It is no doubt that Doja Cat has been regarded as more of a pop artist than a rapper; she introduced herself to the world with an unabashed novelty song called “I’m a Cow”, released on Soundcloud (now published on Spotify with the title MOOO! on her album “Amala”) before rising to mainstream stardom with the effervescent “Say So” and her sparkling 2021 duet with SZA, “Kiss Me More.” Cue the haters.
Doja Cat’s most recent album “Scarlet”, dropped on September 22, 2023, and aimed to push her creative boundaries. The album’s genesis came from her desire to create a body of work that not only showcases her musical prowess but also delves into her personal experiences and emotions to craft each track.
“Scarlet” is her first full-on hip-hop set, with unusual sounds that combine a hazy keyboard, baby-doll backing vocals, hard-hitting rapping, skittering drums, the bass of a Playboy Carti mix and the feeling of a late night Tokyo Drift. There are a few perky songs, like “Agora Hills,” (the most conventionally pop song on the album) but even that has an edge of SZA’s alternative R&B [Rhythm and Blues] rapping. It has elements of cloud rap, an aura of nostalgia and 2000s lovesick girlhood that creates a new ethereal sound.
Doja always had a provocative, Madonna-like image if Madonna had a formidable social-media game and a rare ability to turn the tables on haters. With “Scarlet,” the album is pitched somewhere like Taylor Swift’s “Reputation”; an ode to haters who don’t like the female artist.
Doja Cat has answered doubters before, but “Scarlet” is the album that is out to prove that she can. In a later-deleted tweet, Doja wrote, “I also agree with everyone who said the majority of my rap verses are mid and corny…I just enjoy making music but I’m getting tired of hearing y’all say that I can’t so I will.”
On the song “Attention”, she raps, “You follow me, but you don’t really care about the music.” She combines her silky vocals and dreamy harp in the chorus with her demanding rap in the verses, transitioning between completely different styles of music seamlessly. She suggests her success has made her the subject of jealousy and criticism, and aimed to prove them wrong.
In the months following up to the release of the album, Doja insulted her fans via Twitter, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of social media followers. Doja explained that the music she’s making with the angst she’s displayed has been beneficial for her mental health.
“I have thrown fits my whole career because I have been making music that didn’t allow me to have a mental release,” she told V Magazine in a July interview. “I have been making music that is palatable, marketable, and sellable, and that has allowed me to be where I am now. These upcoming projects are going to be very different compared to everything I have done and I am excited about that. I do not care if people are not.”
She’s made this very clear in her song “Demons”, rapping “I’m a puppet, I’m a sheep, I’m a cash cow. You are tired of me because I’m on your a— now.”
Her retrofitted 90’s boom-bap with an eye for rage trickles away in some of her songs. “Go off” is an angel over Devil Doja’s shoulder in the foot-tapping “Paint the Town Red”, the number one hit that’s an exact fit for her bloody, American Psycho persona. “Go off” is an anthem of empowerment and self-expression- Doja describes a woman unbothered by the opinions of others and continues to pursue her goals, regardless of any obstacles or criticism she may face. It’s groovy, it’s inspiring and the sweet rhythm blends well with the beat.
“Scarlet” is both inventive and unsteady, but it’s also her most promising album yet. There are countless women in hip-hop and rap, from Nicki Minaj to Megan Thee Stallion to Ice Spice, and it seems as though she is not interested in sticking to standard “female rap”. She continues to push boundaries, and if she’s overlooked in the current hip-hop conversation, she most likely wants it that way.
