Doechii breaks the fourth wall in retro "Denial Is A River" video

We’re only on day two, but Doechii is already having a great year. The “Nissan Altima” rapper just released the video for “Denial Is A River,” an extremely fun clip that parodies Family Matters and other sitcoms of eras past, with a few famous guest stars in Zack Fox, Teezo Touchdown, and more. 

The song, which sees the Tampa-based rapper engage in an equally funny and earnest conversation with herself about how she’s been doing over the past couple years, is a perfect fit for this format. Doechii moves through a number of increasingly modern sets as she recaps each phase of her career, before eventually blowing up the whole lot at the end of the clip. The video also utilizes a credits/audio sync that’s sure to make the editors at A24 and Neon drool.

Doechii initially teased the video through a few more fleshed out sitcom parodies (and even a telenovela nod) including stars like ScHoolboy Q that didn’t even make it into the final cut of the video. It’s touches like this that cemented her place as 2024’s rap rookie of the year, as Kiana Fitzgerald dubbed her in an essay for The A.V. Club. “She’s resurrecting a feeling that hasn’t been felt in years, an earned confidence that’s backed up by hard work and ingenuity,” Fitzgerald wrote. “Not only that, she’s exceptionally focused on bringing the connectivity of Blackness and meaningful, communal messaging back into hip-hop.” Her latest album, Alligator Bites Never Heal (which includes “Denial Is A River”) was also one of our favorites of 2024.