Tampa Raised Her, the Game Can’t Phase Her — Inside Doechii’s Family Story

The Breakdown: Doechii went from singing in her Tampa church to winning a Grammy for Alligator Bites Never Heal, becoming only the third woman to win Best Rap Album — an achievement she credits to her single mom, Celesia.

Doechii’s triumph on the 2025 Grammy stage wasn’t a fluke. With Alligator Bites Never Heal she won Best Rap Album — only the third woman ever to do so. However, long before that, she was raised singing in church and grinding with her family by her side. The Florida native grew up in Tampa, Fla., with a young single mom, Celesia.

Even as a teen, Doechii knew entertainment was her calling. In 2020, she self-funded her first EP, Oh the Places You’ll Go, and one track in particular went viral. The sugar-sweet single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” exploded online, racking up over 32 million Spotify streams and inspiring a TikTok dance challenge that turned Doechii into a social media sensation.

She followed it up with Bra-Less and some high-profile features – guesting on Isaiah Rashad’s album and even opening for SZA on tour. But Doechii remained her own creative boss. She recorded those early songs at her mother’s house “so that I could feel safe and have family around,” she told Sheer magazine.

Let’s take a look at Doechii’s relationship with her mom, who has been by her side since the very beginning.

As her career flourishs, Doechii never shies away from crediting the family and experiences that shaped her. In interviews, she’s candid about overcoming school bullying and finding strength in spirituality. She calls her Grammy win a tribute to that journey – publicly thanking her “beautiful mother” Celesia.

“I have to thank God. I need to thank my beautiful mother for coaching me,” the rapper said, adding, “There’s so many people out there who probably don’t know who I am. I call myself the Swamp Princess ’cause I’m from Tampa, Florida! There’s so much culture in Tampa.”

She often wears vintage pieces from her mom’s closet, keeping her style and soul rooted in home. As one of hip-hop’s most exciting young stars and a role model for women of color, Doechii is proof that street smarts and strong family love can carry you far.

Doechii has been putting in work for nearly a decade, and it's finally paying off. Doechii says several offers arrived after “Yucky” blew up, but she held out until Top Dawg Entertainment — home of Kendrick Lamar and SZA — came calling in 2022. That partnership felt right, she later explained, because TDE’s boss was the first to ask her vision instead of just pitching a plan. When she inked with Top Dawg in early 2022, Doechii became the first female rapper on the storied label.

“They all came to me with a prepared plan on how they thought my career would go,” Doechii told The Face. “But TDE was the first label that sat me down and asked me what my plan was.”

The deal produced slick new singles like the piano-laced “Persuasive” and the sultry club cut “Crazy,” which showcased her dual gifts as singer and emcee. Under TDE, Doechii also racked up bigger exposure. She went on to appear on The Tonight Show and slayed the BET Awards stage.