Concert Reviews

The Grammy-winning rapper brought slides, sex ed, and a no-filter confidence to her Boston show Sunday night.

By Emily Turner

October 20, 2025 | 9:14 AM

3 minutes to read

Doechii, with Kal Banx, at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Oct. 19, 2025.

Doechii didn’t just take the stage in Boston on Sunday night — she transformed it into a playground, complete with slides, a giant boombox, and unrelenting energy.

A giant boombox-record opened center stage to reveal DJ Miss Milan as its core. On either side were slides that Doechii sprinted up and slid down — or tried to — throughout the set, which lasted just over an hour. Two dancers occasionally joined her, but the spotlight was clearly for the Swamp Princess herself: Her high-energy choreography, from backbends to booty pops, captivated the crowd. 

The Florida-born rapper, born Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon, first adopted the name Doechii at 11 years old after being bullied. “Jaylah might’ve been getting bullied, but I decided Doechii wouldn’t stand for that sh—,” she told Vulture in 2022.

That same year she released her debut EP, “Oh The Places You’ll Go,” which includes her viral hit “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.” The breakout track helped launch her into the mainstream, and led to a joint deal with Capitol Records and Top Dawg Entertainment in 2022, making her the first female rapper to sign to the latter. 

Since then, Doechii’s momentum has skyrocketed. She won the 2025 Grammy for Best Rap Album for “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” earned Billboard’s Woman of the Year award, and was named Outstanding New Artist at the NAACP Image Awards. If you haven’t seen her Grammy performance or her Tiny Desk performance, consider it your homework for Doechii’s School of Hip-Hop. 

On stage in Boston, Doechii’s satirical edge sharpened her raw, unfiltered lyrics. Even when she explores darker themes, as in “Denial is a River,” she pairs them with unexpected sounds, which gave her performance a balance that felt both powerful and irresistibly sultry. 

She lit cigarettes during “Stressed” and “Death Roll,” turned the spotlight on the audience, and even brought fans on stage to join her “sex education” dance segment. A standout moment came during “Spookie Coochie,” where her rapid-fire cadence evoked influences from Eminem and Nicki Minaj. The audience vibed to the energetic “Catfish,” but the crowd’s loudest reaction came when she joked early in her set, “Boston, someone left their lights on outside — it’s a Nissan Altima,” before launching into one of her most electric performances of the night.

Though she skipped performing live the rhythmic hyperventilation from “Denial is a River,” Doechii made up for it with her no-filter flair, even checking in on fans just before launching into her scat-freestyle “Boombap.”

That blend of humor, grit, and stage awareness is what continues to set her apart. In a 2020 video, Doechii confessed to getting fired from her job that day and having “nothing to lose.” Five years later, the 27-year-old Grammy winner has plenty to her name — and she’s proven she hasn’t lost the raw hunger that got her here.  

Opener Kal Banx, on his first tour, celebrated his birthday in Boston. Doechii capped off the night by bringing him back on stage to sing him happy birthday and surprise him with a cake. 

Doechii continues her Live from the Swamp Tour with a stop at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Oct. 20.

Doechii setlist at MGM Music Hall Fenway, Oct. 19, 2025

• Stanka Pooh
• Bullfrog 
• Boiled Peanuts 
• Nissan Altima
• America Has A Problem (Beyoncé Cover)
• Extral (Jennie Cover) 
• Alter Ego (Doechii & Jt Song) 
• Persuasive 
• Slide 
• Spookie Coochie 
• Nosebleeds 
• Crazy 
• Anxiety
• Stressed 
• Death Roll
• Boom Bap
• Gtfo 
• Catfish
• Swamp Bitches
• Denial Is A River
• Balloon (Tyler, The Creator Cover)
• Wait

Emily Turner

Community deputy editor

Emily Turner is the community deputy editor for Boston.com, where she oversees reader engagement.

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