Doechii has never been one to shy away from getting personal. From her professional debut with her mixtapes “Coven Music Session, Vol. 1” and “Oh The Places You’ll Go,” her lyricism has boasted a strong sense of intimacy and self-connection. Tracks like “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” and “Drop Out” introduced us to the rising “Swamp Princess” before she took the throne: a girl with ambitions, quick humor, and a deadly lyrical flow.
Now, after four years, dual deals with Top Dawg and Capital Records, and swarms of fame, we see Doechii at her strongest form yet: presenting a side-angle to the public spotlight as she’s shifted from Florida rivers to the big sea of stardom.
While the mixtape sports track lengths that would put PinkPantheress to shame, Doechii ensures each minute of her 19-song, 47-minute album packs a strong punch. She acknowledges her commercial success with tact, noting that she’d “swallow her pride before [she] choke[s] on her greed” on “STANKA POOH,” only a minute before slipping into a chorus of intrusive thoughts. “What if I die a Taurus? What if I die on purpose?… What if my car exploded while I’m casually pumping the gas and smokin’ a cig?”
She cracks open further while progressing through the album, with tracks like “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” toying with a conversational stream of consciousness between Doechii and the pitched-up representation of a therapizing inner monologue. She pulls back from the fame and turns to self-preservation through “BLOOM,” reflecting how “you have to chase your goals, but you gotta check in with your mom.”, and how along with one’s growth comes criticism, and criticism either needs to be ignored, or written into a revenge track.
While Doechii’s lyrical vulnerability takes the front seat in a large portion of her mixtape, the Swamp Princess takes time to make it clear that her confidence is greatly justified, and not a force to be messed with. The latter half of the album – highlighted by singles “BOOM BAP” and “NISSAN ALTIMA” – turns censure to her scratch paper and requests recognition of Doechii’s status as rap royalty. She’s the self-proclaimed “Black bitch,” “bi bitch,” and “Miss D.O.E.,” and ensures her name and fame aren’t taken for granted.
Overall, while the mixtape drips with swampy basslines and intricate instrumental melodies that sit in the background of each track, the focus always lies on Doechii. Whether you put her verses over silence or a noisy traffic stop, she’s gonna be the center of attention – and she’s gonna make it sound good.
“ALLIGATOR BITES DON’T HEAL” brings us the new era of Doechii – her alter id, ego, and superego. It’s a mixtape rich with reflection, and even richer with her growth – both personally and as a musician. And, even if her alligator bites don’t heal, Doechii makes it clear that she does snap back.
