Doechii's 'Alligator Bites Never Heal' Cements Her Place on TDE's Roster

Alligator Bites Never Heal from Doechii is the latest mixtape to be released from one of Top Dawg Entertainment’s artists. From Kendrick Lamar to SZA, Doechii still manages to escape the shadows of the mainstream’ artists on her label and create a new world for herself on this new project. The title is an ever so subtle hint the stance Doechii is taking on this new project, biting back at anyone who had previously doubted her capabilities as an artist. This project was made to show Doechii’s ability to bend and sneak through the cracks of the set lines the music industry has set out.  On Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii is equal parts her Tampa roots and Los Angeles, where she’s currently based, she is then and now and also tomorrow, she is countless genres and movements and eras and ideas laid out before us.

Over the mixtapes 19 songs, and just under an hour, Doechii’s music seems to serve the purpose she seeks from it.. She navigates effortlessly and candidly through personal struggles, traumas and events, giving a purpose to the hard times she faced over the last 2 years. In saying that, the album is also used to uplift her and showcase her boastfulness and confident energy, something which she has been able to hold onto in her moments of despair. Through this mixtape she been able to find the comfort spot between positive and negative, and find the balance between the ups and downs.

She raps, “I just can’t sang a little bit? I mean that shit was a hit!” on the jokingly titled, Boom Bap, which seems to allude to how she was pushed into swaying away from melodic songs and given a clear direction to follow. However, authentic to her identity, she was able to make disbelievers double down when she released ‘What It Is’ earlier in 2023, which has since went platnium.

It’s clear from the onset of the project that Doechii has the lyricism in the bag. From ‘NISSAN ALTIMA’ where instead of her chasing the beat, I imagine the beat struggling to catch up to her. She mentions. “I’m the new hip-hop Madonna, I’m the trap Grace Jones”, cementing herself as a game-changer and a pivotal person to watch in the music industry. All the way to, ‘CATFISH’, where we hear a sleazy and relaxed approach, Doechii throughout the song is consistently reminding people that she her ‘pen’ comes first and is an ample part to the substance of her work.

It's also important to note that apart from a cult fanbase, Doechii is highly repsected amongst her musical peers. In the music video released for 'NISSAN ALTIMA' earlier this year, legendary west-coast artists such as Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad can be seen supporting and hyping up Doechii, recreating scenes from Kendrick Lamar's iconic 'Alright' music video. Additionally, the likes of Tyler, The Creator and Baby Tate were spotted at the mixtape's release party in California, which is why I was surprised to not see this mixtape packed or include features from some members of TDE.

There are for sure stand-out tracks on this mixtape, notably one of the more comedic displays of storytelling on 'DENIAL IS A RIVER'. Doechii goes back and forth with an alternate personality, mentoring herself and guiding herself through relationship struggles she had faced with a deceitful man. The alternate voice pushing her to reach a state of relaxation that Doechii can no longer find, sending her into a panic attack towards the end of the track. While the subject matter is filled with dark messaging, it is presented as a playful song, hence the title of the track. And this is a pocket that Doechii has found a large room for her to play around in. Throughout the project, she continuously touches upon her unruly habits and struggles with addiction, and presents them in a way that can be enjoyed and listned to, without feeling forced.

This mixtape is exactly that. A mixtape. A compilation of Doechii's trials and tribulations over the last few years and a way for her to re-introduce herself as a new member of TDE. It's unpolished in spots and doesn't neccessarily follow a cohesive theme or narrative, but is extremely well produced and has numerous rememarbale tracks that give listeners the opportunity to delve deeper into her catalog and gives people something to isten to while we wait for her first official debut album, that I'm sure won't be too far into the future.

Listen to 'Alligator Bites Never Heal' by Doechii below.