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Doechii’s latest artwork Alligator Bites Never Heal, due August 30, is much bigger than music; it’s a declaration of hard-earned resurrection. Letting the debris that surrounds her be inventive enough to rebuild, the project’s lead single “BOOM BAP” is thunderous and alive, journeying through her homecoming with lyrical mastery.

For the TDE princess, alligators not only symbolize her Florida upbringing, crediting growing up in the swamp for so much of her identity, but they also embody the predator archetype, the desire to fight back and reclaim her bite. This is surely a prominent theme throughout the forthcoming project and a throughline in every song we’ve gotten to hear thus far. She’s previewed the project’s leading tracks through her Swamp Sessions Series, setting an hour timer to write each song and meet what would be birthed from the other side.

“BOOM BAP” sets a powerful tone for the project. Over a chopped instrumental, she’s euphoric and unstoppably her, declaring “I’m everythiiiiiiiiing!” while attacking every norm and shrunken thought that’s tried to minimize her. Like a lotus blooming from the dirt, it’s the true grime that informs Alligator Bites Never Heal’s brilliance thus far.

Doechii opened up about the emotional turmoil it took to arrive where she artistically is today, noting, “The alligator performs a spinning maneuver known as the ‘death roll’ to submerge and dismember its prey underwater. This past year I’ve grappled with what felt like a relentless death roll in my life… A dance of drowning in my own vices, battling differences with my label and a creative numbness that broke me. The Swamp sessions have literally saved me. The support from fans and strangers has reminded me of my purpose as an artist. I've rediscovered my strength through hip hop and I’ve fallen in love with it all over again. This mixtape embodies my resurgence, my reclaiming of power. It’s a testament to my unyielding spirit and limitless creativity. In my research about alligator attacks, i found that a common thread in each survivor was that the main reason they survived is BECAUSE they fought back. This mixtape is my fight back. I am nobody’s prey; I was born to be the predator.”

With the project’s release set for this week, the scar of her reign will surely leave a lasting imprint far beyond female rap, but the genre entirely.

Watch the "BOOM BAP" Swamp Session below: