TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa received a huge shout out at the Grammy’s Sunday night when rapper Doechii won “Best Rap Album.”
During her acceptance speech, Doechii raved about her hometown, Tampa, and how much talent is here. Celebrating right along with her on her big win, her alma mater, Blake High School.
“A must watch, and rewatch,” a “Grammy’s performance to remember,” “an unforgettable performance” — those are just a few of the raving reviews after Doechii’s performance at the Grammy’s on Sunday night.
“I call myself the swamp princess because I’m from Tampa, Florida. There’s so much culture in Tampa, whenever people think about Florida, they only think about Miami, but Tampa has so much talent,” Doechii said in her acceptance speech.
The now Grammy award-winning artist hasn’t forgotten where she came from, and here in Tampa, the “Swamp Princess” is remembered by her former teacher simply as Jaylah. Carmen Griffin taught Jaylah Hickmon, now Doechii, in her Music Theory class, and still remembers her first school performance.
“We got to the concert and she working the stage, back and forth, the mic to the crowd, all that stuff, and I’m like, 'Wait a minute, where’d that shy girl go?' So it was always in her, she just needed that coaxing if you will. Sometimes we’re able to see things in kids that they don’t see in themselves,” Griffin said.
Blake High School is a Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School, so it sees a lot of talented students. Doechii still visits every time she is in town, and at her last visit she met one of her biggest fans, Sherri Richburg.
“I love her, I really do, she’s such an inspiration, all the things she’s doing,” Richburg said.
Richburg watched the Grammy’s on Sunday night and says after meeting Doechii, she felt a special connection, especially after she said this in her speech: “I know that there is some Black girl out there, so many Black women that are watching right now, and I want to tell you, you can do it, anything is possible, anything is possible.”
Richburg added, “Just knowing that I’m under the people who taught her is like such a big encouragement for me, and knowing that I can do that, and she’s always speaking about every time she wins an award she says there’s some Black girl out there watching and it’s me."
Griffin said Doechii is a great role model for her students today, and she couldn’t be more proud.
“The way that she’s able to unapologetically be herself has just been really cool, and I think some of the young people see that, and they’re finding their stride in like manner.”
And while Doechii may be Blake’s first grammy winner, "Miss G" truly believes she won’t be the last.