DISCLAIMER: This is Doja Cat we’re talking about here, so beware of some inappropriate themes and language. If you’re okay with some swearing and mild sexual references, then proceed.
Now, I have a lot of favorite artists. Yet not many compare to the artist I’ll be reviewing in this article: Doja Cat. And so, with love for Amala and interest in the controversy surrounding her new image, I want to talk about her newly released album, Scarlet.
Now, I have a lot of favorite artists. Yet not many compare to the artist I’ll be reviewing in this article: Doja Cat. And so, with love for Amala and interest in the controversy surrounding her new image, I want to talk about her newly released album, Scarlet.
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Paint The Town Red
“Mm, she the devil. She a bad lil’ b***h, she a rebel.”
Rating: 7/10 I really like this song because it’s super catchy. The hook stays in your head. I kind of feel brainwashed, but I also don’t really care. I find myself getting this song stuck in my head and I feel irritated when I catch myself rapping it. Wouldn’t say it’s the best but it made an impression, especially due to the sample from Dionne Warwick’s Walk On By. One other thing I’d say is I was kind of disappointed in this song because it sounded too similar to other songs she’s made. After she released Attention, I got my hopes up a little. |
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Demons
“How my demons look now that my pockets full? How my demons look now that you b***hes shook?” Rating 5.5/10 First off, I’ll say that I was definitely hesitant to watch the music video (hint: the name of the track), butI did end up watching it out of curiosity because so many negative things were being said about the song. If you were to ask me how I feel now after watching it, I’d definitely say conflicted. Just the video in general made me extremely uncomfortable. The imagery was a little too intense for me with how realistic |
the makeup and costumes were. And the lyrics sound like a middle schooler wrote it. Especially the part where she literally says, “Who are you? And what are those?” The lyrics kind of make me cringe. Then again, I can’t say that she’s not saying anything different than other rappers. I think it’s the childish tone she raps in for half of the song that makes it so corny. I find myself rapping this when I want to troll my friends or just to laugh at it. On the flip side, I think the message she is trying to convey is really raw; her delivery is just a little off-putting. I guess that’s the point, though, since she’s purposely referencing some horror movies in the music video. Congrats, Doja. It worked.
Wet Vagina
“Agent 47, yeah, I’m giving assassin. Kick me out the Met, but I really run fashion.”
Rating: 5/10
I flip-flop between liking this song a little and just straight-up skipping it. Sometimes the autotune on her voice in this song does something for me, but most of the time, it’s annoying as hell. I mean, I think this song is also catchy; however, it aggravates me, and it’s one of her more vulgar songs, so I’m hardly in the mood to sit and listen to it because of that.
Rating: 5/10
I flip-flop between liking this song a little and just straight-up skipping it. Sometimes the autotune on her voice in this song does something for me, but most of the time, it’s annoying as hell. I mean, I think this song is also catchy; however, it aggravates me, and it’s one of her more vulgar songs, so I’m hardly in the mood to sit and listen to it because of that.
F**k The Girls (FTG)
“I’m getting rich-rich-rich. How many li-li-licks is it gon’ take to feel the barrel of my-”
Rating: 8/10
I actually think this one was hard. I was bopping my head a little (lol). It’s just that same problem popping up: repetition. I think it worked well for this song, but every time she said, “F**k the girls”, it reminded me of how annoyed I was atWet Vagina. Her flow, though…I’ll just keep it at that. I liked this one, y’all.
“I’m getting rich-rich-rich. How many li-li-licks is it gon’ take to feel the barrel of my-”
Rating: 8/10
I actually think this one was hard. I was bopping my head a little (lol). It’s just that same problem popping up: repetition. I think it worked well for this song, but every time she said, “F**k the girls”, it reminded me of how annoyed I was atWet Vagina. Her flow, though…I’ll just keep it at that. I liked this one, y’all.
Ouchies
“She wanna hit me, I said, “No Mike Tyson.” In 2050, they won’t know you, Otis. A hunnid billies, I’m the G.O.A.T., no Eilish.”
