Doechii has clapped back at critics who commented on her appearance by introducing a new male alter ego named Ricardo. The rapper and singer unveiled the character in a recent Paper Magazine cover feature, following the release of her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal. While her Swamp Princess persona takes the spotlight in her music, Ricardo was born in response to the backlash over her looks.
“Last year, I started seeing comments from people who would say, ‘She looks like a man,’” Doechii shared. “Or, ‘She has on too much makeup. She looks like a drag queen.’ All these comments never bother me, because I just find it interesting. But I was like, ‘Since they keep saying I look like a man, I’m gonna f****** give them a man.’”
She went on to create Ricardo, a bisexual Panamanian man complete with an “eight-pack and mustache.” Doechii had always wanted to experiment with prosthetics and found the transformation into Ricardo exciting. “Literally, when I put on the prosthetics, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m attracted to myself right now. I wish I could f*** me,’” she said, adding humor to the experience.
Doechii, signed to Top Dog Entertainment, also spoke about the support she’s received from her labelmates as she developed her alter ego. She credited Schoolboy Q and SZA with giving her valuable advice throughout her creative journey. Doechii remembered a particular moment when she asked Schoolboy Q how he knows when an album is finished. “He told me, ‘You know your album is done when you have nothing left to say,’” she recalled. This wisdom guided her as she continued writing and pouring her heart into her work, striving for that feeling of completion.