“Fruit Cakes,” “Dr. Seuss,” “Alligators,” and “A River in Egypt.” What do all of these have in common? They are all song titles of a rising star recently nominated for two Grammys this year. One is for recognizing her as one of the best new artists of this generation, and the other is for her exemplary new album, Alligator Bites Never Heal. The artist referenced is the Floridian rapper Jaylah “Doechii” Hickman.
Born Aug. 14, 1998, and raised in Tampa, Florida, Jaylah Hickman was always around music, as her father, who recorded music professionally, and uncle were rappers. Due to their influence, Hickman started to write her rhymes as early as middle school. She wrote her first rap song for her friends and herself to perform at a talent show. The song purely consisted of a collection of words that rhyme with each other. She says, “It was terrible, but it ignited a passion that made me say I wanted to do this.” As she progressed through her years of teenage-hood, Doechii got increasingly better and further harnessed her talent at Howard W. Blake High School, a performing arts school in the Tampa Bay Area.
Eventually, at 19, she released her first single on SoundCloud called “Girls” in 2018. It received little attention at the time of release, but much like her middle school talent show, it would be a stepping stone for her career. Two years later, a culmination of various singles before it, Hickman finally released her debut mixtape, “Oh the Places You’ll Go.” This mixtape was her gateway to the mainstream, with the most popular song, “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” becoming a trending success on TikTok in 2020. While the intro to the track was what people loved the most, the track takes an instrumental turn that includes “R&B-like” backing vocals that intertwine with the slower spatial instrumentals. This switch-up adds depth to the song, going beyond a fun and jumpy TikTok snippet to reveal a rapper who seems just as seasoned as her peers with more extensive time in the hip-hop scene. Subsequently, two years later, on May 31, 2022, Doechii was signed to a deal that combined Top Dog Entertainment (TDE) and Capitol Records. TDE is famous for signing hip-hop and r&b giants alike, such as Kendrick Lamar, SZA, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock. and Capitol Records had signed popular artists Katy Perry, Liam Payne, Kodak Black and many more. With this support of both records, on Aug. 30, 2024, Doechii would release her critically acclaimed debut album, Alligator Bites Never Heal. This album, while paying homage to her roots as a native Floridian, would combine past and present generations of hip-hop, adding more depth to her resume and going beyond a “Tiktok rapper” and a “part-time YouTube actor.”
Luke Davis, a junior at Ida B. Wells High School , said “Doechii’s a very versatile rapper. Whilst still sticking to modern rap, she’s very much influenced by the 90’s hip-hop sound, similar to Lauryn Hill. Her music is very jumpy and fun and I think the album in some songs reflects that.” Eli Rogers, also a junior at IBW, agreed by saying, “what was interesting to me was that the first half was more 90s but the second half was more of a modern style or similar to early 2000s or a Nicki Minaj-esh style.” IBW junior Joel Miller agreed with this statement and even compared it to the Floridan rap scene, “I can see it shining through a little bit but it’s different. She definitely honors her heritage on some songs. Obviously the album cover and title is where it shines through the most. But throughout the album she keeps it fun, I don’t know if that’s common in Floridian rap but that’s what I noticed and definitely strays away from Kodak Black and Ski Mask the Slump God.” However, they all exhibit some worries about Doechii’s longevity. “I think she needs to find her own style, it’s hard to describe but I think the way she raps right now is reminiscent of things I’ve heard before, I want to hear something that’s unique to Doechii,” Eli says. “I think if she makes more albums similar to this, I can see her lasting another two to five years,” Luke says.
The Floridan rapper Jaylah “Doechii” Hickman is the ideal framework for upcoming female rappers. Her progression from her first performance in middle school to her debut album is a spectacle of hard work and persistence in your craft. However, there are doubts about her longevity. If she veers off from this style she’s adopted, some may question whether she can withstand the test of time. So, is Doechii another TikTok rapper left to fade away with time, or a generational classic whose art will age like wine?
