Boom Bap

Album: Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In "Boom Bap," Doechii is satirizing the narrative of what a "real" female rapper should sound like. That's why she opens the song with some mocking nonsense:

    Boom bap
    Rap, rap, rappity-rap-rap


    It gets even more outlandish later in the track:

    Boom pat-kack-kack
    Boom cat in the hat


    "I was making fun of 'real rap,'" she said on the Dissect Podcast. "That's what you all want me to sound like. This is what you want me to do. I can't be sensual, I can't be sexy. You want me to be hard, you want me to be in some baggy pants."

    "It's like I'm mocking somebody but I'm also freely expressing myself in this this creative way," she added. "I'm speaking in tongues and I'm anointing the track, I'm anointing my life. I'm saying all these things and it feels freeing because I love rapping, but then I'm also singing."
  • Doechii had a breakout hit in 2023 with "What It Is (Block Boy)," a very catchy song where she sings very melodically. She deploys a variety of vocal styles in her songs but is primarily a rapper, so when that song took off, she came under pressure to make more like it. This led to discussions about her rap style, which didn't sit well with her and led to this song.

    She's in a position to challenge her record label, Top Dawg Entertainment, because they promised her creative freedom when they signed her. Doechii was in the driver's seat after her indie release "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" went viral in 2021, and she chose Top Dawg from a lineup of suitors.
  • Boom Bap is a style of rap that recalls '80s hip-hop that was more minimalist and sample-based because producers had a limited number of tracks to work with on their tape machines before the digital age. On one level, the song is an homage to that style, which Doechii grew up listening to.
  • When Doechii screams, "Im everything!" she's answering commentators who try to assign her a genre. She bounces not only between singing and rap, but also among musical styles like trap, R&B and house music.
  • When she raps what sounds like, "Muggsy Be-Doe for this s--t," Doechii is referencing the former basketball player Muggsy Bogues, but she didn't know how to pronounce his name - she learned about him the day she recorded the song. At 5'3", Bogues was the shortest player in the NBA but he was very effective and had a long, successful career that lasted 14 seasons. He represents the underdog.
  • Doechii wrote this song with Darhyl Camper and Dixson (Darius Scott), with Camper producing. Camper also has credits on track for Doja Cat, Brandy and Jessie J. Dixson is a singer who has also written songs for Kehlani and Beyoncé.
  • Boom Bap is part of Doechii's third album (you can call it a mixtape if you want to), Alligator Bites Never Heal. She's holding an albino alligator on the cover, a symbol of her Florida roots and her nickname "Swamp Princess."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Martin Page

Martin PageSongwriter Interviews

With Bernie Taupin, Martin co-wrote the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." After writing the Pretty Woman song for Go West, he had his own hit with "In the House of Stone and Light."

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.