Last updated: October 9, 2026.
Doechii was in church six days a week as a child. She has said that is where she learned to perform. The Doechii family story starts there, in Tampa, Florida, with a mother who raised her and a faith that filled most of the week.
She is now a two-time Grammy winner. But the stage name, the discipline and the nerve all date back to her childhood, and she has been open about how hard parts of it were.
Quick Facts
| Real name | Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon |
| Born | August 14, 1998, Tampa, Florida |
| Mother | Celesia Moore |
| Father | Snatcha Da Boss, a rapper |
| Siblings | Younger twin sisters |
| School | Howard W. Blake High School, Tampa |
| Label | Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records |
| Grammy wins | Two |
Who Are Doechii’s Parents?
Doechii’s parents are Celesia Moore and a rapper known as Snatcha Da Boss. She was raised mainly by her mother, according to Biography.com’s profile.
Celesia Moore, her mother
Celesia Moore brought Doechii up in Tampa. The household was, in Doechii’s own words to The Cut, heavily religious.
That meant church almost every day. Doechii sang gospel there and danced with the church’s Christian marching band. Long before she rapped, she was rehearsing and performing in front of a congregation several times a week.
Moore has not given interviews about her own life or work. We have left it there.
Snatcha Da Boss, her father
Doechii’s father recorded music as a rapper under the name Snatcha Da Boss. An uncle rapped too, as she told the interviewer Nardwuar in 2024.
So hip-hop was in the family before she picked up a microphone. Beyond that, Doechii has said little in public about her father, and his legal name has not been reliably reported.
Does Doechii Have Siblings?
Yes. Doechii has younger twin sisters. She has kept their names and lives private.
Their arrival changed her childhood. In a 2022 interview with Spin, she explained that her single mother became pregnant with twins unexpectedly. Doechii said she had to step up and take on a lot at a young age.
She also told Spin that her family keeps her grounded. When things get big, they remind her she’s from Tampa.
Where Did the Name Doechii Come From?
The name Doechii came to her in sixth grade, at the lowest point of her childhood. She was about 11.
She told The Cut that she was bullied badly at school and reached a very dark place. Then, she said, she felt a moment of peace, and with it came a new name and a decision to own who she was. The Hollywood Reporter summarized her account in February 2025.
Her first online name, Iamdoechii, comes straight from that moment.
It is worth being clear about what this was. The name was not a branding exercise. It was a child finding a way to keep going.
Where Did Doechii Grow Up?
Doechii was born and raised in Tampa, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. She calls herself the Swamp Princess, and Florida runs through her record titles.
Her interest in music began with a Christmas present. Her grandparents gave her a kit with a microphone, a stage outfit and a sing-along DVD, as she told The Face.
She tried nearly everything as a girl. Ballet, tap, acting, cheerleading, gymnastics and soccer all appear in her account to Rolling Stone.
She attended Howard W. Blake High School, a performing arts school in Tampa, and graduated in 2016. Her plan at the time was to become a professional choral singer. A friend talked her into putting her own songs online instead.
How Did Her Family Shape Her Career?
Three things from home show up in Doechii’s work: church training, a rapper’s household, and early responsibility.
The church gave her stagecraft. Her live shows are tightly choreographed, and she has traced that to years of marching band and gospel rehearsal.
The responsibility gave her independence. She released her first song, “Girls,” on SoundCloud in 2016, and paid for her 2020 debut EP herself. One of its songs, “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” spread on TikTok the following year.
In March 2022 she signed with Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records. She was the first female rapper on the Top Dawg roster.
Her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal came out in August 2024. In February 2025 it won the Grammy for Best Rap Album, which made her the third woman to win that award. A month later Billboard named her Woman of the Year.
What Is Doechii Doing Now?
Doechii won her second Grammy in 2026, Best Music Video for “Anxiety.” She toured in late 2025 under the name Live from the Swamp, and supported Kendrick Lamar and SZA on their stadium tour.
In 2026 she appeared in a Levi’s campaign that aired during the Super Bowl. Her song “Runway,” with Lady Gaga, was used in a trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2.
She is part of a wave of young women leading their genres, alongside artists such as Ayra Starr in Afrobeats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Doechii’s parents? Her mother is Celesia Moore, who raised her in Tampa. Her father is a rapper known as Snatcha Da Boss.
Does Doechii have siblings? Yes. She has younger twin sisters, whose names she keeps private.
What is Doechii’s real name? Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon.
Where is Doechii from? Tampa, Florida, where she was born on August 14, 1998.
How did Doechii get her name? She has said it came to her in sixth grade, during a period when she was being bullied.
Why is Doechii famous? She is a rapper and singer who won the 2025 Grammy for Best Rap Album and was Billboard’s Woman of the Year.
Sources
- Biography.com: Doechii
- Spin: Doechii interview (August 2022)
- The Hollywood Reporter: how Doechii found her stage name (February 2025)
- Wikipedia: Doechii, discography and awards
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