"Denial Is A River" by Doechii // Song Review

Doechii's "Denial Is A River" is a sharply written story of her deeply personal struggles she has faced throughout her life, especially over the past few years. All while doing so, she also incorporates so much of her signature humor within it too. She is such a dynamic and captivating storyteller, one that is simultaneously very funny and clever, but also very real and honest.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Doechii opened up about the time in her life that inspired this song. "With 'Denial Is a River,' I felt some fear there because it's really me being extremely literal and vulnerable about my situation. It is a very vulnerable thing, especially as an artist," she said. "Just a little backstory, I went through a period where I was afraid to be vulnerable in my music, which is odd for me because that’s all I usually do. I was saying to my engineer, 'I don't want to talk about my feelings because right now all I feel is negativity. All I feel is sadness. I feel anger. I'm upset with everything and everybody. And my fans don't want to hear that.' But my engineer was like, 'It's not for them, it's for you. You need to talk about it.' So, it was very scary for me to be that vulnerable on 'Denial Is a River,' which is why I think that I made it funny; so that it could be a bit easier to process the darkness of that record."
It was released in summer of 2024 on her third mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, but started gaining more traction in early 2025. She also won her first Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2025, making her only the third female artist in history to win that award, following in the footsteps of Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. I recently discovered her music and have been obsessed with it ever since. When I first saw her NPR Tiny Desk performance, I was just so blown away by her insane skill and the precision of which she performs. Everyone involved is so immensely talented. She also blew me away during her 2025 Grammy's performance of this song and "Catfish", along with the string of other late-night performances she's done recently. Doechii is truly a legend in the making and has such a bright career ahead of her.
"Denial Is A River" is written from such a cool perspective, almost as if she's breaking the fourth wall to the listener and fully dictating her inner dialogue to the audience. She raps about moving from Florida to Hollywood and getting wrapped up in the allure of it all, getting thrust into some bad situations. Doechii opens up about everything from her drug addiction to her relationship troubles. It really dives into the story of her life for the past five years or so.
It is also very conversational as well. The song's title is in reference to an old Wendy Williams quote from her radio show, "Denial is a river in Egypt and your husband is gay". Funny enough that is also a storyline in Doechii's song too, as she details the story of her boyfriend cheating on her with another man. The opening of the song is almost as if she is telling the story on a radio show too, with the host saying, "You know it's been a lil' minute since you and I have had a chat...Probably since, like, your last EP, Oh the Places You'll Go". The song was also inspired by "A Children's Story" by Slick Rick too, she told Rolling Stone that "...this is an inner dialogue that I’m having with the voices in my head. It just seems like I'm less crazy because I do it with a funny voice."
"Denial Is A River" is one of the most popular songs from Alligator Bites Never Heal, it keeps gaining more momentum every week on the charts and on social media. It's funny how that works because the song comes from a place of being frustrated with record labels wanting her to make music that will go viral and do well on TikTok. It's really refreshing to see a song gain so much popularity that pushes back against the trends and make something with the opposite intention.
Issa Rae also makes a spoken-word cameo throughout the song too, serving as a voice of reason, like a friend or a therapist trying to talk her down from this spiral she's having. The music video similarly brings all of these emotions to life, as the perfect ode to classic 90's sitcoms with Doechii herself as the main character of it all. The song itself has a very throwback feel to it as well, which they translated so well into a visual format.
By the end of the second verse into the third, she opens up about what 2023 was like for her. "I'm stackin' lots of cheese and makin' money, my grass is really green, and honestly, I can't even fucking cap no more, this is a really dark time for me". Doechii goes on to talk about her addiction and getting wrapped up in a dangerous Hollywood lifestyle, which provided her with short-term pleasure, but was starting to have a negative impact on her mental health. "I like doin' Hollywood shit, snort it? Probably would," she sings, "What can I say? The shit works, it feels good and my self-worth's at an all-time low". She opened up about her sobriety in her acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammy's, when she won the award for Best Rap Album. "I put my heart and my soul into this mixtape," she said through tears. "I bared my life. I went through so much. I dedicated myself to sobriety and God told me that I would be rewarded and that He would show me just how good it can get."
"Denial Is A River" is also officially Doechii's first solo Hot 100 entry on the Billboard charts. On Twitter in January 2025 she wrote, "My first solo entry is a satire about one of the lowest points in my life and has no hook. A message to smaller artists: Create whatever art you want there's really no rules."
Thanks for reading! Check out more from my song of the week series here. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
Photo Credit: Doechii, TDE
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