Doechii’s ‘What It Is’ Was Originally Intended for Normani, According to Songwriter

Doechii’s 2023 breakout hit “What It Is (Block Boy)” was originally intended to land on Normani‘s debut album according to songwriter Bianca “Blush” Atterberry.

Atterberry explained over the weekend in a TikTok video how she was commissioned by RCA Records to write tracks for Normani and what led to “What It Is” eventually landing with Doechii.

“This record ‘What It Is’ was intended for Normani. Me, J White [Did It], Verse Simmons and Fresh locked in. Label set it up — they wanted records for Normani,” she said. “We all got together in the studio. We were locked in for like three days and we got about six songs and ‘What It Is’ was one of them.”

Once the song was finished, Atterberry knew they had a hit on their hands. “We immediately knew,” she stated of the track’s potential. “We were like, ‘This is a smash. This is one of them ones.’ You just be knowing.”

They played it for RCA Records and Normani, but she didn’t think “it was something that fit her vision” at the time. “Which is normal. It happens all the time,” she added. “Sometimes that’s just how this works… It’s not odd. It’s very normal.”

After holding onto the track for a couple of years and disregarding a few other artists who attempted to cut the record, Doechii entered the fold. “We heard it and absolutely loved it. We were like, ‘She’s out of here. She’s a star.’ Always been a star.”

Atterberry made sure to defend Normani’s decision to pass on the track. “We uplift over here,” Blush concluded.

“What It Is (Block Boy)” arrived in March 2023 with a version featuring an assist from Kodak Black. The J White Did It and Brian Kennedy-produced track served as the TDE rapper’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry, which hit the top 40 and peaked at No. 29.

Normani’s much-delayed debut album, Dopamine, was released in June 2024 and landed at No. 91 on the Billboard 200.

Watch the full oral history of “What It Is” from Blush’s perspective below.

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