Doja Cat often seems to rile up controversy, even when she isn’t trying to.
The Grammy winner has been the center of “Attention” for years, but last week, she came up in conversation despite not releasing a solo single in a year. The rapper-singer is slated to drop her fifth album, Vie, this year, which Apple Music’s “Rap Life Review” personalities Ebro Darden, Nadeska Alexis, and Eddie Francis chimed in on. Nadeska gave a positive take on Doja’s last album, Scarlet. Darden detailed that some of “Vie” was recorded in France, but Francis’ response enraged Doja fans.
“She raps well. She does everything musically she just don’t… It seems off with her in hip-hop, man,” Francis told his co-hosts.
While he acknowledged Doja’s rapping prowess and her history as a battle breakdancer, Francis continued to struggle for an answer, even mentioning the artist allegedly participating in racist chatrooms (which Doja denied). When asked if Doja wasn’t “Black enough,” Francis denied it, but accused Doja of using rap for convenience. In other words, Francis thinks that she’s pandering until it’s time to be Black. But here’s the thing–regardless of if Doja presents herself as edgy and alternative, her role in hip-hop shouldn’t be questioned.
Doja Cat’s beat-making and involvement in Los Angeles’ music scene as a teenager gave her the tools to carve a path for herself as an artist. Although she started as a vocalist, Doja mastered DIY production at home, creating a singular vision that would follow her into the mainstream. Once a household name, Doja broke the mold of female rap in the late 2010s and 2020s. With a hand from one of her idols, Nicki Minaj, she topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eighteen impressive weeks with the “Say So” remix, making them the first female rap collaborators to do so. Her second No. 1 hit was “Paint the Town Red,” where Doja rapped almost entirely. Among her other feats, Doja’s first Grammy was shared with SZA for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More,” making her the first female rapper to win.
Even Doja’s fourth album, “Scarlet,” was rap-centric, arguably more than her previous releases. Shortly after moving to the city, I attended the L.A. stop of The Scarlet Tour in October 2023 and stood in amazement at how much breath control Doja had while rapping away on the mic. She earned her way to the spotlight by nonstop grinding and ignoring naysayers. But following the “Rap Life” episode, Doja said she knows the criticism.
“I don’t want to stand up for myself in regards to all of these lies being told because to be honest I don’t think it will make a difference,” Doja wrote in a since-deleted tweet earlier this month, per Vibe. “I’m enough. My music is enough. My word is enough. Everything following that is everyone else’s problem but mine,” she continued.
Doja publicly acknowledged her missteps, but what isn’t up for debate is that the woman has bars. As she mentioned, how the rapper is perceived can’t be controlled–she’s a public figure, but it’s unfair to pigeonhole Doja as a traitor. She’s hip-hop through and through and, quite frankly, brings nuance to the genre. I’ll wait for Vie to hear how Doja continues to broaden hip-hop with her singularity.
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