Doechii Surprises Fans By Unveiling Her New Male Alter Ego Richardo

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2024 Governors Ball Music Festival - Day 2
Doechii at the 2024 Governors Ball held at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on June 8, 2024 in Queens, New York. (Photo by Nina Westervelt/Billboard via Getty Images)
She loves to play different characters.

Doechii is a true hip hop original. She's been putting music out for years, but her latest release has proven to be her breakthrough. Fans can't seem to get enough of Alligator Bites Never Heal, and the attention Doechii has gotten has been well deserved. Instead of adhering to a traditional "star" mold, though, the rapper has remained as eccentric as ever. Case in point, the cover of Paper Magazine, in which Doechii can be seen rocking an afro, mustache, and fake abs. Meet Richardo.

Richardo is an alter ego of Doechii's. The rapper talked about the origins of the character, and how it's helped her communicate her art. She told Paper Magazine that she invented Richardo as a response to the negative things people would say about her appearance. "I started seeing comments from people who would say, 'She looks like a man,'" Doechii recalled. "I was like, Since they keep saying I look like a man, I'm gonna f*cking give them a man. An eight-pack, mustache man." The rapper said that she had lots of fun creating the character, and providing him with a backstory. "He's from Panama, he's bisexual," Doechii asserted. "We came up with Ricardo."

Doechii Uses Personas To Express Her Truest Self

The rapper has always been fascinated by personas and alter egos. She described herself as a "theater kid" who used different characters to better understand her own feelings. "I want to make sure I can really give different characters," Doechii asserted. "I think that's so important in telling stories." She also joked about Richardo's appearance. The rapper told Paper Magazine that the makeup turned out even better than she anticipated. "Literally, when I put on the prosthetics," she recalled. "I was like, 'Oh my god."

Richardo may get most of the outward attention, being on the cover and all. That said, Doechii goes into detail about the ways in which she herself possesses different personas. "I’m alternative, kind of nerdy, super sexy," she listed off. "Kind of awkward, conscious, but also I’m twerking and a*s-shaking." It's the same unpredictable blend that made her TDE debut such a critical success. Doechii admits she doesn't know where her music is headed. However, that's part of what keeps her excited about the creative process.

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About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.
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