And the 2025 GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album goes to… none other than Doechii the don, Doechii the dean, Doechii supreme, the swamp RULAAAA!

It only felt fitting to feature this project once it was solidified in the history books where it deserved to be, alongside a GRAMMY Award. Marketed as a mixtape, this was a complete knockout from Doechii & TDE. A masterpiece that was more than elite enough to serve as her debut album, hesitation to call it that is understood from a label perspective. After self-releasing projects for years, this was set to be Doechii’s first offering as a signee to a major label. The way the business works, this made a ton of sense at the time — let your artist get their bearings in the industry without the pressure that comes with releasing a debut album. The only problem is, Doechii isn’t just any artist. Hindsight is 20/20, and setting the bar high is not a bad thing. Creativity doesn’t dry up — it evolves, which we fully expect to be the case for Doechii.

Throughout this project, you can hear flashes of Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Lauryn Hill and other women who changed the female rap landscape, but Doechii still found a way to make her sound entirely her own. Not afraid to bend the genre to her desire, Doechii plays with inflection and delivery in ways that a lot of artists are afraid to. Giving her full, unflinching commitment to the art form produced a body of work that will likely be regarded as a classic as the years go on. This is a really polished offering from an artist who is just getting started in the eyes of the mainstream public, which is a testament to T.D.E.’s expertise in identifying and developing talent. Doechii came out the gate swinging, performing so well that she had those unfamiliar with her work begging the question… who is this girl and where did she come from?

Dropping a project of this caliber was only half the battle. You can have made the best art in the world, but if nobody knows about it, it runs the risk of never getting the recognition it deserves. Luckily, Doechii has a seasoned team behind her who understands the sense of urgency necessary when breaking new artists. Releasing her first major mainstream hit back in March of 2023, Doechii and her label understood the gravity of the moment they found themselves in. After being signed for 4 years, she finally had her mainstream breakthrough — they say to strike when the iron is hot, and with a Platinum record on her hands, it was clear that the time was now. Almost a year and a half later, Doechii would release Alligator Bites Never Heal, followed by a masterclass in music rollout, marketing, and promotion.

Tiny Desk, Late Show, Denial Is A River Show, NYE Livestream, GRAMMY’s, etc.

While it is true that it’s still extremely early on in her career, this project was so refined, we feel comfortable enough suggesting that she holds serious weight in potential future GOAT conversations. Yes — Doechii is that good. Her creativity is unique and in an entirely different stratosphere than her peers. In terms of creativity, in our opinion, her closest comparison would be Tyler, The Creator, which we regard as one of the highest compliments possible. If Alligator Bites Never Heal was supposed to be her introduction to the world, for her next project, we’re prepared for world domination.