The 2022 XXL Freshman Class is here, highlighting all the rappers expected to blow up in the year ahead. included are Detroit rappers Babyface Ray and Babytron (no relation), Memphians Big30 and Big Scarr (ditto), Florida’s Cochise, TDE-signed, genre-bender Doechii, Atlanta TikTok favorite Kali, Kenya-born Minnesota transplant KayCyy, Houston firecracker KenTheMan, “Who Want Smoke?” star Nardo Wick, out-and-proud Saucy Santana, and just-out-of-his-teens map-hopper Sofaygo.
Each year, the highly anticipated list offers listeners a guide to some of the hottest up-and-coming talents of the past 12 months. Some are viral stars in their own right, with hit records on TikTok or lots of Twitter buzz. Others are often established vets who are only just receiving their big breaks after signing major label deals or garnering big-name co-signs. While some of the names may not be familiar to many readers when they’re first announced, many of those names do become undisputed stars, headlining festivals, making television appearances, and representing hip-hop in the mainstream for years after their selections.
Doechii is one of this year’s buzziest artists after dropping cinematic videos for her songs “Crazy” and “Persuasive,” as well as having gone viral on TikTok with her “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” sound. Unfortunately, the latest news from the TDE-backed rapper isn’t great. While she was away on vacation, Doechii took to her Instagram story to share that her dog was eaten by a coyote.
“My dog got eaten by a coyote today,” she said in a now-deleted post, “so I’m not sure how to continue on with the vacation.”
JT faced a similar incident last month, while she was out of town, however, her dogs remained unharmed.
“So while I was out of town a coyote tried to get in the yard to get my puppies while they was playing,” said JT in a tweet, “now I’m sad & don’t want them to play outside no more!”
So while I was out of town a coyote tried to get in the yard to get my puppies while they was playing now I’m sad & don’t want them to play outside no more!
Top Dawg Entertainment’s newest rapper, Doechii, is already making a big impression. After featuring on “Wat U Sed” from labelmate Isaiah Rashad’s album last year, Doechii officially announced her signing to TDE this March, following up with videos for her first two singles, “Persuasive” and “Crazy,” before announcing TDE’s joint deal with Capitol Records to distribute her upcoming album. Last night, she took her next big step into the limelight, performing both singles as a dazzling medley on The Tonight Show.
Doechii’s penchant for going big circled every aspect of her performance, from the elaborate styling (a gigantic gown and attention-grabbing space buns in her hair) to the band’s full-tilt renditions of her uptempo, house-influenced singles. Doechii performed with her whole body, letting her gyrations emphasize the rebellious crazy, even with the restrictions caused by her dress. The crowd obviously loved it, too, cheering her on as she flailed and twerked her way through the disorienting back half of her set.
Doechii hasn’t announced her album yet, but it’s clear from her eye-popping rollout so far that she puts a lot of work into the presentation — so when she does drop her album, you can bet it’ll be worth checking out for both the music and the visuals attached.
Watch Doechii perform “Persuasive” and “Crazy” above.
June 24 is going to be a hot summer night in LA — both literally (likely) and figuratively (almost assuredly). A Hot Summer Night In LA is the name of Summer Walker‘s headlining concert at the Staples Ce-fine, Crypto.com Arena (yuck), which will feature a slew of special guests including Jazmine Sullivan, Ari Lennox, Saucy Santana, Joyce Wrice, Doechii, and Alex Vaughn. Ladies, leave your man at home. The show is billed as part of BET Awards weekend, with a special pre-sale for Summer Walker fans today through May 5 at 10 pm PT. The general sale starts on Friday at 10 am.
The show will be something of a coronation for Ms. Walker, who released her new album Still Over It last November to a truly impressive reception. It became the first album by a female R&B singer to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since 2016 (following Solange’s A Seat At The Table) and signified that R&B’s mainstream comeback is no passing fancy. A Hot Summer Night In LA is sure to keep that energy going with a lineup consisting mainly of R&B-singing women backed by rappers who bring boss-bitch energy.
This month’s slate of Artists To Watch is especially eclectic and positively fire. Follow along as we jump from dynamic British afrobeats and the next rapper about to take over, to an indie band on repeat, real Brazilian sh*t, and more. These are the artists to watch for in May. And this is On The Up.
Obongjayar
The Nigerian-born, London rapper came firmly into focus last year on Little Simz’s track “Point And Kill.” But it was on the first single from his upcoming album, “Message In A Hammer,” (with one of the best videos of last year) where we get to witness the menacing, raspy-tongued rapper establishing his piercing singular vision. A dynamic MC, he fuses British rap and afrobeats with a silky vocal delivery that touches newfound forms of R&B. On “Try,” the whole range of his voice — from a fine-grain sandpaper flow to his sweet coo over atmospheric production — is on full display. His debut, Some Nights I Dream of Doors, is due out on May 13th.
