Doechii

Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon (born August 14, 1998), known professionally as Doechii (and previously as iamdoechii), is an American rapper and singer. After releasing her debut EP, Oh the Places You'll Go (2020), she rose to prominence with the viral success of her song "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" on TikTok in 2021. Doechii then signed with Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records, through which she released her second EP, She/Her/Black Bitch in 2022, and has since earned commercial success with the singles "Persuasive" (featuring SZA) and "What It Is (Block Boy)" (featuring Kodak Black), which marked her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. Doechii was awarded the Rising Star Award from Billboard Women in Music in 2023 and has received nominations for two MTV Video Music Awards, a BET Award and two Soul Train Music Awards.

Early life 
Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon was born on August 14, 1998, in Tampa, Florida, where she was also raised. She attended Howard W. Blake High School in Tampa and grew up doing ballet, tap dancing, acting, cheerleading, and gymnastics. In an interview with The Cut, she described her upbringing as Christian.

Career

Music 
She first started making music in 2015, and released her debut song "Girls" on SoundCloud in 2016 as Iamdoechii. Her project, Coven Music Session, Vol. 1, was released in 2019.

Doechii's debut EP, Oh the Places You'll Go, was self-funded and released in 2020. It was described by Rolling Stone as a mix of pop, dance, and hip hop. "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake", a single from the EP released in September 2020, was inspired by her reading The Artist's Way and went viral on TikTok in 2021, earning her attention from record labels. Also in 2021, she released her second EP, Bra-Less; she was featured on Isaiah Rashad's song "Wat U Sed" from his album, The House Is Burning, which she performed with Rashad at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards; and was an opening act during SZA's 2021 tour. In March 2022, she was signed to  Capitol Records by Chris Turner (A&R) and Top Dawg Entertainment, making her the first female rapper on the latter label. That same month, she released "Persuasive", her first release through Top Dawg, and appeared as a featured artist on David Guetta and Afrojack's song "Trampoline" alongside Missy Elliott and Bia. 

In April 2022, she released the song "Crazy", which showcases an aggressive rapping/yelling style. The music video, which depicts Doechii and other Black women battling each other (catfighting), sometimes with guns, in a parking lot mostly naked, was structured by her and director C Prinz to show female nudity outside the male gaze and combat sexualized stereotyping of Black women. Although the label had attempted to negotiate with YouTube ahead of time, the platform ultimately placed an age restriction on the video on release, which limited its exposure. Her second EP and her first major label release, She / Her / Black Bitch, was released on August 5, 2022. Her July 2022 performance of her song "Persuasive" was nominated for Push Performance of the Year at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

Doechii performed at the 22nd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2023.

Other ventures 
In 2023, Doechii made her acting debut in Earth Mama, a drama film directed by Savanah Leaf.

Musical style
Rolling Stones Mankaprr Conteh described Doechii's rap delivery as "animated" and her song narratives as "quirky". Her music has frequently been compared to that of the Notorious B.I.G., Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott, and Azealia Banks. She has described her music as alternative hip hop, and has cited Minaj and Lauryn Hill as her major musical influences, referring to them as "powerful women".

Personal life 
Doechii is bisexual.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Notes

Tours
Supporting
Doja Cat – The Scarlet Tour (2023)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

1998 births
Living people
African-American women singer-songwriters
African-American women rappers
21st-century American songwriters
21st-century American women rappers
Musicians from Tampa, Florida
Top Dawg Entertainment artists
Alternative hip hop musicians
Pop rappers
Southern hip hop musicians
American bisexual musicians
Bisexual women musicians
African-American LGBT people
21st-century American LGBT people
Bisexual singers
Bisexual songwriters
American LGBT singers
American LGBT songwriters
LGBT rappers
LGBT people from Florida
21st-century African-American women singers
Singer-songwriters from Florida