Doechii gives her hometown, Tampa, a huge shoutout when accepting rap album Grammy

Doechii makes no secret of her recipe for success. Hard work. Her heart and soul. Family. Sobriety.

And Tampa. Tampa?

True. As she accepted her Grammy Award for best rap album on Sunday, the Blake High School alum bragged on her hometown, where a decade ago her voice sparkled at the performing arts magnet school.

“I call myself the swamp princess ’cause I’m from Tampa, FLOR-I-DAH! There’s so much culture in Tampa,” a weeping Doechii told the national television audience. “Whenever people think about Florida, they only think about Miami. But Tampa has so much talent. Labels, go to Tampa. There’s so much talent there.”

Tampa has noticed her, too. The Hillsborough County School District posted a congratulations on social media. Yet, for some reason she felt reason to tell the Grammy crowd, “There’s so many people out there that probably don’t know who I am.”

For those just catching up:

“Swamp princess” is a long way from when Jaylah Hickmon decided in the sixth grade to become Doechii, then set her sights on Blake to train as a professional choral singer. A friend encouraged her to produce and release her music online, and her “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” became a hit on TikTok in 2020.

Now, her Grammy for 2024’s “Alligator Bites Never Heal” caps an astounding few years for the 26-year-old, who mixes R&B, hip-hop, jazz, boundary-pushing sounds and samples, and adds theatricality.

She becomes only the third woman to win in the best rap album category since it was started in 1989, along with Lauren Hill and Cardi B, who presented the award. At her side was her mother, Celesia Moore, whom Doechii credited with coaching her during those Tampa days.

And then, she shared even more inspiration.

“I know that there's some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there, that are watching me right now, and I want to tell you: You can do it. Anything is possible. Anything is possible,” she said.

"Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, that tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark, or that you’re not smart enough, or that you’re too dramatic, or you’re too loud. You are exactly who you need to be to be right where you are, and I am a testimony right now.”

LISTEN: Doechii performs on NPR's "Tiny Desk" in December (warning: graphic language)

“Alligator Bites Never Heal,″ Doechii’s third mix tape, went to No. 33 on the Billboard 200, No. 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart and No. 8 on the Top Rap Album chart.

She also dazzled the Grammy audience with performances of singles from the album, “Catfish” and “Denial Is a River,” backed by over a dozen dancers in matching Thom Browne suits as she eventually bared down to a white two-piece set.

Doechii has made no secret about her past issues with substance misuse but eventually found the strength to quit alcohol, tobacco and even caffeine and found herself “high on life.” On Sunday night, she felt it important to include that life change in her reasons for success.

“I put my heart and my soul into this mix tape,” she said. “I bared my life. I went through so much. I dedicated myself to sobriety, and God told me that I would be rewarded and he would show my just how good it would get.”

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.