Doechii Talks the ‘Responsibility’ of Being the First Female Rapper Signed to TDE

First-time Coachella performer Doechii caught up with Billboard News’ Tetris Kelly to discuss her historic set, a possible “mini tour” this year spanning major cities, collabing with SZA, and her upcoming album. The Tampa, Fla.-born artist is the first female rapper on the TDE roster and views the role as “a huge responsibility.”

“I know that after me, there’s going to be more female rappers that are a part of TDE,” she says. “I want to make sure that I do everything, so that the next girl feels comfortable doing everything.”

Doechii, who joins SZA on the TDE roster, was honored alongside the “Kill Bill” singer at Billboard‘s 2023 Women In Music event. “She actually gave me a shout-out that night,” Doechii recalls. “To even be peers with her, to be getting honored along with artists as big as SZA is amazing.”

Propelled into music by her mother at a young age, Doechii is trained in ballet, tap dance, jazz, contemporary dance and gymnastics, which explains the rapper’s vibrant stage presence and involvement in the creative direction of her visuals and performances.

“I’ve just always been creative and my mom gave me the freedom to be an artist ever since I was young,” she tells Billboard.

In March, Doechii released her single “What It Is (Block Boy),” sampling “Some Cut” and TLC’s “No Scrubs.” Initially released with a feature from Kodak Black, a solo version without the “Super Gremlin” rapper was released after fan backlash. The solo version is trending and has been used in more than 40,000 TikTok videos.

“When [producer J White Did It] played it for me, I was like, ‘This is the summer bop, this is exactly what I’m looking for,'” she explains. “I wanted a fun song, I wanted a hit. And that’s what we got.”

When it comes to her upcoming album, Doechii is leaning into a “genre-bending” style, specifying, “a little bit of alternative hip-hop, rock, pop, rap, it’s a lot.”