Doechii says the denial of rap as “intellectual” is “rooted in racism”

Doechii has said the view that hip-hop and rap are not as “intellectual” as other genres of music is “rooted in racism”.

• READ MORE: Doechii – ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’ review: a candid sonic diary of struggle and resilience

The musician opened up about her reasoning while speaking to The Cut. She discussed how those genres helped shape her mixtape ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’, which earned her the trophy for Best Rap Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards this year.

“I’m gravitating towards the pure skill that was incorporated,” she said. “Anyone who doesn’t think that hip-hop is an intellectual genre, I think that assumption is rooted in racism.”

Back in 2018, Kendrick Lamar – who was previously on Top Dawg Entertainment, the same label Doechii is signed to – made history as the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 ‘Damn’. According to GRAMMY.com, various classes, courses and seminars were also developed, inspired by Lamar’s lyrical content and storytelling, including an English class that juxtaposed his work with that of James Baldwin and James Joyce.

“Old-school hip-hop is vulnerability. I’m gravitating towards the pure skill that was incorporated. Anyone who doesn’t think that hip-hop is an intellectual genre, I think that assumption is rooted in racism.”

Photos by Richie Shazamhttps://t.co/33R95lMk4Z pic.twitter.com/9GS8mSVDlk

— The Cut (@TheCut) February 19, 2025

Elsewhere, Doechii also discussed the women within the rap genre who helped pave the way such as Lauryn Hill, Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott. “The feeling that I have when I listen to ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ is the same feeling I want some other Black little girl to have when she listens to me,” she told the outlet. “And in order for her to have that feeling, I have to talk about my feelings.”

In a four-star review of ‘Aligator Bites Never Heal‘, NME shared: “Doechii gets into the nitty gritty on this release, but – by the end – she finds solace and strength, making the mixtape feel more like a sonic diary of her emotional journey.”

In other news, BLACKPINK‘s Jennie recently dropped a snippet of her upcoming collaboration single ‘Extral’ with Doechii.

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