Doechii says her queerness provides “a major contribution to the hip-hop genre”
In a new interview, Doechii stressed the importance of the queer perspective in the world of hip-hop and rap, and opened up about her experience of queerness.
Doechii, whose real name is Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon, recently became the third woman in history to win the Grammy for ‘Best Rap Album’. Her rise to fame began when she signed a record deal with Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records in 2022 off the back of a viral TikTok in 2020.
She opened up to Cosmopolitan about how her queer relationships inspire her music in a genre that fails to garner proportional space for queer experiences. “My literal existence as a queer Black woman is a major contribution to the hip-hop genre,” she stated.
She continued, “I’m speaking truthfully from a queer Black woman’s perspective, and being honest about my life through my lens is amazing. That perspective is being highlighted, and we need queer perspectives.”
True to her suggestion that representation and messaging in music can, and should, be impactful interpersonally, Doechii also revealed that a SZA song gave her the courage to break up with a toxic ex-boyfriend.
“I remember listening to SZA’s Ctrl for the first time and it literally gave me the courage to break up with him,” she told Cosmopolitan. “I only bring that up because she inspired me to be vulnerable through my music in a way that I didn’t think I could be,” she concluded, linking again to the importance of queer platforming.
The interview also explores her upbringing with a young, single mother. “My mom is such a girl’s girl,” she revealed, confessing that she is very close to her two sisters. “I’m infatuated with women,” she gushed.
Doechii is set for a big summer headlining All Things Go festival in New York City, alongside Lucy Dacus and Clairo.
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