# Alligator Bites Never Heal
**Alligator Bites Never Heal** is the second mixtape by the American rapper Doechii, released on August 30, 2024 through [Top Dawg Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-dawg-entertainment) and [Capitol Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/capitol-records). The 19-track, 47-minute project won the [Grammy Award for Best Rap Album](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-award-for-best-rap-album) at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025, making Doechii the third woman to win that category, after Lauryn Hill and Cardi B.[1](https://www.capitolrecords.com/doechii-2) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/alligator-bites-never-heal-mr0006482811) • [3](https://www.grammy.com/awards/categories/best-rap-album/2025/) • [4](https://time.com/7210740/grammys-2025-recap/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Doechii (Jaylah Hickmon), a rapper and singer from Tampa, Florida, signed to Top Dawg Entertainment[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/alligator-bites-never-heal-mr0006482811) • [5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal/) |
| Release | August 30, 2024; Top Dawg Entertainment / Capitol Records[1](https://www.capitolrecords.com/doechii-2) |
| Format | Second mixtape and her first for TDE; 19 tracks, 47:04 total duration, no listed featured artists[1](https://www.capitolrecords.com/doechii-2) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/alligator-bites-never-heal-mr0006482811) |
| Grammy result | Best Rap Album winner at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards (2025); Doechii also nominated for Best New Artist, and "Nissan Altima" nominated for Best Rap Performance[3](https://www.grammy.com/awards/categories/best-rap-album/2025/) • [6](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/30cc1d5e-f87b-40be-a9a3-d3a096697a85/67th-GRAMMY-Program-Guide.pdf) |
| Streaming | Most-streamed album in Doechii's catalog on Spotify, reaching 1.8 billion streams by June 2026[7](https://chartmasters.org/album/doechii/alligator-bites-never-heal/?link_type=discography&pos=2&src_album=oh-the-places-youll-go&src_artist=doechii) |
| Year-end recognition | Named one of the Associated Press's top albums of 2024[8](https://apnews.com/article/cc1c5c3690daebf29601ca4392801c7b) |
## Background and release
Doechii built her catalog before the mixtape with the 2020 EP *Oh the Places You'll Go*, the viral hit "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake," her 2022 debut EP for TDE *she / her / black bitch*, and the 2023 [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) single "What It Is (Block Boy)," her first platinum-certified recording.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/alligator-bites-never-heal-mr0006482811) She signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, Kendrick Lamar's former label, and was named to the 2022 XXL Freshman Class.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal/)
**Rollout.** Capitol Records describes the mixtape as following weekly "Swamp Session" installments that paired eye-catching visuals with new bars ahead of the release.[9](https://shop.capitolmusic.com/products/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal-vinyl) The cover art shows Doechii with an albino alligator in her lap, a nod to her Floridian upbringing.[10](https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2025/02/03/doechii-tampa-best-rap-album) Physical formats followed after the initial digital release, including a vinyl edition pressed on albino white.[9](https://shop.capitolmusic.com/products/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal-vinyl)
## Music and themes
The mixtape runs 19 tracks with no listed featured artists, from the opening "STANKA POOH" to the closing title song.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/alligator-bites-never-heal-mr0006482811) Its title draws on the idea of surviving pain and fighting back against life's obstacles, like the survivor of a real alligator bite.[11](https://www.complex.com/music/a/eric-skelton/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal-liner-notes) The Associated Press compared the record's intensity to the alligator's "death roll," describing a versatile album that moves between the romance of her smooth R&B and the particularity of her flows.[8](https://apnews.com/article/cc1c5c3690daebf29601ca4392801c7b)
Several songs put Doechii's singing voice at the fore, including "Slide," "Beverly Hills," and the psychedelic folk-soul title track, while "Boom Bap" quotes the title of her own pop hit "What It Is (Block Boy)" nine times as she mocks those who expect her to conform.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/alligator-bites-never-heal-mr0006482811) "[Denial Is a River](https://www.edgepedia.org/denial-is-a-river)," a candid conversation with a therapist alter ego that ends in a rhythmic breathing exercise, was named a highlight by multiple critics.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal/) "Nissan Altima" and "Catfish" were singled out by the Associated Press as proof of her skill.[8](https://apnews.com/article/cc1c5c3690daebf29601ca4392801c7b)
