When Doechii named her debut album Alligator Bites Never Heal, she wasn’t just flexing her Florida roots—she was laying out a warning. This album isn’t here to coddle you. It’s not smooth. It’s not digestible. It’s raw, chaotic, ugly in places—and stunning in its refusal to play by any of the rules. It’s the kind of debut that artists spend a lifetime trying to build toward, and it’s no wonder it’s earned a BET Awards 2025 nomination for Album of the Year.

This isn’t music for the algorithm. This is music for the gut.

Welcome to Her Swamp

Right from the opening track “STANKA POOH,” Doechii sets the tone: distorted vocals, guttural bass, and raps that feel like they’re coming through clenched teeth. It’s messy. It’s punk. And it’s very much the beginning of a musical exorcism.

Tracks like “BULLFROG” and “BOILED PEANUTS” continue that unfiltered energy. The production is swampy—layered with reverb, pitched-down vocal glitches, and unpredictable drum patterns. But then she hits you with something like “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” where her melodic flow floats over twinkling piano keys, and the vulnerability bleeds through.

Doechii’s voice is its own instrument. She growls, whispers, cries, sings—sometimes all in one track. And she’s not afraid of sounding imperfect. In fact, she leans into it.

“CATFISH” is one of the most inventive tracks on the album. It’s a diss disguised as a trap lullaby, and it slaps hard. “HIDE N SEEK” is haunting—a sonic hideaway for the broken and bitter. She sounds like a child and a villain at the same time. It’s beautiful and chilling.

Then comes “BLOOM,” a brief but brilliant meditation on self-worth and survival. It’s the kind of song you loop in your headphones because it makes you feel both seen and slightly unstable. “WAIT” follows it with hypnotic vocals and lyrics that read like a breakup text that hits two days too late.

On “DEATH ROLL,” Doechii channels pure rage into rhythm, while “NISSAN ALTIMA” is weird, brilliant, and surprisingly heartbreaking in the way it tackles mobility, class, and womanhood.

What makes Alligator Bites Never Heal special is its refusal to give you what you expect. There are no big-name features. No radio-ready singles. Just 19 tracks that sound like the inside of Doechii’s mind—funhouse mirrors, gator bites, and all.

“BOOM BAP” pays homage to old-school rap, while “GTFO” is a full-on punk explosion. “HUH!” is practically a scream. But then “SLIDE” slows things down, mixing classic R&B cadences with soft electronic drums.

By the time you get to “FIREFLIES” and “BEVERLY HILLS,” it’s clear this album is emotional whiplash on purpose. It’s the sound of a young Black woman making sense of her power, her pain, and her platform.

And the closer, “ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL,” feels like a thesis statement. A reminder that scars don’t always fade—and that sometimes, you build your crown out of teeth.

Doechii has been a rising star for a minute now. From viral freestyles to co-signs from SZA and Top Dawg Entertainment, she’s always stood out as someone with something different. But this album? This is where she moves from curiosity to canon.

She’s not just here to be the next rap girl. She’s here to be something that doesn’t even exist yet. Her sound isn’t derivative—it’s daring. And Alligator Bites Never Heal is her way of saying, “I’m not here for comfort—I’m here for truth.”

Doechii’s debut is loud, raw, and brilliant in all the ways that can’t be faked. It’s not clean. It’s not easy. But it’s hers. And that’s why it deserves every bit of love it’s getting—including this Album of the Year nomination.

Don’t miss Doechii—and the boldest night in music—at the BET Awards 2025, airing live Monday, June 9 at 8PM ET/PT on BET.