Doechii is bringing it back to the Nineties. On Thursday, the rising rap star released a short trailer for the supposed Denial Is a River show, using the theme song from the beloved sitcom, Family Matters. Fans think the upcoming project might be a video for her single, “Denial is a River” — and while it’s unclear at this time, we’ll know exactly what it is on Jan. 2.
“Denial Is A River Show,” Doechii captioned on her Instagram post. “Premiering January 2nd 2025.”
The nostalgic clip opens with Doechii entering a full house as each of the show’s guests — from Zach Fox and Schoolboy Q to Rickey Thompson and Teezo Touchdown — are introduced like they would on the series staring Jaleel White (who plays Steve Urkel).
“Get your popcorn ready there’s a new sitcom in the house and it’s brought to you by real life! Lmaooo!!” wrote DJ Miss Milan, who also cameos in the short video. Baby Tate and SiR also make dramatic appearances in the feature. The trailer teases each of its characters smiling amid chaos: kitchen dancing, window-hopping, joint-smoking, and living room-brawling.
While it’s unclear if the teaser hints at an actual show or music video, Doechii directed fans to follow @DenialIsARiverShow on Instagram. The social media account bills the upcoming project as “starring @doechii and friends.”
“Denial Is a River” stands out as one of the favorites on Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal, which also included tracks “Catfish,” “Nissan Altima,” and “GTFO.” (She also connected with Issa Rae for a rendition of the song on Genius Open Mic last week.)
Doechii spoke to Rolling Stone for “The Breakdown” in October and shared that she was “really afraid of how raw and honest I was being in that record,” and that while many fans loved the track for its humor, “it actually is very, very dark.”
“This song is really just like people hearing how I am, the inner dialogue that I’m having with myself. Like, OK, maybe you should really unpack that,” she explained. “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.”