Doechii’s Swamp: When Tradition Meets Modern Marketing"
Every once in a while an artist emerges onto the scene that reminds people of what Hip-hop is at its core; experimental, genre-defying, and just a flat-out vibe.
When TDE’s Doechii released her mixtape “Alligator Bites Never Heal” she elicited strong feelings for longtime fans, and those who hadn’t even tuned into her music yet. People (finally) realized how much of a vibe she was.
And while the music is phenomenal, there’s also another piece to all of this which is the focus of today, and that’s her album rollout.
In a recent interview, Doechii talked about the importance of musically staying close to Hip-hop traditions, and what that means to her as an artist and creator.
Think about that statement and the powerful word she used:
TRADITION.
Tradition is defined as the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.
To keep things thriving, sometimes you’ve gotta stick to what made it special in the first place.
Doechii’s album rollout is a great reminder of that on both an artist front, and on a marketing front.
Moreover, the traditions within music marketing are gonna be what keeps that industry thriving.
In both music creation and marketing, respectively, the medium used to connect with potential fans/consumers might differ, but the customs that lead to success remain the same.
So with that in mind, let’s look at Doechii’s rollout and how her ability to appeal to tradition helps inform how the music was received by the public.
FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW DOECHII…
Doechii was born Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon and raised in Tampa, Florida (hence the Alligator references).
She had been on the music scene for some time growing her presence when her 2020 single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” went viral.
The song eventually caught the attention of Top Dawg, founder of Top Dawg Entertainment (home to Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and until recently, Kendrick Lamar) who reached out to her.
Top Dawg was so impressed with her work that he signed her, and shortly after she released her EP She/Her/Black Bitch in 2022, further solidifying her presence in the hip-hop world.
In the past two years, her presence in the culture has grown, scoring a spot on XXL’s freshman list, and performing at the BET awards. But now her buzz has reached an all-time high with her newest project:
ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL.
The tape's sound includes a variety of production, from boom bap to more modern-sounding beats, and the bars are there. I REPEAT. THE BARS ARE THERE.
It’s an enjoyable listen and with that in mind, let’s talk about the marketing aspect for a bit.
Doechii and her team did some things that worked tremendously in her favor. They incorporated a few traditional (i.e. tried & true) tactics that work really well in modern times (lest brands forget).
Let’s talk about it.
I. AMPLIFYING USER-GENERATED CONTENT
Promotion for a new product always relies on a mix of word-of-mouth, PR, advertising, and other traditional channels to garner attention.
Doechii’s marketing blends those elements with contemporary techniques like promoting user-generated content (UGC) across her socials.
For example, whe she dropped Nissan Altima the internet went nuts.
On Twitter (X), an entirely new audience seemed to discover her overnight, and the response showed that consumers were ready for what Doe had coming next.
Her online fanbase quickly latched onto the video — from the flow to the aesthetics and began to make content to the record.
Doechii promoted that user-generated content (and her own) tirelessly.
In a time where artists complain about having to make content, or do TikToks to get their songs going, Doechii does the complete opposite. And who knows, she may not like making content, but you can’t tell. She puts the time into it.
In fact, if you go to Doechii’s TikTok you’ll see that she makes clips of her rapping the lyrics to nissan altima, and she even reposts the videos of fans reacting to the record.
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It doesn’t stop there though.
She reposts the remixes to the record, DJ mashups and everything in between. Overall it shows a relentless dedication to making sure people know her music exists and helps her fans experience her work in new ways.
A lot of the newer artists don’t do that — and this goes for creators in other fields AND brands too.
For brand stewards ask yourself… When’s the last time you approached a client about re-running old work that did well in the past? How often are you truly reminding people of your offering? Just something to think about.
II. TELLING A STRONG BRAND STORY
Storytelling is important piece of marketing whether you’re a CPG brand or an artist. It gives the consumer a reason to care about your offering amidst the sea of other products they’re bombarded with.
Stories can be ads, short form content or anything in between but they’re important because they show our “why?” — for many consumers that’s more important than anything.
What remains the same no matter the generation of medium is that a great story is everything.
Storytelling is a custom as old as humanity itself and in such a crowded not having clarity on the story the brand is telling or the takeaway you want consumers to have makes it that much easier to be overlooked.
One look at Doechii and you can tell that she understands the tradition of great storytelling in Hip-hop
From the title of her album, to the vis ID, and even the skits at the beginning of a few of her records you instantly can tell a lot about her personality, where she’s from, and what it was like growing up for her.
The music then reinforces these themes, and in turn a solid memory structure is created in the minds of consumers.
Doe’s storytelling prowess is even more apparent in the content leading up to the album:
The Swamp Sessions
Each session gives fans a peak into her mind, her inspirations, and the qualities that her Doechii.
This recent Swamp Session below gives us a more personal look into Doechii, while also giving fans new jam that (to my knowledge) isn’t on her new project. But it slaps all the same.
III. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE (CREATIVE) DETAILS
In many ways, attention to the detail has become a lost art in the music space.
With mass layoffs happening across all of the different labels, and a seemingly concerted effort to sign rappers with little to no artist development, use them for whatever record they’ve got buzzing, and toss them to the side, it’s hard to remember that the real magic (and revenue) happens when you pay attention to the details.
In short, the industry is losing recipes. Many labels abandoned the traditions that led to the prosperity they enjoyed for decades.
With Doechii (and TDE by extension), that’s not the case.
You can see an intense appreciation for the details of work from the visuals to her music, and yes, to the album rollout.
Every Swamp Session feels like it had the same director guiding it.
Every interaction on TikTok shows that she’s locked in with her fanbase.
Every mixtape photo shows that there was care put into the creative direction, from the style of font, to the color palette.
Take a look at the album trailer and thank you letter to fans below.
It feels intentional. It feels cohesive. It feels… detailed.
When coupled with a really great story, and some very good music we’re seeing a superstar unfolding before our very eyes.
EPILOGUE
Again, I can’t really say what the future holds for Doe, but I think TDE has another one their hands.
Her musical versatility, and creative team are making some really great things happen — and she’s about the culture. The tradition of what it means to be an emcee, and that’s something I personally appreciate.
If Doe ever sees this, let her I know got some beats for her and hopefully we rock out on a few joints together.
Until then, I’m gonna be playing Catfish on repeat.
One.