Doechii Addresses Fan Allegations Of Being 'Industry Plant' During Women of the Year Speech

Doechii is making it known that she is not an industry plant.

The "Denial is a River" rapper appeared at the 2025 Billboard Women in Music Awards on March 29. While there, she accepted the award for their Woman of the Year. During Doechii's acceptance speech, she hit back at the allegations that she has been an industry plant.

"I want everybody to hear me clearly when I say that it is not a button - it is our brains. It is not a machine - it is our leadership. It is not a conspiracy - it is our vulnerability. And it is not an agenda - it is God."

Doechii's mention of buttons and machines comes after social media users had previously pointed to her Spotify Monthly listener count as evidence of her being an industry plant.

In a post to X, one use suggested that many of Doechii's listeners were bots and not actual fans.

"This has to be botted at least to a certain extent," they said.

Others agreed that she did use bots to increase her listener count and some even pointed to her recent success as evidence of her being an industry plant.

With the advent of streaming platforms, bots - software programmed to manipulate streaming figures - have become a tool for inflating listening statistics.

These bots can fabricate streams, creating the appearance of widespread popularity. This artificial boost in chart positions and playlist features can reinforce the perception of an artist as an industry plan - or an artist that has seemed to have gained success on their own but is actually backed by record labels or influential figures behind the scenes.

Doechii has risen to fame over the last year due to her 'Alligator Bites Never Heal' mixtape, which won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards. However, prior to her meteoric rise this year, Doechii had scored a viral hit with her song "What It Is." Recently, her song "Anxiety" has also gone viral on TikTok.

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Music, Billboard