
At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Doechii became the third woman ever to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album for her mixtape, "Alligator Bites Never Heal."
This is the first year the rapper was nominated—and her first win. Doechii, whose real name is Jaylah Hickmon, was also up for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance for her song, "Nissan Altima."
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"I put my heart and my soul into this mixtape. I bared my life. I went through so much," the 26-year-old said during her acceptance speech.
"I dedicated myself to sobriety, and God told me that I would be rewarded, and that he would show me just how good it could get."
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Since Doechii's win, a video of the star talking about being fired from her job in 2020 has been circulating on social media. For many of her fans, it is a source of inspiration.
"So I got fired today," Doechii said in the video. "Either way, Imma be straight. I think tomorrow I'm just gonna go to a whole bunch of like studios, and like ask if they have any internships open."
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"At this point, I have nothing to lose. I literally have nothing to lose. I have no place. I have no job. I have no children," she added. "I'm just gonna do it. I'll let you know how that goes."
In 2021, Doechii's music caught the attention of Top Dawg Entertainment president Anthony "Moosa" Tiffith Jr. The label is home to artists like SZA and Kendrick Lamar, who left the label in 2022. Tiffith encouraged Doechii to move to LA, and even offered up his cousin's apartment as a place to stay and officially signed the artist in 2022.
Last year, Doechii released the award-winning album that she says helped her to process heavy emotions by translating them into music. The song "Denial is a River" shares her experiences battling depression and drug abuse after infidelity in her relationship. The song struck a cord with many and began trending online.
"It was out of this new place of clarity and sobriety. I was coming out of a very, very dark place in my career and within myself," she said in an interview with Rolling Stone last year.
It's this transparency that has helped Doechii gain the attention of millions of fans.
"I chose a humorous way to talk about dark things, but I think we needed to discuss [them]. That was my goal – for us to hurt in the beginning, for us to heal in the middle, and for us to celebrate at the end," she told Rolling Stone.
Doechii, who hails from Tampa, Fla. and calls herself the "swamp princess," made sure to highlight the need for record labels to search for talent in her city and to grant women like her the opportunities being afforded to her now.
"I know that there is some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there that are watching me right now and I want to tell you: You can do it. Anything is possible. Anything is possible," she said in her acceptance speech on Sunday. She received a standing ovation.
"Don't allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, that tell you that you can't be here, that you're too dark or that you're not smart enough, or that you're too dramatic or you're too loud," she said.
"You are exactly who you need to be, to be right where you are, and I am a testimony."
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