Miami’s Fillmore Theater erupted in chaos Thursday night when legendary singer Lauryn Hill pulled off a jaw-dropping surprise during her Ms. Lauryn Hill Live tour stop—but not everyone saw it coming. Midway through her iconic hit “Doo Wop (That Thing),” Hill suddenly shouted, “Y’all ready for something NEW?” before introducing rising rap sensation Doechii, who stormed the stage with a high-octane remix of the 1998 classic.
The crowd lost it as Doechii, known for her viral hits like “What It Is” and unapologetic energy, flipped Hill’s soulful anthem into a bass-heavy, rapid-fire anthem. Fans immediately flooded social media, with one viral tweet screaming: “LAURYN AND DOECHII JUST SKIPPED THE SMALL TALK AND HIT US LIKE A BULLET TRAIN. MY WIG IS IN ORBIT.”
But not all reactions were pure praise. Critics argue the collab prioritized shock value over nostalgia, with one fan grumbling, “Why rush a masterpiece? Let the song breathe!” Others fired back, claiming the mashup symbolized “old-school meets new-school rebellion”—a nod to Doechii’s reputation for breaking genre barriers.
Hill, who’s been blending her tour with surprise guests and fresh twists on her Miseducation era, seemed to lean into the chaos. “Miami needed that FIRE,” she laughed during a brief pause, as Doechii hyped the crowd into a frenzy.
Doechii, a Tampa-born artist signed to TDE (home of Kendrick Lamar and SZA), has been on a meteoric rise, dropping her experimental EP **She / Her / Black Bitch earlier this year. Her team later tweeted a clip of the Miami moment with the caption: “When Queens collide, timelines shift.”
Love it or hate it, the performance is already racking up millions of views online, with fans begging Hill to add Doechii to future tour dates. One thing’s clear: Lauryn Hill isn’t here to play it safe.
Catch the Ms. Lauryn Hill Live tour next in Atlanta—if you’re brave enough to handle the surprises.