Decorated with green moss, a large fake tree and fake plants, the American Express Stage transformed into a scene fit for the “swamp princess” on Saturday. Strutting onto the stage, Doechii claimed her throne as not only a swamp princess but as a princess of hip-hop.
“What would Doechii do if she didn’t win? I guess we’ll never know,” a voice announced before the rapper took to the stage.
Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon, known as Doechii, started going viral in 2021 on social media platforms, gaining attention for her rapping speed and unique flows before solidifying her rise to success with her elaborate performances and anti-backtracked shows. Now, returning to Austin after two years, she took the stage for two back-to-back weekends at Austin City Limits.
Opening with “Nosebleeds,” Doechii played into the song’s name, calling attention to the crowd’s nosebleed sections, hyping them up and acknowledging their presence before moving on to “Spookie Coochie” and “Bitch I’m Nice.”
Dressed in a small white T-shirt, jorts, a fabulous belt, red kitten heels and layers of gold jewelry, Doechii ensured her outfit was danceable, twerking to one of her most popular songs, “NISSAN ALTIMA.” Her shoe coming off and its heel starting to come apart, the singer took a break from showing off her dancing abilities, performing “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM,” originally performed by Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar.
However, the dancing break didn’t last long. After clapping along to “Alter Ego” and doing a backbend almost to the floor, Doechii ran off stage to change the broken shoe out while DJ Miss Milan hyped up the audience.
Resuming the show, Doechii showed off her vocal abilities with “Persuasive,” a song with more singing compared to her other songs.
Doechii then gave the crowd affirmations to repeat back to her, a distinctive way of transitioning into songs from her mixtape.
“I’m that bitch. I’m serving face. Can’t fuck with me — I’ll walk away,” Doechii rapped and sang with her fans. “I love money. Money loves me. That’s on God, and that’s the tea.”
Going back to her more popular songs, Doechii performed a track with a popular trend on TikTok, “Anxiety,” followed by “Swamp Bitches” and “DENIAL IS A RIVER.” Everyone in the audience sang along to and participated in the ending, rhythmically breathing along to the beat of “DENIAL IS A RIVER.”
Doechii wrapped up her set by asking the audience to put their flashlights in the air as she danced around the stage while singing “BOOM BAP” before once again turning the stage into her personal catwalk, leaving as the crowd screamed for more.
