Under pulsing blue lights and a wall of sub-bass, Doechii recently emerged from inside a two-story-tall boombox at The Anthem, seated at an old-school combination desk-and-chair — the kind found in every middle-school classroom. As the crowd roared, the motorized desk rolled forward from the boombox’s open door until it reached center stage, revealing the artist in a gray pinstriped pantsuit with a gold cone-cup bustier beneath the jacket — a look made famous by Madonna.
The Tampa-born rapper and self-styled “Swamp Princess” immediately transformed The Anthem into her own hip-hop dreamscape, blurring performance art, satire, and swagger before delivering her first verse on Oct. 21. Midway through the opener, “STANKA POOH,” she climbed onto the desk and, punctuating the lyric “Talkin’ out my ass and that’s my assumption, but that’s my conjunction. I’m runnin’ back to you like a fat kid at luncheon, please,” she turned and thrust her backside toward the audience — a moment equal parts provocation and humor that set the tone for the night: unfiltered, theatrical, and completely in control.
Stream Alligator Bites Never Heal (Extended) by Doechii on Spotify:
Without pause, Doechii slammed straight into “BULLFROG,” which cleverly interpolates Wu-Tang Clan’s “CREAM.” The track hit like a shot of adrenaline — heavy low end, crisp hi-hats, and Doechii gliding across the stage as blue shifted to blood-red. Those first two songs, the only ones open to photographers, were a feast of motion and expression: rapid changes in light, kinetic choreography, and a performer radiating total command. Backed only by her DJ and recorded tracks, she filled the cavernous venue with personality and precision.
From there the show unfolded like a tightly edited mixtape. “Boiled Peanuts” and “Nissan Altima” kept the southern swagger high before she dropped into a freestyle over Beyoncé’s “America Has a Problem.” Her DJ cut the beat mid-bar, and Doechii rode the silence, delivering a cappella lines that drew audible gasps. The crowd — a mix of die-hard fans and curious newcomers — was locked in.
Mid-set, she leaned into pop and club textures. “Booty Drop” sent the floor into motion, while “ExtraL,” borrowing from BLACKPINK’s Jennie, paired icy beats with razor choreography. “Alter Ego,” her duet with JT, appeared in solo form here, Doechii rapping both parts and playfully gesturing to the pre-recorded vocal track as if trading bars with herself. The flow remained relentless through “Persuasive,” which folded in nods to Beyoncé’s “Blow” and Charli XCX’s “360” — one of the night’s highlights and a masterclass in genre fusion.
The visual production matched her ambition. The towering boombox remained a central prop, its speaker cones pulsing with synchronized light. “Slide” washed the room in cool violet; “Spookie Coochie,” with its wink to Nas’s “Oochie Wally,” exploded in orange and red. Even without a live band, the show never felt thin. Doechii’s DJ handled transitions with tight crossfades, and every drop landed on cue.
In the middle third of the set, she balanced intensity with introspection. “Nosebleeds” and “Crazy” offered flashes of vulnerability amid chaos, and the rock-driven “Anxiety” turned the stage into a head-banger’s playground. Doechii darted from one end to the other, hair flying, voice unwavering. The sequence of “Stressed,” “Death Roll,” and “Boom Bap” delivered pure hip-hop muscle — each track punctuated by crisp lighting cues that matched her vocal phrasing. “GTFO,” built around Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck,” detonated like a call-to-arms; by “Catfish” and “Swamp Bitches,” the entire audience was shouting along.
As the set slowed, Doechii shifted gears beautifully. “Denial Is a River” brought out her melodic side, her voice floating above sparse keys. A tender cover of Tyler, The Creator’s “Balloon” followed, then “WAIT,” re-imagining Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” as a smooth, sultry closer. For the encore, she returned to the desk for a jubilant “Nissan Altima (Reprise),” sending the crowd home dancing.
Watch official music video for “Denial Is a River” by Doechii on YouTube:
Performing without a live band puts enormous pressure on an artist, but Doechii turned that limitation into focus. Every movement, lighting change, and camera cue was deliberate. Her DJ operated more like a co-pilot than a background fixture, triggering drops and scratching transitions that kept the momentum seamless. The result was a set that felt cinematic — choreographed to the second yet pulsing with spontaneity.
By the end, the message was clear: Doechii doesn’t just rap or sing — she curates an experience. Live From the Swamp is part hip-hop theater, part club ritual, part confessional. At The Anthem, she proved that charisma and concept can eclipse even the biggest backing band.
She didn’t just perform in Washington DC — she owned the night and rewrote the rules of the modern hip-hop stage.
Setlist:
STANKA POOH
BULLFROG (Interpolated “C.R.E.A.M.” by Wu-Tang Clan)
BOILED PEANUTS
NISSAN ALTIMA
AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM (Beyoncé cover) (Freestyle)
Booty Drop
ExtraL (JENNIE cover)
Alter Ego (Doechii & JT song)
Persuasive (Interpolated “Blow” by Beyoncé & “360” by Charli xcx)
SLIDE
Spookie Coochie (Interpolated “Oochie Wally” by Nas & Bravehearts)
Nosebleeds
Crazy
Anxiety (Rock instrumental)
Stressed
DEATH ROLL
BOOM BAP
GTFO (Interpolated “Knuck If You Buck” by Crime Mob)
CATFISH
Swamp Bitches
DENIAL IS A RIVER
Balloon (Tyler, The Creator cover)
WAIT (Interpolated “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson)
Encore:
NISSAN ALTIMA (Reprise)
Enjoy some additional photos from Doechii’s Oct. 21, 2025 performance at The Anthem in Washington DC. All Photos are copyrighted and courtesy of Ari Strauss.
