Doechii has officially dropped her freestyle over Beyoncé’s “America Has a Problem,” with some fans even giving her the one-up over Kendrick Lamar’s recent verse on the same beat.
After previewing the minute-and-a-half rap in early March, the Top Dawg Entertainment artist put the track out as a YouTube single on Tuesday (June 13). Less than a month ago, Lamar hopped on a remix of the RENAISSANCE hit, adding an extra layer to the surprise release that turned it into more than a dance number.
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Whereas the K-Dot version is complete with Queen Bey’s vocals and spans over four minutes, Doechii’s cut is cropped to only feature her verse.
Placed side-by-side, the current and former TDE stars’ verses are being debated online. Listen to the song’s latest rendition below and see for yourself if it matches up to the Compton MC’s bars.
Under Doechii’s Instagram post announcing the official release of the song on YouTube, one fan commented: “To WASH Kendrick Lamar is no easy feat…. ‘Yall better come get y’all one of these'”
Another user said the track is reminiscent of a common practice used by MCs to establish themselves: “I love this!!!! reminds me when Nicki hopped on Sweet dreams not the verses just the culture of rap and hopping on any beat [three flame emojis] [hands up emoji].”
Given the comparisons to Nicki Minaj, the closing lines of the freestyle stand out in particular: “I hear a lot of rappers, I don’t hear a lot of bars/ I see a lot of plastic, I don’t see a lot of barbz.”
Barbz is what Minaj’s devout fanbase identifies as, much like Beyoncé’s BeyHive. The above line could be a reference to how aesthetics are emphasized in the entertainment space rather than rap and artistry, but this is open to speculation.
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Similarly, the jury is out on whether or not the 2022 HipHopDX Rising Star‘s verse trumps Kendrick’s. One thing, however, is for certain: the “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” spitter has far more to prove considering she’s only been active as a musician since 2015.
As for Lamar, he released his first album in five years in 2022, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, earning him the Grammy for best rap album. “The Heart Part 5” also aided Lamar in securing rap performance and rap song accolades over entries from fellow nominees DJ Khaled (“GOD DID”), Future (“Wait for U”), Gunna (“Pushin P”), and Jack Harlow (“Churchill Downs”).
