By Makayla Flenoury
On Aug. 30, 2024, Floridian rapper Doechii released her debut album “Alligator Bites Never Heal.”
Though her rise to fame has not been easy, Doechii has made history.
At the 2025 Grammy Awards, she became the third female rapper ever to win in the Best Rap Album category.
The only other women to have won this award are Lauryn Hill and Cardi B, all women of color.
Doechii’s acceptance speech moved the audience to tears and cheers as she spoke for all people of color, but specifically to young Black women.
“I know that there is some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there that are watching me right now and I wanna tell you, you can do it,” Doechii said. “Anything is possible.”
Doechii has two EPs: “Coven Music Session Vol. 1” (2019) and “Oh the Places You’ll Go” (2020), but she said that “Alligator Bites Never Heal” is her most vulnerable mixtape.
Much of the inspiration for the album came from Doechii’s struggle with drug abuse and maintaining sobriety, as well as her experience as a Black woman, one with extreme anxiety.
The opening song “Stanka Pooh” comes in with a simple but rhythmic beat.
The lyrics are a stream of Doechii’s anxious thoughts like, “I’m dead, she’s dead / Just another Black Lives Matter,” and “What if I choke on this Slurpee / What if I make it big.”
And make it big, she did.
The most popular song off the Grammy-winning album is easily “Denial is a River,” which talks about her experience with drug abuse.
The story is presented by Doechii to a second voice serving as her conscience, this way it shows Doechi literally talking through her problems, unpacking trauma and self-reflecting.
The second voice is like a therapist, and Doechii closes the song with a breathing exercise.
“Alligator Bites Never Heal” isn’t just about honesty and vulnerability though – it’s also Doechii refusing to be backed into a corner, proving that she can still have fun.
The song “Boom Bap” is full of fun phonetic vocals; it is music in which both artist and listener are having fun.
After winning her first ever Grammy, Doechii released a surprise single, “Nosebleeds.”
It is a powerful, confident song – written even before winning.
In it, she references rapper Kanye West’s 2005 Grammys speech: “Everybody wanted to know what Doechii would do if she didn’t win.”
I guess we’ll never know.
Doechii has brought old-school style and artistry back to rap.
She is a pioneer and a legend in the making, a pillar for alternative Black women.
“Alligator Bites Never Heal” has earned its hype, and Doechii has earned her pride.
I rate this album a 9/10.