It's hard to define what makes a hit song in 2023. With the dwindling influence of radio replaced with self-curated streaming and the indisputable impact of TikTok, what may be a popular—or even simply a good song—may differ depending on what your "For You" feed looks like.
Doechii has never been an artist worried about mainstream impact, and if anything, her willingness to creatively experiment, especially via her music, has become a crucial component to her authentic rise as a new voice in hip-hop. At a time where specifically female Southern Black acts continue to dominate (Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla, and Latto for example), she's shied away from defining herself by genre constraints. She's a woman in hip-hop, yes. But how far can she stretch what that really means?
Her latest single, 'What It Is (Block Boy)', is a superb example of an artist flirting with mainstream notoriety without abandoning their roots. The infectious track samples two gems within the Black music canon: TLC's 1999 hit "No Scrubs" and 2004's "Some Cut" by Lil Scrappy and Trillville while she floats above the beat with an ear-worm of a chorus.
More From Harper's BAZAAR
What it is, ho? What's up?
Every good girl needs a little thug
Every block boy needs a little love
If you put it down, I'ma pick it up, up, up
“This song is a fusion of nostalgia and pop vibes,” Doechii said in a statement at the time of the song's release. “I feel like I’m showing off a side of my vocal range with this one that my fans haven’t really seen yet. I love using [the older samples] to mix in some playful energy as well."
While the samples are recognizable, they're not lazily executed, and while the lyrics are memorable, they're not vapid. The track's accompanying video (featuring the song's collaborator and fellow Floridian Kodak Black) evokes another sense of nostalgia as well, echoing Beyoncé and Jay Z's early aughts collaboration '03 Bonnie and Clyde'. An additional mid-video dance break brings to mind Britney Spears at her prime or Aaliyah's eternally immortalized swagger as well. Instead of carbon copying early millennium acts however, Doechii takes her influences and makes it her own. She's acutely aware there won't ever be another Aaliyah or Janet or Lauryn—but she can be Doechii.
Much like how "Say So" and "Starships" changed the game for Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj, Doechii's foray into a pop space will definitely pose fruitful. Her authenticity to herself and to the region that raised her however, is what will ensure she's a lasting act.
"I hope that me, my art, and my music and the Doechii experience inspire somebody to be themselves or just be more free," she previously told BAZAAR of the music that's to come. "That's why I have to be free and I have to be a weird rockstar so that you can feel more comfortable to be a weird rockstar too."
Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers all things film, TV, music, and more. When she's not writing, she loves impulsively baking a batch of cookies, re-listening to the same early-2000s pop playlist, and stalking Mariah Carey's Twitter feed.
