When LA-based rapper Doechii was thrust into the limelight with her third record Alligator Bites Never Heal, it seemed like she had burst onto the scene out of nowhere.
That record went on to win Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammy awards, and since, Doechii has seen lead-track ‘DENIAL IS A RIVER’ go viral and reach almost 200 million listens on streaming services.
Her latest venture – a new single – has led Doechii into more soulful territories. Ditching the grittier vocals of ‘DENIAL IS A RIVER’ and cheeky lyrics of ‘Yucky Blucky Fruit Cake’, ‘Anxiety’ sees Doechii take a more raw, stripped-back approach to her unique blend of hip-hop and rap.
Released as a Sleepy Hallow track that featured Doechii on his drill-rap Boy Meets World record in 2023, Doechii has re-released the cut, replacing Hallow’s sections with her own intimate reflections (Baby, I’m trippin’, my feelings been fryin’ me, uh / I blame it all on anxiety).
In a video to fans, Doechii explained her reasoning behind releasing her “own” solo version of the track – Sleepy Hallow originally sampled a song she had released on YouTube in 2020 that never hit streaming platforms. Since, fans had dug out the track and were petitioning for Doechii to release the original version.
With ‘Anxiety’, she seamlessly blends the melodic tones of its samples (Gotye’s ‘Somebody I Used To Know’) with funky beats and a soulful vocal performance that displays her impressive range. Following the similarly-narrated paths of previous releases ‘Stressed’ and ‘Crazy’, this newest track focuses on mental health as Doechii expresses her struggles with regret (made mistakes, ain’t no way to rewind), paranoia (somebody’s watching me), and battling with her inner-demons.
Amid the complicated lore, ‘Anxiety’ is an impressive offering from Doechii, and raises hopes that more soulful-intonations might feature in future work.
Words by Lana Williams
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