Doechii’s 2022 XXL Freshman Freestyle

It’s Doechii season, don’t you see it? With the motion that the Tampa, Fla. rapper has had over the last few years, there is no ducking this 2022 XXL Freshman. It’s also open season for anyone in her path, which she proclaims in her Freshman freestyle.

The bars Doechii delivers in her 2022 XXL Freshman freestyle are a reflection of her creative flair. She dons a grey pantsuit and box braids, which she runs her fingers through as she starts rapping. Twisting her head around and upside down, she pump fakes in the beginning, then makes it clear that she actually doesn’t play. Rather, she calls shots like a coach on the sideline. “I’m, I’m, I’m courtside in the club like the Cavaliers/Stripper money here, busting out they bustiers/Bring that liquor here, owner bring that stripper here/Respect to all my sex workers and my stripper peers,” she spits.

At the midway mark, Doechii intensifies her timbre and claps back at the haters who try to deny the fact that now is her time. Don’t be fooled though, she takes pride in leaving them lifeless. “Doechii season, hoe, don’t you see it?/Top of the food chain and you open season/Bitches already dead, the strip club is just where I’m grieving/Purchased a bigger bed, for all of the bitches sleeping.”

To end her freestyle, which clocks in at just over a minute, Doechii shouts out her record label and declares that the brand will always be in good hands, especially now that she’s on the roster. As if she’s looking the fans directly in their eyes, she raps, “First bitch that rap, TDE/Top, Moo and Punch, vouch for me/First day, label knew they hit the lottery/Now I’m the bitch you ever after, happily.”

Believe it.

Rewinding back a few years ago, tracks like “Girls” and “Spookie Coochie” established Doechii as a top-tier talent when it comes to melodies, cadences and pitch inflections. She both sings and raps while dripping with personality. By the time her breakthrough track, “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” dropped in 2020, more fans got wind of her inimitable artistry. And with projects like Coven Music Session, Vol. 1 and Oh the Places You’ll Go—all with no skips—Doechii ascended to the point where she was selected as a member of this year’s Freshman class.

Along the way, she inked a deal with Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records earlier this year. TDE is home to other former XXL Freshmen like Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad, the latter with whom she collaborated with for last year’s aux cord gem “Wat U Sed.” The rap guys, with the addition of SZA, all delivered beyond a doubt in their music, and that’s what inspired Doechii to join the renowned imprint. “I had said a long time ago, ‘If I was to ever sign with any label, it’s gonna be whatever label Kendrick and SZA are on.’ Because I really like all of their artists and what they stand for and I just like the way TDE operates,” she justifies in an exclusive interview with XXL.

“Persuasive” and “Crazy,” her first two single releases under the TDE umbrella, both came out this year and speak to her ability to bend genres. The former is a celebratory dance anthem and the latter an intense effort on which she reclaims her power. While different in sound, the common denominator on those records is the God-level confidence she possesses throughout. “I think that’s why they gravitate towards it,” she suggests of her supporters.

In terms of a full project, Doechii’s major label debut is slated to arrive later this year. The 23-year-old artist hints that classic material is incoming: “I want that timeless effect. That feeling you got when you heard [Kendrick Lamar’s] ‘A.D.H.D,’ that feeling that you felt when you heard [SZA’s] CTRL. It has to just feel like a moment you don’t ever want to leave.”

Watch Doechii’s 2022 XXL Freshman freestyle, powered by Puma, below.

Read the 2022 XXL Freshman cover story featuring BabyTron, Cochise, Saucy Santana, Babyface Ray, KenTheMan, SoFaygo, Big Scarr, Big30, KayCyy, Doechii, Kali and Nardo Wick when the Freshman issue hits newsstands everywhere on July 13. The issue includes additional interviews with Lupe Fiasco, Kevin Gates, Pi’erre Bourne, NLE Choppa, Yvngxchris, producer DJ Dahi, engineer Teezio and singer Chlöe, plus a breakdown of every Freshman Class from a numbers standpoint, a look back at what the 2021 XXL Freshman Class is doing, the story of why the 2016 XXL Freshman Class gets so much respect now, a deep dive into the world of NFTs through hip-hop’s lens and exploring rappers’ most valuable collections. You can also buy the 2022 XXL Freshman Class issue here.