Persuasive (with SZA)

"Persuasive" is pretty clearly a song about marijuana, as Doechii doesn't even bother to hide behind a euphemism: She's so persuasive, that marijuana This bucks a long tradition of songs about pot that call it something else. For example: "Sweet Leaf" (Black Sabbath) "Pass That Dutch" (Missy Elliott) "Mary Jane" (Rick James)

Doechii did follow the protocol of assigning a different meaning to the song when asked about it, making it more likely to find a wider audience and show up on playlists. She said she created the song "to uplift people and bring communities together," and said it was inspired by LGBTQ+ community. "I wanted something that sonically represented the feelings that I feel when I'm around my friends and people who understand me and accept me as a gay woman," she told MTV. "At first I didn't like it because it's not deep. Like, I've got to say something that means something. But then I realized that it does mean something." "The song is for the rave, gay, Black kid who likes to go to rooftop parties at 3 a.m.," she added. "It's slumber party music but it's also rooftop music. It's just something that brings people together."

"Persuasive" was the first song Doechii released after signing with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2022. She got the record deal after making a huge impact with songs she posted on Soundcloud and YouTube, particularly "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake," which went viral in 2020 thanks to a TikTik trend. Doechii was a good signing for the label; "Persuasive" and the next single, "Crazy," both earned millions of streams, and in 2023 she had a big hit with "What It Is (Block Boy)."