To some it may seem like the phenom that is Doechii came out of nowhere, but the 24-year-old Tampa-native has been a force of nature brewing for quite some time…one that is primed to take the world by storm. And If you’ve paid any attention to the rap scene over the past four years, her ascendance shouldn’t come as a surprise. Seamlessly blending Pop, House, HipHop and R&B, with tracks “Girls” (2018) and “Persuasive,” (2022) while exploring themes of queerness and identity—Doechii’s skillful experimentation results in the birth of a sub-genre and new wave of rap. With three projects and several viral hits under her blinged out belt, the burgeoning multi-hyphenate is more in tune with her craft than ever.

V connects the self-proclaimed Swamp Princess, with fellow Floridian and HipHop icon Trina, bridging the gap between two generations of rap. In a candid conversation, the pair discuss utilizing trauma to fuel your artistry, early influences, and how to stay grounded.

Read the exclusive interview below!

 

DOECHII: Hi, how is everybody?

TRINA: Hi, how are you? 

D: I’m good, how are you? Is this Trina?

T: This is Trina. 

D: I love you. Diamond Princess! This is crazy, it’s really you Trina. How are you?

T: I’m doing great.

D: I have a lot of questions to ask you, I’m really excited to be chatting with you. I’m from Tampa, you’re from Miami. And I know you just did a show out in Tampa, right?

T: Yeah. We had a big show in Tampa, which was really nice. It was crazy. Wow, I didn’t know you were from Tampa. That’s awesome, this is going to be good. Are you excited? 

D: Yes, I am. Let me start really easy. Talk to me a little bit about your come-up from underground artists before you broke through. Tell me about that experience. How was that in Miami? How was that scene when you were underground until you got discovered and broke through as an artist?

T: Here’s how it went. First, I did a song with Trick. That was the first one which is “Nann.” As soon as I did the song, we instantly got a deal with Atlantic Records. The song became big right away, when we first put it out. As soon as it came out, that’s how we got the distribution deal with Atlantic Records and Slip-N-Slide Records. That record started off in Miami and then blew up all over Florida, then went national worldwide. 

It was one of those records that just took off. Everybody accepted it, the West Coast, the East Coast. Everyone was all over it. It was one of those records that generated with everybody, the back and forth, guys versus girls kind of thing. That’s how it happened, it was pretty fast. It wasn’t a whole long time. I remember putting the record out, and then my first big show was in Tallahassee, Florida. Once we got to the morning show, you know it’s a big college town, so it went crazy. It was a wrap after that.

D: How was it adjusting to such a frequent workflow that quickly? For you, as a Black woman just adjusting to working so often and meeting so many different people and stuff like that? Did you adapt easily?

T: I did. For me, it wasn’t as many females. It was a certain amount of females we had, you had Missy, there was Kim, there was Eve, Da Brat, and Foster. It was a certain close-knit of girls that we had. It was easy to get into the industry and meet the girls, everybody was so loving. We’re from the South, so we had our own vibe. People like that. When you’re from the South, people pick up on that energy. There’s something about a Southerner that has a different type of volume. Of course, it’s male-dominated. There are a lot of guys in the game. I came into the game around all these guys, there’s Trick, there’s Rick Ross, my whole label, and they’re all guys. I knew how to beef up against the industry when it came to that because I was brought up with the guys. So I was ready when it came to breaking in the doors when it was so male-dominated, I was ready for that force. I was already used to that, it was already around me. I was one of the girls that had to stand up in between all the guys and be the dominant one. It worked out for me that way, in a great way.\

D: That’s amazing. I relate to a lot of things that you’re saying because I’m having a lot of experiences so fast. A lot is coming at me. I’m trying to figure out when I just take time to process what the hell has happened to me. I’m on go 24/7, so it’s interesting hearing you talk about that.

T: Let me ask you something since you said that. Of course, it’s new, so it’s a different kind of feeling, but does it put you in a place of like, “I want this,” like, is it passionate? Do you enjoy going on 24/7? I know it’s different when you are used to being at home and doing a regular thing. When it’s this industry, you could be doing an interview, you could be doing radio, traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast. You could be on a plane today in LA, or tomorrow in New York. How is that for you?

 D: I’ve been grinding for a really long time, and I always kept myself busy. This is what I want, this is what I love to do. And I’m passionate about it, so I’m happy to be where I am. I think, if anything, I’m talking about other people around me. My family isn’t used to not seeing me so much, I don’t live in Florida anymore. I feel like people back home don’t see me as much as they used to because I’m not in the city. I live in LA now. So, I’m fine, I’m living my life. But I feel kind of alone sometimes, like the people around me don’t get to see me. I’m figuring out how to work that out while growing up at the same time.

T: You know what it is too? Because you’re from Tampa, now you live in LA. That’s a big gap. That’s like coming from the South going way to the West Coast. So now all your family, close friends, everybody’s way back home in Tampa, way in the South, three hours ahead of time over there. That definitely could be a strainer, especially being so young and new and fresh. You do love your music, this is your passion, but you do get lonely, and you miss your family and your friends. You want to just wake up and go to your friend’s house and have a good girl conversation or go to the beach. That’s definitely one of the things that I can understand trying to get adjusted to. 

