Alligator Bites Never Heal

Album Summary

Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal is a mix tape filled with fast-paced rap, chill R&B, experimental tracks, and moments of recorded dialog of her and her loved ones. Together, the tracks create a story of accomplishment and self-discovery. This album shows the culmination of her journey thus far in the music industry, with each track displaying a different style and genre. She shows both her strength and her vulnerability through the lyrics and accompanying tracks, building a full story of her processing her life thus far. 

Critical Evaluation

Alligator Bites Never Heal is full of a large variety of styles and themes, some of which I connected to more than others. Overall, the album is impressive and shows a strong understanding of pace and energy between the tracks. There are moments of high anger and intensity, like in “Stanka Pooh” and “Catfish,” that are balanced with moments of calm that come in like a breath of fresh air, such as “Bloom” and the end of “Fireflies.” Despite the varied nature of a mix tape, the album feels cohesive in its themes and the vulnerability that Doechii displays. 

My favorite track just so happens to be the most popular, “Denial is a River,” where Doechii cleverly uses a second persona to act like a therapist, checking in on her and questioning her bad habits as she describes what has happened in her recent life. The narrative structure allows for Doechii to open up in a fun and funny way despite the horrible things that are described. It even ends with the persona saying “breathe with me” in the proposed form of a therapist leading a breathing exercise, only for her to start hyperventilating. This type of humor is sprinkled throughout the album, but it never takes away from the intensity nor the veracity behind her words. 

My other favorite track is “Boom Bap,” where she raps over a backing of smooth jazz. The jazz brings in the Black history of jazz, while her rapping pairs nicely with it, feeling like she is freestyling with the band. The song is also filled with her characteristically clever lyrics and a small section of “boom bap” that’s almost reminiscent of scatting. This album is carefully crafted, and it’s clear why it won the Grammy for Best Rap Album of the Year.

Creative Use for a Library Program

Based on my love for “Denial is a River” and its narrative setup, I would want to lead a creative writing exercise based on it. The premise of the song is that there is a created character who interviews her and asks her about what’s been happening to her lately. It’s a way for her to show the progress she’s made and what she’s feeling through talking to this created person. It would be fun to have a creative writing prompt following a similar narrative device. The teens could create their own “character” that is a separate self asking them about their life as a means of dealing with stress. It could also function as a mental health reflection exercise, depending on how the program is led.  

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

Alligator Bite Never Heal is filled with explicit language and mentions of sex and drugs. Every single song has a little grey “E” next to it on Spotify, indicating that it contains at least one curse word. When it comes to the discussions of drugs and sex, Doechii does not glorify them but instead gives a realistic picture, saying in “Denial is a River”

“I mean fuck, I like pills, I like drugs

I like gettin' money, I like strippers, I like to fuck”

But then follows it up with 

“What can I say? The shit works, it feels good

And my self-worth's at an all time low.”

Showing that these things have real consequences and should not be messed around with like they’re nothing. She even notes how she’s been trying to recover from addiction. The inclusion of these topics should not be enough to ban them. They need to be contextualized, and clearly this album provides a means of expression for teens.

Reason for Inclusion

Doechii’s single “Denial Is a River” was suggested to me on a random playlist on Spotify a few weeks prior to the Grammy awards. I had never heard of her before, and when I asked my friends about her, I learned that she was famous through TikTok for her music. I still didn’t decide to listen to the whole album until after it won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. As one of only three female artists to win this award, I wanted to give Doechii her due by listening to it. Rap is not my go-to genre, but the bits of it I listen to tend to be women rappers, not too slow, and with a strong sense of musicality. Doechii’s album fits well within this category, so I quickly enjoyed her music. I can see why she is so popular. As a young artist, she is someone for teens to look up to and show that age is not a limiting factor in their potential. I’m adding this to my collection because of the quality of her music, the strength of her words, and the power behind her story, which began in high school.