Alligator Bites Never Heal
In this article, Jack looks at Doechii's new album, Alligator Bites Never Heal
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Alligator Bites Never heal
Alligator Bites Never heal
By Jack Brouillette
By Jack Brouillette
In 2023, Jaylah Ji’mya Jickmon, otherwise known as Doechii, released a short series titled “Swamp Sessions” on TikTok. These videos were shortened one-hour sessions where Doechii would compose a random song. The most popular song that came from the “Swamp Sessions” was a track titled “Nissan Altima”, a song that got increasingly popular as it was released as a single. This was an obvious teaser for a new album, though no one knew the title yet. A week later, Doechii announced on her social media that she had a new mixtape coming out: Alligator Bites Never Heal.
Alternate album cover for Alligator Bites Never Heal.
Alligator Bites Never Heal was released on Aug. 30, 2024, consisting of 19 songs, with the full album length being 47 minutes. This album was highly regarded, winning Best Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the 67th Grammys. Google users have given it a 4.8/5 star rating, showing how widely renowned Doechii’s third project was compared to her past ones.
“STANKA POOH”
“STANKA POOH”
The first song on this album is a self-reflection, talking about how Doechii will just be forgotten and is just like any other “Tiktok Rapper”, only be remembered as a Black Lives Matter member. This was a great opener for this album, showing the melancholy and real side of her life.
“DENIAL IS A RIVER”
“DENIAL IS A RIVER”
Photos must alternate sides of the article. Don't be lopsided
The fourth track on Alligator Bites Never Heal is arguably one of the best, if not the most popular song on the album. It has been performed at multiple shows, including NPR’s Tiny Desk. This song is a storytelling track, explaining how her partner at the time turned out to be attracted to the opposite gender, making her go through a denial phase, which explains the song title. It also explains how she was going through a rough time at this point, exclaiming how she likes to do drugs and is in denial about their long-term effects.
“WAIT”
“WAIT”
This is a metaphor-filled song where Doechii talks about how, sometimes, people have to take a step back, deleting the call log, clearing their agendas, and clearing their plates before adding more. She also talks about how stressful life can be, explaining how people will not survive if they keep moving forward and keep adding tasks to their to-do lists before taking a break and waiting. You have to keep moving. If you stop pedaling your bike, then you will fall over. The whole song is almost a metaphor: if you keep moving forward, you fall, yet if you stop, then you also fall.
“BOOM BAP”
“BOOM BAP”
This song starts off with Doechii making unserious scatting sounds, making fun of people saying they want to hear her rap. Multiple lines from this song question the way that female artists are seen. She criticized people for seeing women in the industry as sexual objects or just not as much as male rappers. The line “I gave my soul for this, ate lumps of coal for this” talks about how she had to give her everything for this opportunity, as well as having to suffer through hard times to get to her current life.
“NISSAN ALTIMA”
“NISSAN ALTIMA”
This song was one of her four appearances on the Hot 100, debuting in 92nd place. In this track, Doechii uses bars to represent her bisexuality, and how it is not “normal” in the rap industry. She uses explicit bars to compare herself to famous bisexual music stars, such as Grace Jones and Madonna. This song was one of the most popular on the album, with some saying it was a key part of the creation of the album.
“BEVERLY HILLS”
“BEVERLY HILLS”
“It’s done, it’s dead/I’m not hitting him up anymore.” The opening line of the album suggests that Doechii is finally over this guy that she's been talking about this whole album, most prevalently in “DENIAL IS A RIVER”. She also talks about how her partner never provided emotionally or financially, saying she would rather curse him out in Beverly Hills. “(And I won’t) Try to brag in your ear/But every time you speak, I’m just interpreting fear.” This line shows how, when Doechii dreams big, it is being pulled down by her partner, though she is finally getting over this part of her life, being freed from this relationship.
“ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL”
“ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL”
The ending of this album fits it perfectly. Right after getting freed from a terrible relationship, her bites never heal. She needs connection, yet wants to be alone. The lyrics show someone dancing alone, going between asking people to dance with them and choosing to dance alone. The outro of the song is a voicemail, presumably by one of Doechii’s friends or family members, explaining the biblical story of Abraham and Lot in Genesis. In the story, Abraham and Lot eventually split and go different ways, discovering new lands to settle in. The message is that you may have to split ways to keep going forward, and staying within your comfort zone may stagnate your path.
Overall, this album was great. I first heard it when Doechii did NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, and I was impressed by the musicality. The difference in instrumentals and vocals between songs are astonishing and personally, I think she is the best female rapper in the industry.
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