Rating: 8/10
This was too shorttttt!!! It’s giving the same energy as FTG and I’m loving it. It’s giving such a bad b aura and I’m living for it. Especially the last three lines of the song. Thanks, Doja, girl, because I’ll be using that for sure.
“She wanna hit me, I said, “No Mike Tyson.” In 2050, they won’t know you, Otis. A hunnid billies, I’m the G.O.A.T., no Eilish.”
Rating: 8/10
This was too shorttttt!!! It’s giving the same energy as FTG and I’m loving it. It’s giving such a bad b aura and I’m living for it. Especially the last three lines of the song. Thanks, Doja, girl, because I’ll be using that for sure.
97
“I put Can’t Believe It on my early morning butter toast. Y’all cannot believe I’m not a fiend and that it wasn’t coke.”
Rating: 7/10
The beat is really smooth. It was relaxing to listen to, and her bad a** attitude came through with this track, too. She pissed me off a little when she referenced “What are those?” again, but she ate that one little thing (cue the eye roll). I kind of just felt like this was another song where she was just flexing on us, to be honest.
“I put Can’t Believe It on my early morning butter toast. Y’all cannot believe I’m not a fiend and that it wasn’t coke.”
Rating: 7/10
The beat is really smooth. It was relaxing to listen to, and her bad a** attitude came through with this track, too. She pissed me off a little when she referenced “What are those?” again, but she ate that one little thing (cue the eye roll). I kind of just felt like this was another song where she was just flexing on us, to be honest.
Gun
*I’m laughing so hard because I can’t even add a quote from this song.
Rating: 7/10
Um. Well, it’s definitely…something. I didn’t expect it to be as vulgar as it was from the name of the song, but once again, Doja just had to make it catchy. So it’s a bop, but I’ll be rapping this in the privacy of my room or around my friends. Definitely not in the car, though. It’s almost as bad as her song Cyber Sex. However, it has a lot of metaphors instead of saying everything outright.
Go Off
“Lil’ mama, go off, let em’ gag and choke. With your Louboutins, put your new ice on”.
Rating: 5/10
Eh. It was just eh. Her flow in this did not really impress me. I think the chorus was cute and catchy, but I just didn’t really feel this song. It’s certainly…charming, but it’s kind of giving low vibrational energy. I’m kind of sleepy after listening, not gonna lie.
Shutcho
“Y’all-gon’-make-me-sick body b***h, where’s Roddy Ricch? Put-you-in-a-box body b***h, get bodied, b***h.”
Rating: 4.5/10
Felt the same way as Go Off with this one. I don’t really have much to say. I think the beat didn’t really help either. I won’t say she wasn’t spitting some real ish’, but I’m, once again, not really into this one. Lots of repetition, lots of b-wording, and lots of boredom. Blah.
*I’m laughing so hard because I can’t even add a quote from this song.
Rating: 7/10
Um. Well, it’s definitely…something. I didn’t expect it to be as vulgar as it was from the name of the song, but once again, Doja just had to make it catchy. So it’s a bop, but I’ll be rapping this in the privacy of my room or around my friends. Definitely not in the car, though. It’s almost as bad as her song Cyber Sex. However, it has a lot of metaphors instead of saying everything outright.
Go Off
“Lil’ mama, go off, let em’ gag and choke. With your Louboutins, put your new ice on”.
Rating: 5/10
Eh. It was just eh. Her flow in this did not really impress me. I think the chorus was cute and catchy, but I just didn’t really feel this song. It’s certainly…charming, but it’s kind of giving low vibrational energy. I’m kind of sleepy after listening, not gonna lie.
Shutcho
“Y’all-gon’-make-me-sick body b***h, where’s Roddy Ricch? Put-you-in-a-box body b***h, get bodied, b***h.”
Rating: 4.5/10
Felt the same way as Go Off with this one. I don’t really have much to say. I think the beat didn’t really help either. I won’t say she wasn’t spitting some real ish’, but I’m, once again, not really into this one. Lots of repetition, lots of b-wording, and lots of boredom. Blah.