In her Pitchfork review, critic Lily Goldberg called the mixtape Doechii's most ambitious and musically diverse release to date, "a formidable full-length debut, fluid yet focused," noting that it makes room for vulnerability while addressing label expectations and impostor syndrome.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal/)
## Reception and commercial performance
The mixtape was met with critical acclaim and appeared on year-end lists, including the Associated Press's top albums of 2024.[8](https://apnews.com/article/cc1c5c3690daebf29601ca4392801c7b) At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards it won Best Rap Album over nominees including [J. Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-cole), Common and [Pete Rock](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-rock), Eminem, and Future and [Metro Boomin](https://www.edgepedia.org/metro-boomin); Doechii accepted the award from Cardi B.[3](https://www.grammy.com/awards/categories/best-rap-album/2025/) • [12](https://apnews.com/article/37f0c8eadee2a7d15ac52d72fa673dfb) The win placed her alongside Lauryn Hill and Cardi B as the women who had taken the category to that point.[4](https://time.com/7210740/grammys-2025-recap/)
Commercially, the album became Doechii's most-streamed on Spotify, crossing 1.8 billion streams by June 2026, with "Nissan Altima" the most-streamed track at more than 290 million.[7](https://chartmasters.org/album/doechii/alligator-bites-never-heal/?link_type=discography&pos=2&src_album=oh-the-places-youll-go&src_artist=doechii) In the United Kingdom it reached number 40 on the Official Albums Chart in May 2025, number 1 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, and number 1 on the Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart.[13](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal/)
## Track listing
All tracks are performed by Doechii.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/alligator-bites-never-heal-mr0006482811)
1. "STANKA POOH" – 2:01
2. "BULLFROG" – 1:34
3. "BOILED PEANUTS" – 2:01
4. "DENIAL IS A RIVER" – 2:39
5. "CATFISH" – 2:14
6. "SKIPP" – 1:40
7. "HIDE N SEEK" – 2:29
8. "BLOOM" – 2:13
9. "WAIT" – 3:04
10. "DEATH ROLL" – 2:19
11. "PROFIT" – 1:35
12. "BOOM BAP" – 2:14
13. "NISSAN ALTIMA" – 2:08
14. "GTFO" – 2:40
15. "HUH!" – 2:16
16. "SLIDE" – 2:54
17. "FIREFLIES" – 4:25
18. "BEVERLY HILLS" – 3:38
19. "ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL" – 2:55
## References
1. [Capitol Records – Doechii](https://www.capitolrecords.com/doechii-2)
2. [AllMusic – Alligator Bites Never Heal release and review by Andy Kellman](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/alligator-bites-never-heal-mr0006482811)
3. [GRAMMY.com – Best Rap Album 2025 Winners & Nominees](https://www.grammy.com/awards/categories/best-rap-album/2025/)
4. [TIME – The Best, Worst, and Most Memorable Moments of the 2025 Grammys](https://time.com/7210740/grammys-2025-recap/)
5. [Pitchfork – Doechii: Alligator Bites Never Heal Album Review by Lily Goldberg](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal/)
6. [67th GRAMMY Program Guide](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/30cc1d5e-f87b-40be-a9a3-d3a096697a85/67th-GRAMMY-Program-Guide.pdf)
7. [ChartMasters – Alligator Bites Never Heal sales & streaming stats](https://chartmasters.org/album/doechii/alligator-bites-never-heal/?link_type=discography&pos=2&src_album=oh-the-places-youll-go&src_artist=doechii)
8. [AP News – AP's top albums of 2024](https://apnews.com/article/cc1c5c3690daebf29601ca4392801c7b)
9. [Capitol Store – Alligator Bites Never Heal Vinyl](https://shop.capitolmusic.com/products/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal-vinyl)
10. [Axios Tampa Bay – What to know about Doechii, Tampa's Grammy winner and Swamp Princess](https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2025/02/03/doechii-tampa-best-rap-album)
11. [Complex – Breaking Down Doechii's 'Alligator Bites Never Heal'](https://www.complex.com/music/a/eric-skelton/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal-liner-notes)
12. [AP News – The Latest: Beyoncé wins album of the year](https://apnews.com/article/37f0c8eadee2a7d15ac52d72fa673dfb)
13. [Official Charts – ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/doechii-alligator-bites-never-heal/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › EPs, mixtapes, and short-form releases › Hip-hop mixtapes*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license