Momma
While Momma’s third LP (and first since signing with Polyvinyl Records), Household Name, isn’t out until July 1st, the singles that the Brooklyn alt-indie band has released leading up to it oughta be living on repeat in your speakers. Led by Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten, Momma has heavy vibes of The Breeders, with the vocalist pair complementing each other a la Kim and Kelley Deal. They supported Wet Leg on their sold-out tour earlier this year and will be joining Snail Mail for theirs in August. But we can’t say enough about how sticky Momma’s first three singles are. They channel ’90s nostalgia in a decidedly of-the-moment package, like on “Speeding 72” when they sing, “You can catch us around, Listening to “Gold Soundz”. Keep me in your car,” before a harmonic guitar riff takes the melody into space.
Domi & JD Beck
The future is here. Domi & JD Beck are two jazz prodigies signed to Anderson .Paak’s Apeshit label, who are starting to build some serious buzz. They backed Thundercat and Ariana Grande’s version of “Them Changes” at the 2020 Adult Swim Festival, sat in with the legendary Herbie Hancock at the Hollywood Bowl last year, co-wrote Silk Sonic’s “Skate,” and their debut album is due out later this year on Apeshit and Blue Note Records. The 21-year-old Domi plays keys, is French, and sports blonde pigtails that flap in unison with her hypnotic fingers tickling the ivories. At 18, the shaggy-haired JD Beck plays drums like he’s possessed by Gregory Coleman, and puts down some of the most dizzying snare work you’ve ever heard. They just dropped their debut single, “Smile,” which features .Paak, Thundercat, and Mac DeMarco in the hilarious video. The visual is a prime example of how they infuse child-like fun into complete and utter mastery of their instruments and it’s them who will surely continue to spread the gospel of real next-level jazz music to future generations.
Sessa
In 2019, Brazilian singer and multi-instrumentalist emerged as a unique talent in the shape of the bossanova and tropicalia greats like Caetano Veloso, João Gilberto, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. His debut album, Grandeza, presented gorgeously-woven poetic expressions of love that only Brazilians are capable of articulating. Now he’s signed to Mexican Summer for the June 24th release of Estrela Acessa and the lead single, ”Gostar Do Mundo,” is a globally-minded declaration of otherworldly desire. Alongside a gentle guitar, Brazilian percussion, and female backing singers, he swoons, “Chega mais pra cá, moço lindo desse lugar. Vem me namorar, sabe o mundo vai acabar”. (translation: “Come closer, good looking man from this place. Come nestle up against me, because the world is ending you know.”) This is the stuff right here.
Doechii
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) has been notoriously insular in thrusting forward the career of artists from Kendrick Lamar to SZA. But when the venerable hip-hop label announced a new partnership with Capitol Records last month, Doechii was at the center of it. The Tampa rapper is here to usher in the next movement of the TDE roster and she’s come out with a serious bang. The absolutely bonkers (and NSFW) video for “Crazy” feels like it’s floating fiercely over an OG Timbaland beat (it’s actually produced by Kal Banx.) On “Persuasive,” she flashes a silkier side of herself, one that’s indulgent and coyly extravagant. No word yet on an album release, but don’t be sleeping on Doechii.
Doechii is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music.
Remember that craze when it seemed like a horde of new female rappers with “Doll” in their names popped up at the same time? I wondered at the time whether Nicki Minaj, who has peppered her aesthetic and music with references to the popular doll Barbie since her ascent, had something to do with it. I say that because I’m wondering again about whether her obsession with Barbie has bled over to yet another wave of new female rap talents thanks to Doechii’s surreal, borderline NSFW new video for “Crazy.”
Doechii and her backup dancers certainly very much resemble Barbie dolls in the video. While they dance mostly nude throughout (save for black thigh-high boots and a few other accessories for the DRAMA), the removal of anything resembling sexual organs makes them look a lot like the oddly sexless Barbie, with blank, nippleless boobs. It’s kind of eerie, which, with Doechii, seems to be par for the course. TDE’s first female rapper loves to subvert expectations and tropes, blending rap with house on her first single “Persuasive” and now messing with perceptions of female rappers as primarily selling sex in her new video.
It’s a lot to process, but that’s what’s making Doechii’s rollout so darn fun. There’s supposedly also an — ahem — “uncensored” video out there, as well. You can find the link on the YouTube above. We aren’t sure whether Doechii is dropping an album in the near future or not, but one thing is for sure: she’s made one heck of an entrance to the rap game.
Top Dawg Entertainment is entering its next era soon and has been rolling out its latest wave of artists to take advantage of the vacuum that will be left by Kendrick Lamar’s departure after he releases his final TDE album. Last year, the label introduced Long Beach native Ray Vaughn to the fold with the harrowing “Tap” video and earlier this month, announced that it had signed Doechii with the release of her house-influenced single, “Persuasive.”
Today, Doechii doubled down on the new single, releasing a colorful, futuristic-looking video for the single. In it, Doechii displays her quirky fashion sense and leads a troupe of dancers as they vogue for the camera in a ballroom-inspired sequence that plays off the single’s upbeat instrumentation.
Prior to officially signing to the label, Doechii appeared on Isaiah Rashad’s The House Is Burning single “Wat U Sed” and on his Lil’ Sunny’s Awesome Vacation tour, prompting speculation that the LA-based label had picked up the eclectic new artist for its roster. While the confirmation wouldn’t come until recently, the positive reception of Doechii’s guest spots certainly helped, and fans are certainly intrigued to see what she does with the label next.
so sorry this happened to her, especially while she’s away. 
