Doechii on how being a theater kid has influenced her artistry: ‘I like to create characters’

Doechii is an animated rapper who makes use of dynamics, different flows and sound changes in her music, and she explains why in a conversation with Brittany Howard for Rolling Stone‘s latest Musicians on Musicians series.

“There’s so many different emotions that I feel like you don’t have to emote in one way. Hip-hop gives you so much room to be animated,” she says. “I’m a theater kid as well, so I like to create characters. I feel inspired by Busta Rhymes and the way he was able to incorporate theater in his music.”

She notes she embodies “the character of whatever story I’m telling,” adding, “I think that’s important and it’s fun.”

“What I love about theater is that you get to incorporate singing, dancing, acting, rapping, so every time I approach my music, I always try to tell a story and embody as many emotions as I possibly can,” Doechii says.

She makes it clear that she’s the same person on and off the stage, calling herself “a drama queen,” but notes there is a different feeling when she’s performing.

“When I’m onstage, there’s something that gets very quiet about the environment. It’s just me and God. I’m a vessel in that moment and it just feels like a blessing,” Doechii says. “That’s why I love being onstage more than I like being in the studio because when I’m onstage I can really go somewhere else. I don’t become a different person, but I do leave this place, and I go somewhere else.”