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Gilbert Flores / Contributor via Getty Images and Steve Granitz / Contributor via Getty Images
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Doechii and Tyler, The Creator
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Doechii is easily one of the most important voices in Hip Hop right now, and Tyler, The Creator agrees. During his latest run-in with Nardwuar on Thursday (March 27), the “Yonkers” rapper talked about hearing the Swamp Princess for the first time and, like a lot of people, he was “blown away.”
“Genius. Love her. That girl’s an alien,” Tyler said. Interestingly, he shared his first run-in with Doechii’s music came through YouTube recommendations — either “CATFISH” or “NISSAN ALTIMA,” both being gems from 2024’s Alligator Bites Never Heal. “I was like blown away, and I just kept going and kept going and kept going,” the Hawthorne native said.
“Then I DM’ed her like, ‘N**ga, I’m gonna need you in a few months’ or whatever, and then we linked, and yeah, she’s incredible,” he continued. The rest is obviously history, with the two collaborating on “Balloon” from CHROMAKOPIA. They performed the record live in November at Camp Flog Gnaw 2024.
Doechii Represents The Kind Of Artistry We Can’t Afford to Lose
Moments later, Nardwuar brought up Doechii winning Best Rap Album at the Grammys in February. “I’m so happy that she did that, and she’s in folks’ face. We have to just keep supporting artists who care about things,” Tyler said.
He further explained, “Every time she [steps] out, you see true care and love, and we gotta keep pushing that s**t so we just balance out with the fast bulls**t, which I also love, with s**t like this.”
Tyler is absolutely correct. In just the past few months, Doechii has shared the stage with the legendary Lauryn Hill, named JAY-Z and Ye as style inspirations and pushed back on critics trying to “water down” Hip Hop. Whether it be Alligator Bites Never Heal or the new era she’s about to enter, the “Anxiety” hitmaker is setting a new bar for what the next generation of artists can be.
