Doechii: Alligator Bites Never Heal - Album Review
The Swamp Princess feeds her coven yet again
UPDATED
Overall Rating: 8.4 / 10
Lyric Tally: 7.7 / 10
This isn’t Doechii’s first LP, but it is her most polished work. There is, however, an air of conflict that can be sensed on this mixtape as well: some songs are either cut short or feel rushed. It might have to do with her record label—Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE)—since she mentions the strain in her relationship with TDE on various tracks like “BOOM BAP” and “PROFIT.” Despite this obstacle though, Doechii delivered my favorite rap project of the year. After she revealed that she worked on this for only one month, I am all the more impressed by her performance on this project. In this must-listen mixtape, the Tampa-born rapper highlights her southern heritage, pays homage to several of rap’s legends, and explores the relatable and deep motifs of being a youthful, driven, queer, person of color in this 2024 economy.
Best Lyric: “Tdllrrrr bebe she-teh kay-kay ah baba ah shaht– hey!”
Ranking Songs by Lyrics (Best to Worst):
“BOOM BAP” - Personally, this is my favorite song off the mixtape. Doechii channels the likeness of Missy Elliot for a fun and refreshing song that defies the redundancy that often plagues the current state of TikTokified raucousness.
Favorite Lyric: "And it bounce, and it clap, and it's house and it's trap. It's everything! I'm everything!"
“DEATH ROLL” - This song is one of Doechii’s realest and rawest. It is very reminiscent of “Black Girl Memoir,” and I relate to it so much. It was difficult not placing this song as her best lyrical performance on the mixtape, but the only thing this song lacked was another verse: it’s too short babe, it’s too short.
Favorite Lyric: "If repetition is the master's practice, then I'm a mathematician when it comes to fashion. Doechii-ana giving trash couture"
“DENIAL IS A RIVER” - Nicki Minaj embodies Roman, Chun-Li, Harajuku Barbie, Monica Lewinsky, and soooo many more. At least to my knowledge, Doechii’s alter ego is currently unnamed. But, she first debuted on “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.” Making their return in this song, Doechii and her alter did not disappoint on this dialogic record that closes with a dramatic Doug E. Fresh style beatbox breathing exercise.
Favorite Lyric: "Uh-uh-ooh, uh-uh-ah, uh, uh, uh, ah. Uh, uh, uh, uh, ah. UH, uh, uh, uh, ah, whoo-sah."
“BEVERLY HILLS” - Since the mixtape dropped, this has easily been my most listened to song. The ad libs, the equalized underwater muffle, and flow changes all work to produce a conversation of sorts that breathes life into the song’s narrative of romantic conflict.
Favorite Lyric: "(Too broke) to be so argumentative. I'd rather curse you out somewhere in Beverly Hills."
“BOILED PEANUTS” - As a native Georgian, I grew up on Coca-Cola, André 3000, and boiled peanuts. Speaking of André, I could easily see this song in Outkast’s discography. It’s playful, eccentric, and, above all, plays with words in the wittiest of ways.
Favorite Lyric: "Gator skin coat, Florida heat no joke. Feel like the Tiger King, these bitches want mo' Joe"
“WAIT” - A bit more intimate, Doechii shares some of the specifics of her familial context and hardships as a growing artist. Cycling through her various anxieties, Doechii humanizes herself and grounds the listener in a yearning yet self-loving mantra. We’re all just waiting for our turn to be given an opportunity.
Favorite Lyric: "I need some standing ovations since y'all can't seem to understand me."
“BULLFROG” - The bullfrog is as native to Florida as Doechii is. It’s clear that when she hopped on this track, she did not come to play. The puns, metaphors, double entendres, and bars are elite. The only true deficit of this song is its brevity.
Favorite Lyric: "Left, right, uppercut, punchlines make 'em duck. Write hooks, up the cut, platinum hooks, fuck is up?"
“PROFIT” - What’s up with TDE artists and hating their label? Something weird is going on over there lol. But, I digress. This smooth paean celebrates Doechii’s success as an artist so far. And with more greatness in store, I’d love to hear this silky sound more often.
Favorite Lyric: "They don't make statues of critics, they don't make statues of fans. I'm not no poli-ma-tician, I can't be shakin' them hands."
