Kendrick Lamar may be the favorite for Hip Hop’s MVP of 2024 following his rap battle victory over Drake, but he believes another rapper is worthy of recognition. On October 17, in a rare social media post, Kendrick praised Doechii as the “hardest” rapper out right now.
Alongside the artwork for her mixtape *Alligator Bites Never Heal*, Kendrick wrote on his Instagram Stories: “the hardest out [alligator emoji].” Doechii expressed her gratitude by replying, “Thank you Dot. You the greatest,” adding, “Getting your flowers while you can still smell them >>>.”
The praise follows Doechii’s appearance in a new CashApp commercial produced by Kendrick’s company pgLang, showing his continued ties to Top Dawg Entertainment.
In a recent interview on *The Joe Budden Podcast*, Doechii mentioned her desire to collaborate with Kendrick but said she doesn’t feel ready for it just yet. She explained that while she hopes to ask for a feature in the future, she doesn’t believe she has the right track for him at the moment. Joe Budden and the co-hosts were impressed by her humility.
Doechii’s mixtape *Alligator Bites Never Heal* has received praise from fellow TDE artist ScHoolboy Q and even comparisons to Kendrick’s breakout 2011 mixtape *Section.80* by TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, who called it “timeless classic music.”
