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts series surpassed four million views in just two weeks and now has over seven million. NPR even named her performance one of the top-10 Tiny Desk Concerts of 2024.

Doechii is more than just someone who’s making music—she’s a powerful storyteller who’s using her voice to inspire positive change in the world. Her songs show a masterful interplay of questions about the world and self-exploration, encouraging some listeners to reflect on the things they typically overlook and evoking profound empathy in others. She connects with fans through new projects and music and shows no signs of slowing down, solidifying her spot on the global stage. All that’s left for us to do now is fully embrace her self-appointed “new hip hop Madonna” title from “NISSAN ALTIMA” with open arms.