“SLIDE” - I just love songs about sex that aren’t on-the-nose. We all know how sex works. I don’t want you to spell it out for me; I want poetry. And aptly titled, Doechii slid on this poetic record. And I’m about to slide on down to Cascade Skating Rink. Are your skates on? ‘Cause mine are!
Favorite Lyric: "I slip, you slide. I whip, you drive. You lie, I trip, we fight. I seal, you sell, I buy. Drip, life."
“FIREFLIES” - This song sounds like it came straight from SZA’s first EP with TDE—”Z.” I’m not sure if that was the intention, but it satiated a desire that I didn’t even realize I had: I missed the soft, airy feeling of Solana’s voice, and Doechii has filled that gap for me.
Favorite Lyric: "Don't let me down, fireflies. Keep the light 'til it's over. Underground overtime (ah-ah-ah). Keep the light 'til there's closure."
“BLOOM” - This definitely is more of an interlude, yet the lyricism is on par with a lot of the full-length songs. Were it a full-length record, it probably would have placed higher. Nevertheless, it’s such a beautiful song: we all deserve somewhere to bloom, though it can be hard to find that place.
Favorite Lyric: "God made a day 24 hours (yeah). It's not a lot of time (mm-hm). There's past, present, and future. You gotta put pieces in places. It's 24 hours."
“ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL” - It is difficult to evoke vivid imagery while bound to the structure of a song. The flashbacks of dancing before the loss of her relationship really solidifies the metaphor of this song being the “final dance” not only on this mixtape but also with the friend(s) Doechii has lost on her journey to greater success. It’s a hard lesson for all of us to swallow, and this song perfectly captures the feeling and reminiscence of it all.
Favorite Lyric: "Farewell to the sunny days. Chassé through the cloudy days. Dancing through the summer haze. Won't you dance?
“CATFISH” - Paying homage to yet another southern legend—Busta Rhymes—Doechii’s rap abilities really shine here, and the wordplay is pretty strong. Doechii is bringing the 90s back, and I am here for it!
Favorite Lyric: "Shout out ese them and my chulas. Doechii the Don, Doechii the dean. Doechii supreme, the swamp ruler."
“STANKA POOH” - A solid opening track. This song begins to set the tone for the shit-talking we’re in store for throughout the rest of the mixtape. But, it does feel that we, the general listeners, are not the intended audience. I feel this song is targeted at her label. There is also a glaring missed opportunity to create a story that can be told in two directions: a) from start to end and b) from end to start.
Favorite Lyric: "Talkin' out my ass and that's my assumption, but ... That's my conjunction."
“GTFO” - It seems TikTok has taken a liking to this track, and I can see why. I honestly hear Doja Cat on this after she released records like “97,” or even “MOOO!” This middle-finger anthem of rage is an ode to all of our haters: “GTFO my way bitch!”
Favorite Lyric: "I feel like Thanos in this bitch, I'm too stoned, bitch. I be like fft, fft, fft, fft, then I'm gone, bitch. I be like, fft, then I'm gone."
“HIDE N SEEK” - Being honest, the metaphor of hide-n-seek was originally lost on me. It took several listens to comprehend. In this warning, Doechii wants men to “hide from” her—or leave her alone—and to stop seeking parasitic relations. If this interpretation is correct, this is a weaker theme on the mixtape.
Favorite Lyric: "Pleasing me is a luxury. Please tell me you won't kill my vibe."
“SKIPP” - Such a smooth, dare I say, tantalizing song. But, in some odd way, the lyrics feel somewhat inauthentic to Doechii, and the sample does a lot of the heavy lifting. We have enough gunslingers in the genre as is. I like Doechii because she’s alternative, and that is what I want from her.
Favorite Lyric: "Suffer loss of vision, but I'm focused, bitch. Sober-minded, but I'm takin' trips (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)."
“HUH!” - It’s ironic that one of my favorite songs falls at the very bottom of this list. Huh? I know, I know. But, the primary reason for this ranking is that the word “huh” accounts for a large percentage of this song’s lyrics. At least lyrically, there just isn’t too much nuance going on here. Still, this track is such a chill vibe for that pick-me-up of confidence we all need throughout the day.
Favorite Lyric: "Huh, huh, huh, huh. Mm, huh, huh, huh. Uh, huh, huh. Mm, huh, huh, huh (okay)."
Let me know what your thoughts were of the mixtape; I’ll be around in the comments :)