the rise of a southern princess: doechii's alligator bites never heal

two roads diverge in a musical wood: should an artist make a break for true self-expression and risk alienating their fanbase? or have they locked themselves in a prison of their own making?

interpolations and samples are the bread and butter of tiktok artists. they stick their foot in the door of cultural awareness by relying on tried-and-true beats to catch your attention—there's no need to worry about new audience satisfaction when the original source has over a billion streams. it's a strategy where the past anchors a safe journey for the present. doechii, though, has chosen to wander the path less traveled.

alligator bites never heal is a daring departure from catchy hooks and familiar rhythms. her viral 2023 hit "what is is (block boy)" is easily recognized for its interpolations of TLC's "no scrubs" and trillville's "some cut" featuring cutty. however, alligator bites makes it evident she’s no longer creating for the masses, but exploring what it means to be truly herself in a world that often rewards conformity. the production is a collage of genres, a restless experiment that flouts expectations and forges ahead into the unknown; her musical mosaic is unified via 90s hip hop beats. "STANKA POOH" is a hazy, alluring prophecy of introspection. "DENIAL IS A RIVER" immediately evokes some feel-good, riding-in-my-drop-top type shit. take a look at the lyrics, though, and she's speaking in fragments of self-discovery and vulnerability to her therapist. both "BULLFROG" and "SKIPP" are in the same sonic universe as kendrick's recent masterclass in evisceration. there's gotta be something in the water at TDE.

in the end, alligator bites is a chance to walk alongside an artist who refuses to settle for the comfortable, the safe, or the predictable. as she carves out her own path, she invites us to follow, to see where this road of raw expression leads.

and so, in this grand, uncharted musical forest, doechii doesn’t just choose a road less traveled. she redefines it herself, shaping it with every bold, unrestrained step. she's got a hell of a journey in following the TDE artists who preceded her and honestly? i'm fucking excited to see the swamp princess's coronation to her rightfully-deserved throne.