I would just say to you because you are so far away and you are busy, whenever you have your little downtime or whatever, I would take it and spend it at home. I would go to Florida, go home to see my family just to reset, because there’s nothing like family love. It’s always important to keep that and stay close to that. As far as you go, no matter what you’re doing, you will always feel that. I would definitely say in my downtime, I would stay at home, and I would definitely go to Tampa. Get that real pure energy and genuine foundation that I’m built off of. Okay, so let me ask you, how did you create it, and what was the experience making your album? What was the foundation, and what was your inspiration? Put me in the setting of that, I want to know where you were, how you were feeling, what’s the energy? 

D: So, me and my friends have this production company, it’s called, Those Black Bitches. We came up with it because we thought it was funny. My friend was talking one day and was like, “What if one day we win an award, and all these white people, they got to introduce us, and they gotta say Those Black Bitches.” We were like, they call us Black bitches anyways, so “Fuck it.” We thought it was funny, but it stuck. I realized I had a memory of the first time I heard somebody called me a Black bitch. I’m from the springs in Tampa, and when I was in elementary school, this boy called me a Black bitch, and he spat in my face. That was my first experience. Yes, like movie-type shit. I started unpacking that, and we all started talking about our experience with that word. And I realized that it’s one thing when somebody calls you a bitch, but when somebody calls you a Black bitch, you’re specifically pointing out my race because you feel like I shouldn’t even have the audacity to be Black and a bitch. Like, “How dare you have the audacity as a Black woman to even think you can have the balls to be a bitch.” 

So, I got inspiration from there and the music. I wanted it to embody all the different archetypes of different Black women and Black bitches. I really wanted to highlight and celebrate the girl who is sassy, who is sometimes aggressive, who is pushing forward, headstrong, the bitch who is mean. Some of these bitches are mean, and I wanted to celebrate the villain. Because I feel like when Black women become villains, we get exiled, and we lose opportunities. And no, I’m not saying that these Black women are actual villains, I’m saying in the media when you become villainized as a Black woman, something happens. I wanted to flip the script and turn something negative into something positive. 

T: Wow, that is so inspirational. The fact that took it back from being in elementary school and remembering someone calling you something that grew up with you. And then they come in terms of you being an artist and being artistic and creative, and you turn that into something that is totally positive. Because as you express it, everybody’s gonna understand where it comes from. And it makes sense. Complete sense. I love it, I absolutely love it. I absolutely love, love, love it. 

D: I wanted to ask you, at this point in your career, I don’t want to say, “What are your plans for the future?” But for the remainder of your legacy, what are you focused on right now? You’re a legend, you’re an icon. What’s next for Ms. Trina?

T: For me, I mean, I signed a couple of artists, I’m very creative when it comes to music. I love to see women and girls come up in this game. The game was always male-dominated. I have a record label called Rock Star Music Group. I have six female artists I’m working with, and I want to see them excel. They all are different, they all have different types of beliefs, different cultures, and different music. Nobody sounds the same. And to me, I love to experience watching them. It’s like watching myself grow all over again, and I love to see them because now I am in a place where I can instill that into them. I can show them that because it’s a lived experience, as opposed to saying, “Oh, I don’t know how to guide you, I don’t know how to show you this,” because I never experienced this. I have. So it’s easier for me. I’m working with them and developing the hope that they become superstars and the biggest artists that they can be, and push them beyond what the culture thinks and what people expect. Like how you said, the name call made you feel like you can be superior above that. I just want them to understand that because it’s not easy. I explained it to them, they would not have the same reign that I had, they will not be me, and they will not be in the same lane as I was in, but you have to create your own lane, be your own self, be true to who you are. And show your experiences and what you want to, and get out your art and tell your story. So, I’m mostly excited about that. For me, I’ve kind of done everything I really wanted to. I’m just relaxing. And just here, I love the fight, and I love music. I’m happy to be able to give something back to it after. 

D: Wow. Well, I’m proud of you. And thank you, I love you.

T: I love you too, man, I really love you. I think you are so expressive, and you are a breath of fresh air. Let me tell you when I first saw you, I said, “Woah, who the hell is this?” And when you tell me you’re from Tampa, I’m thinking you are way past the other side of the country somewhere, because there’s no way you are right up the street. When I first heard you, I had to see you. I was like, “Okay, who is this? I need to see her face, I need to see who this person is.” And when I saw you, I was like, “Oh my god, beautiful.” It was just one word: beautiful. Then you brought a different energy, a different sense of direction, tone, cadence, and the way you celebrate how you’re putting out the music. It’s just amazing, I love to see it. I’m a fan. I’m excited for you, and I wish you so much success. 

You’re smart, even talking to you now, you’re smarter than when I first said you were smart. So let me just say that, because you are a breath of fresh air, honey. When we sit down, and I watch you on the TV, I’m like, “Yes.” It’s a party, it’s a celebration that’s happening. Understand that you are being celebrated. It’s a whole thing that comes with you, it’s a whole aura that comes with you that I haven’t seen in the industry before. I always like to give women and new artists a different type of explanation of what they mean, and what I see for you fit in this culture. And your aura is something that’s new, it’s refreshed. It hasn’t been seen or done before. I really love that.

D: That means so much, I feel so happy. It’s been a pleasure talking to you, Trina. 

T: Yes, thank you. I wish you the best, best, best. I will run into you soon. When I see you, I’m gonna give you the biggest hug. Thank you for giving us this breath of fresh energy that we need in our culture.

D: Thank you. Thank you so much. 

Below, stream Caught Up in the Rapture—Volume 1, Part 1—curated by Doechii and Trina.