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On Saturday (March 29), Doechii accepted Billboard’s Woman of the Year Award and used the moment to set the record straight. The “Nosebleeds” rapper shut down the idea that her success — or any other woman’s — came from a “machine” or some magic “button.”
“We are the creatives, we are the executives, and we are the innovators who are just as central to this industry as the men. Clock it,” the Grammy Award winner said in reference to the tired narrative that women only succeed in music because men make room for them. She went on to say, “I want everyone to hear me clearly when I say it is not a button; it is our brain. It is not a machine; it is our leadership. It is not a conspiracy; it’s our vulnerability. It is not an agenda; it’s God.”
To some, it may seem like Doechii blew up overnight, especially since she doesn’t make the typical “fast bulls**t,” to quote Tyler, The Creator. However, anyone who’s been following her journey knows that the Florida native put in serious work. She went from recording songs like the now-viral “Anxiety” in her bedroom to dropping pandemic-era gems like “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” and now she’s fully reaping the rewards of 2024’s Alligator Bites Never Heal.
It’s even more impressive when you remember that just two years ago, she accepted Billboard’s Rising Star Award on the very same stage. “I had literally performed so hard I danced my shoes off and had to hop up to the mic,” Doechii recalled.
However, like most artists, the Swamp Princess has dealt with her fair share of haters from day one. Lately, a lot of the backlash seems to stem from her saying being a “straight man” is a red flag, showing love to Kendrick Lamar — which, of course she would, as she’s signed to Top Dawg Entertainment — or just stan culture spiraling out of control over sales and chart talk.
If we’re being honest, Doechii is the furthest thing from an “industry plant.” She climbed her way up, and perhaps more importantly, she’s bringing something to the table that not many women in Hip Hop are tapping into right now.
