The Tremendous Power of Lauryn Hill and the Growing Impact of Doechii  

Lauryn Hill Walked So Doechii Could Run

Doechii’s “ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL” has received the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. This makes her the third woman in history to receive this award, alongside Cardi B and Lauryn Hill.

In Doechiis's acceptance speech, she said, “This category was introduced in 1989 and two women have won, Lauryn Hill—three women have won, Lauryn Hill, Cardi B and Doechii.”

Although Best Rap Album was introduced in 1995 at the 38th Grammy Awards, Doechii made a point of how hard she worked on her mixtape and what receiving this award meant to her.

Doechii winning this award is, without a doubt, a trailblazing milestone for all women. This breakthrough moment could not have happened without the genius of Hill.

The Brilliance of Lauryn Hill

Hill and her hip hop trio the “Fugees”, consisting of Wyclef Jean and Pras released their debut album “Blunted on Reality” in 1994. Although this album did well, it did not compare to their sophomore album “The Score”. This album won Best Rap Album at the 1996 Grammy Awards, making Hill the first woman to win this category and hold the title as the only woman to receive this award until 2018.

Hills' career arguably peaked with the release of her solo album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”. This album went triple platinum three months after it was released. The album's first-week sales set a record for female artists at the time. Hill received 10 Grammy nominations for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and walked away with 5 awards, including Album of the Year. This was the first rap album to receive this award. Hill unquestionably changed hip-hop and rap and pioneered for women everywhere.

Doechiis Rising Success

Doechii scored her first Billboard Top 40 hit in 2023 for “What It Is (Block Boy)” featuring Kodak Black. Doechii has collaborations with major artists like SZA and Tyler the Creator.

Her real success began with the release of her mixtape “ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL”. This album gave her two Grammy nominations, Best New Artist and Best Rap Album. With notable songs such as “DENIAL IS A RIVER” and “CATFISH” Doechiis's debut album is a musically diverse and confident mixtape. Doechii currently has over 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify and continues to release music.

Hip-Hop is the Future

If you compare Hill to Doechii directly, it was not Hill's first album that won Best Rap Album. If Doechii continues as she is now she has the potential to release an album with influence like “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”. We will see what Doechii does in the future but as of right now “ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL” has made an impact in its own way. Doechii has the potential to revolutionize hip-hop and create an even bigger name for herself. While Hill's groundbreaking work set the stage for future female rap artists, Doechii's rising success signals a new era in hip-hop, where the future is brighter and more inclusive than ever. Her Grammy win is just the beginning, and if her trajectory continues, she could very well be the next revolutionary force in hip-hop, following in the footsteps of legends like Hill while forging her own path to success.