Released 30 December as the final entry in Doechii’s Swamp Sessions series, “girl, get up.” wastes no time getting straight to the point.
Jay Versace’s production borrows the rhythm and bounce from Birdman and Clipse’s “What Happened to That Boy,” but it’s been stripped back, leaving only the essential elements.
Those instantly recognisable Neptunes drums hit with that same head-nodding groove, but the arrangement feels deliberately spacious, almost druggy in its restraint.
The beat sits somewhere between meditation tape and confrontation anthem. Synths drift in and out with a woozy, hypnotic quality whilst the percussion keeps everything locked in place. It’s not trying to do too much.
The production breathes, creating room for Doechii to actually say what she needs to say rather than just ride the beat.
SZA handles the chorus with that trademark breathy delivery: “I be in the back, levitating / Doing meditation, leave me, girl, get up.”
She sounds completely unbothered, already transcended, already above whatever drama is playing out in the verses.
The “girl, get up” refrain works as both mantra and dismissal. It’s the kind of thing you’d say to yourself in the mirror before walking into a room full of people who’ve been talking about you.
Doechii opens the track painting a picture: “Sippin’ my kombucha on a rooftop / Smokin’ blue dream on my karma sutra.”
She’s setting the scene before she tears into the real subject at hand. By the second verse, the gloves are off. “All that industry plant shit whack / I see it on the blogs, I see you in the chats,” she raps, directly addressing the tired accusations that have followed her rise.
Then comes the line that cuts deepest: “But what’s the agenda when the it girl Black?” It’s a question that exposes the real discomfort people have with her success.
When the face of the moment is a dark-skinned woman who refuses to play by the usual rules, suddenly everyone becomes a forensic accountant of authenticity.
Doechii isn’t interested in defending herself. She’s pointing out that the scrutiny itself is the problem.
She continues dismantling the double standards: “They calling me the intellect amongst the pussy rap / I still be popping pussy, them my sisters, so I can’t agree with that.”
The bars refuse the false choice between being sexually explicit and being smart. Doechii can do both. The idea that she has to pick one diminishes not just her but every woman rapper who’s ever faced the same reductive framing.
Later, she promises to address the misogyny properly on her album (“These niggas misogynistic, I’ll address it on the album”), but for now she’s focusing on the immediate: “Y’all can’t fathom that I work this hard / Y’all can’t stand my vibe ’cause I’m anointed.”
The confidence isn’t bravado. It’s earned. As she notes elsewhere in the track, “I did eight years of failing plus a lot of cold winters.” This didn’t happen overnight, no matter what the blogs want to claim.
The track works because Doechii and SZA understand the assignment. This is their second collaboration after 2022’s “Persuasive,” and the chemistry has matured.
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Where that earlier track was flirtatious and playful, “girl, get up.” feels more purposeful. SZA provides the zen framework whilst Doechii handles the specifics. Neither artist oversells their part. The restraint is what makes it land.
What’s most striking about the song is its timing. Doechii ends 2025 with five Grammy nominations for “Anxiety,” including Record and Song of the Year. She’s won a Grammy already for Best Rap Album.
She performed at Glastonbury. She’s done two North American tours. The industry plant accusations are not just wrong, they’re absurd. But the internet isn’t always interested in facts when a narrative is juicier.
“girl, get up.” functions as a line in the sand before the album campaign properly begins. She mentions the project is already finished (“The album six months old, it need a fuckin’ babysitter”), which suggests this is less a lead single and more a clearing of the decks.
Get all the noise out of the way now so the actual work can speak for itself.
The video, directed by James Mackel, keeps things minimal. Doechii on a yacht, Doechii on a stadium rooftop.
The visuals prioritise her presence over concept. It’s fitting for a track that’s fundamentally about being seen on her own terms.
At just over three minutes, “girl, get up.” doesn’t overstay its welcome. It makes its point and exits. The production’s minimalism ensures the focus stays on Doechii’s verses and SZA’s chorus.
There’s nothing extraneous here, no moment that feels like filler. It’s a confident record from two artists who have nothing left to prove but are going to tell you about themselves anyway.