Los Angeles rapper and singer Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, commonly known as Doja Cat, released her fourth album “Scarlet” last Friday, and there’s only two words to describe how I felt: pure excitement.
Doja Cat first gained notoriety with her viral song, “MOOO!,” where she rapped about cows. It was definitely an entrance into her career.
A friend once told me she thinks Doja Cat tries to be more unique in the music industry, which I’m now beginning to see. Comparing her current persona to that of her previous albums, “Hot Pink” and “Planet Her,” Dlamini’s persona has shifted from girly pop to absolute demon.
With “Scarlet,” Dlamini fired back against complaints about her public image and ability to rap. Many fans turned the other way in fear of being “possessed” by the demonic imagery.
While it is true that her change in character (and my absolute fear of anything on the side of the demonic) altered my love for Doja Cat as an artist
Being a woman that listens to modern-day rap, I definitely appreciate this style of music coming from a woman in the music industry, and it made me realize how much more there is to come from Dlamini.
I am a huge fan of what Doja Cat is doing in the female-rap game. Among the other female rappers I listen to, including Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat is one of the most talented and unique.
“Scarlet” has more rapping than any of her previous albums, and it feels like a new side to Doja Cat’s music has been unlocked.
The album had what I felt newer albums lacked, consistency but the album as a whole definitely could’ve been shortened up a bit, as it got pretty repetitive.
By the time I got to “96”, the sixth song on the album, I grew tired of her high-pitched voice and hoped she would switch it up or give me more vocals.
It’s like Dlamini read my exact thoughts because shortly after, the song “Gun” started playing. This one has to be at the absolute top of the list for me because the rap flow and well-produced beats complemented each other.
It makes me feel like a hot girl but also a cool girl. I can imagine myself rolling around in my little Honda with my windows down, bumping this song with my bass obnoxiously turned all the way up.
Another song that impressed me was “Agora Hills.” The unexpected beat drop after the first eight seconds reminded me that when I’m driving, a Doja Cat song will not be skipped, at least not in my car.
I can definitely see this song blowing up and being one of the more popular songs from the album just because it’s catchy and fits well with current popular music trends.
Dlamini’s nonchalant attitude shines brightly as she makes a play on modern-day rap lyrics. I actually laughed out loud after hearing certain lines in the song, and after I looked up the lyrics, I was in utter shock.
The song starts off like a love song and then proceeds to have some pretty out-of-pocket lyrics. Listening to Dlamini singing “I wanna show you off” and then looking up the lyrics to see the line “Don’t give a fuck where the penis been” was when I knew there way no way she is actually being serious.
It’s played off as if it’s a game to her, but whatever the game was, she was killing it.
To add that cherry on top, One of the lines she ends the song off is “Baby, you are literally cappin’ to me right now / Like, why are you cappin’? / You just cap so hard . . .” and I just burst into laughter thinking, ‘Yup she’s a genius.” ’
I will say “Agora Hills” is definitely for the girls. I can’t see a man listening and actually appreciating the humor Doja Cat offers.
The album has a song titled “Wet Vagina” with lyrics like“Baby, can you call me back? I miss you / It’s so lonely in my mansion” from “Agora Hills,” directly addressing the backlash to her demonic persona as to say “you may feel that way, but I’m that girl and I’m hella successful.”
I love the lines “Y'all been pushin' "Satan this" and "Satan that” / My fans is yellin', ‘Least she rich,’ you need that pact,” from “Skull and Bones.”
She continues with these themes on the album’s first single “Attention,” which was released on June 16.
With a creepy melody, she sings “Baby, if you like it, just reach out and pet it / this one doesn’t bite, it doesn’t get aggressive.” The track sounds like she’s hypnotizing her listeners, as a way to make fun of people who are scared of her.
Even though most of the album is playfully spiteful i, Dlamini also had wholesome songs like “Go Off” and “Love Life” that showed how far she’s come and how happy she currently is.
“Go off”, to me, was Dlamini hyping herself up. I saw myself listening to it while I did my makeup and got ready for the day.”
Then there’s “Can’t Wait” and “Often” where Doja Cat is giving us the actual sound of her voice in vocals and, in “Can’t Wait,” 2000’s R&B vibes.
I personally think the album was well thought out and introduces another side to what Doja Cat offers in the music industry.
