TDE rapper Doechii shares her thoughts on the nature of hip-hop, highlighting its deep connection to black culture and its deeper purpose.
On Thursday (December 12), the lyricist of “Alligator Bites Never Heal” shared a long tweet that contained a series of powerful statements and calls to action for fans and creators to resist stripping the genre of its soul and meaning. behavior.
“Hip-hop has always been esoteric,” Doechii tweeted. “It’s always been complex and soulful. “We use hip-hop to evolve, to protest, to celebrate. Art and music play a big role in why many of us today are proud to be black. Our culture runs through these genres. .
View this post on Instagram
Doechii quickly pivoted to warn of what she described as a growing trend to disconnect hip-hop from its roots by diluting its inherent depth.
“Don’t let these people brainwash you and disconnect you from the soul of hip-hop by convincing you that hip-hop is uncool or ‘too esoteric,'” she wrote. “This has always been so deep for us, and it should stay that way. We created it! Once we lose the soul, we lose the genre.
Doechii also takes aim at critics of hip-hop who encourage thinking or emotion, suggesting there are ulterior motives behind these views.
“Anyone who talks about hip-hop music that makes you think or makes you feel something should immediately be considered an opponent,” she wrote. “Ask yourself what they get from us watering down the music, stripping the soul out, talking about superficial topics, becoming less self-aware.”
Finally, she challenged the hip-hop community to protect the integrity of the genre.
“Only certain groups benefit from our lack of introspection,” she writes. “Tighten up.”
Doechii’s impassioned remarks, which reflected a deep pride in hip-hop and the cultural context of Black oral traditions, shined during her recent primetime television performance. In addition to appearing on The Late Show with Steven Colbert, Doechii also gave a memorable performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk with a group of black women rocking matching braids and beads.
“I decided to play this record because I think the current situation in our country is causing a lot of emotions for a lot of people,” she explained. “I wrote this song specifically for black women,” Deutch added. Women of skin, I have a very unique experience that I’m trying to internalize…so I dedicate this to all the beautiful black women in the room.
Watch part of Doechii’s Tiny Desk performance in the post below.
