On Sunday night, Doechii took MGM track Hall at Fenway to school.
The emcee, singer, and self-proclaimed “Swamp Princess” (she hails from Tampa) structured her show like a crash course in hip-hop, showcasing elements of the genre like storytelling, rhyming, and scratching as she tore through her catalog. In a way, it was the ideal showcase for the 27-year-old’s track, which pushes boundaries yet is acutely aware of hip-hop and R&B’s fundamentals.
Doechii had her first breakthrough in 2021 with the cut “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” a tightly wound origin story cut named after a 1995 children’s book that puts her in the classroom, opening up wide about her insecurities in response to a teacher’s “introduce yourself” prompt. Its success—and her obvious skill at rhyming—got her signed to leading Dawg Entertainment, making her the label’s first female rapper, and in 2023 “What It Is (Block Boy),” a fizzy cut that sampled TLC while recalling early 2000s pop&B, became her first leading 40 banger.
She was experiencing success—touring with Doja Cat, cameoing on tracks by the likes of David Guetta, and Janelle Monáe—although as she notes in “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” a twisty 2024 track that returns to the dialogic style of “Fruitcake,” she was also going through some dark times, dealing with toxic exes, drugs, and depression.
She channeled her experiences into “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” a 2024 mixtape that takes listeners through her healing journey with the sort of bravado that can only come from allowing oneself to be vulnerable. It went on to win the best rap album Grammy earlier this year, and its songs like the title track and the swaggering “CATFISH” became jumping-off points for innovatively choreographed, skill-flaunting TV appearances.
Doechii approaches her art with an intentionality that’s obvious even when the track is at its most uninhibited, and the show’s high-concept maximizing of space showed that as well. As she doled out the night’s lessons and powered through cuts like the taunt “BOILED PEANUTS” and the gleefully confrontational “Alter Ego,” an extra-super-sized boombox flanked by two slides took up most of the performing area; a video screen placed above it, and two more on the stage’s sides, made the MGM stage feel arena-sized, with stark black and white visuals that included on-screen dancers backing Doechii up as she rhymed, writhed, and praised the crowd. Close-ups of her throwing down rhymes also showed the intensity of her artistry. (Sunday’s show marked her first time playing in Boston.)
The packed yet compact setlist—which included her freestyle over Beyoncé’s song “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM” as well as her collaborations with K-pop star JENNIE and fellow Floridian JT— peaked with “WAIT,” an “Alligator Bites” cut that summons sumptuous Quiet Storm vibes while calling for listeners to “fall back and wait” instead of acting rashly.
Doechii called for the crowd to put down their phones and connect with the song, and with each other; they (mostly) complied, and Doechii beamed at the moment of connection.
“That’s love,” she said. “That’s peace. That’s safety… This can heal the world.”
It was another example of Doechii’s ambitions being massive—but as she showed on Sunday, her talent and purposefulness can bring them ever closer.
DOECHII
With Kal Banx. At MGM track Hall at Fenway, Sunday
Here is the setlist from Sunday night, according to setlist.fm. Keep checking back as the list continues to update.
About the Author
