“Denial Is a River,” a song off one of the best albums of 2024, has (kind of) been show-ified.
Thursday, after days of teasing, 2025 Grammys Best New Artist nominee Doechii has given fans the full experience. In the run-up to the new video’s launch, Doechii shared a sitcom-style clip introducing a cast that included Schoolboy Q, Zack Fox, Teezo Touchdown, and more. Earl Sweatshirt, meanwhile, was credited as “Brad Pitt,” which, of course, is a reference to an old Loiter Squad clip.
“It wasn’t easy convincing Brad Pitt to play Earl Sweatshirt but the princess gon’ get it done,” Doechii joked when sharing a teaser trailer for her new video.
Experience "Denial Is a River" in full above. The video expands on the promise of the teasers, with Fox cast as the “old dude from 2019” mentioned in the track’s first verse. Credited as directors of the video are Carlos Acosta and James Mackel.
The track appears on Alligator Bites Never Heal, which came in at No. 4 on Complex’s recent ranking of the year's best albums. “Nissan Altima,” another track off the album, also landed high in Complex’s rundown of the year’s best songs, as seen here.
Alligator Bites Never Heal is up for Best Rap Album at next month’s Grammys, where Doechii also stands to take home the award for Best New Artist. Joining the Top Dawg and Capitol artists in that category are Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Khruangbin, Raye, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, and Teddy Swims.
But first, Doechii has asked fans to join her for a special livestream on Thursday. See details below.
