Yucky Blucky Fruitcake

Album: Oh the Places You'll Go (2020)
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Songfacts®:

  • The song title, which doesn't show up in the lyrics, comes from the 1995 children's book Junie B. Jones And The Yucky Blucky Fruitcake by Barbara Park. Junie B. Jones in the book series is a precocious little girl who is disarmingly honest and always getting into some kind of mishap. In this particular book she wins a fruitcake at a carnival and is not happy about it.

    Doechii titled the song after the book because she could relate to Junie, whose energy and attitude align with the lyrics, which dial on Doechii's upbringing and ambition.
  • "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" is autobiographical, explaining how her family grew up poor (her family was on food stamps) and how she stood out with bold fashion choices and rambunctious behavior.

    This confessional style was a pivot for Doechii, who came up with the song after reading a book called The Artist's Way.

    "It really inspired me to get extremely honest in my music," she told Rolling Stone. "I was never very personal. I made songs that I thought other people would enjoy and I avoided talking about myself or my experiences growing up because I didn't really think it mattered. I didn't think anybody would really care or relate, but after reading that book, I just felt extremely inspired to be really, really honest in my music. That's kind of become the whole core of my artistry. I have a belief that I am a mirror to people. I want to be able to be brave enough and trust God enough to say what it is that most people are afraid to say."
  • "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" is the song that blew up for Doechii, who started posting music on Soundcloud in 2016. She had a modest online following when she put out "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" in September 2020 but gained many new fans when the influential TikTokker @theesudani posted a video using the song in March 2021. The hashtag #yuckybluckyfruitcake showed up over 3 million times on the platform as users made videos showing their dramatic physical transformations. Then Spotify got on board, putting the song on their Internet People playlist, then the more coveted Rap Caviar. The song soon earned well over 10 million streams and Doechii was the next big thing. The labels came calling, and she chose Top Dawg Entertainment, which was willing to give her lots of creative control. She was the first female rapper on the roster, joining their star attraction Kendrick Lamar.
  • Doechii included the song on her EP Oh the Places You'll Go, which is also named after a children's book, this one by Dr. Seuss. The title track also deals with her upbringing.
  • The song is framed as a conversation between Doechii and a teacher who gives her the floor by saying, "Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?"

    Doechii often portrays various characters in her songs, assuming different voices and flows to do so.
  • Doechii released a popular video for this song directed by Kevin Jacques that's set in a classroom but changes scenes as she changes flows.

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