Agora Hills
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“Kissin’ and hope they caught us (ah), whether they like or not. I wanna show you off (off), I wanna show you off.”
Rating: 7.5/10 When I heard her voice and heard the autotune, I was just thinking, “I already don’t like it.” Buttttttt! But, but, butttt when I heard the second half of the song, it hooked me in. I like this song a lot because the lyrics are adorable. The music video had a lot going on, but I did have a few scenes I loved (I think the video for Demons was more impressive). The scene where she’s in the bed and on the phone with her lover was so relatable in the funniest way ever….and then I saw her toes. Yikes. This is very much an “I’m in love and I don’t care about anything else” kind of song. The autotune and the Valley Girl accent just turned me away for a quick second, but I’m listening now. |
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Can’t Wait
“If you were to become a Middle American farmer, I’d read up on every vegetable and harvest them around you.”
Rating: 9/10
Dang, Doja! Who are you in love with so badly? Man, this was a love song for real. She really said, “Here’s another one about you.” I’m dying laughing. I just loved this one. Very vulnerable on this track with that tough flow she always belts out. I love, love, love it. It’s already in my head. Don’t know who I can’t wait to get next to, but I’ma sing it like I have somebody like that. She really did this one.
Often
“You must do this often (because I really want more). You must do this often (makin’ my way to your door).”
Rating: 7.5/10
Okay. The third song with her talking about love…A little bipolar, aren’t you, Doja? She goes from saying “eff’ the haters” to “my man, my man, my man.” But hey, I ain’t complaining. I like a little crazy, and I really like this song, too. Her storytelling of how her lover exceeds her expectations and how she can’t wait to see what else they have in store has me feeling like I want to see what’s next, too. The exciting and emotional twists and turns of a fresh relationship have certainly been conveyed.
Love Life
“Love it when my life’s like this. I love it when my life’s like this, when my life’s like this.”
Rating: 6.5/10
I like her voice. I like the lyrics. I think it’s a lot brighter than the lyrics in the other tracks…butttt something about it, man. Something about this song is not making me like it that much. It’s very chill, very calming, but not very engaging. I start off enjoying it and then, my mind drifts. I’d say I really listened to the lyrics on the third listen. The other two times I skipped and moved to a more energetic track. It may be just a preference thing, though.
Skull and Bones
“When I arrive on set, there ain't no holy water. But when I grind my set, make sure to throw me waters.”
Rating: 8/10
I was legit put in a trance. I feel like I’ve been drawn in by a siren call. For real. I love how she rode the beat and her lyricism was really good on this one. I wasn’t expecting it to be a song where she’s hyping herself up from the title, but she always exceeds my expectations. And she made me spit and laugh when she talked about Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold!. I really feel like this is a vent album because she’s been addressing the rumors that she’s demonic a lot. Y’all, I think she wants y’all to shut up about it (if you haven’t noticed by now lol).
“If you were to become a Middle American farmer, I’d read up on every vegetable and harvest them around you.”
Rating: 9/10
Dang, Doja! Who are you in love with so badly? Man, this was a love song for real. She really said, “Here’s another one about you.” I’m dying laughing. I just loved this one. Very vulnerable on this track with that tough flow she always belts out. I love, love, love it. It’s already in my head. Don’t know who I can’t wait to get next to, but I’ma sing it like I have somebody like that. She really did this one.
Often
“You must do this often (because I really want more). You must do this often (makin’ my way to your door).”
Rating: 7.5/10
Okay. The third song with her talking about love…A little bipolar, aren’t you, Doja? She goes from saying “eff’ the haters” to “my man, my man, my man.” But hey, I ain’t complaining. I like a little crazy, and I really like this song, too. Her storytelling of how her lover exceeds her expectations and how she can’t wait to see what else they have in store has me feeling like I want to see what’s next, too. The exciting and emotional twists and turns of a fresh relationship have certainly been conveyed.
Love Life
“Love it when my life’s like this. I love it when my life’s like this, when my life’s like this.”
Rating: 6.5/10
I like her voice. I like the lyrics. I think it’s a lot brighter than the lyrics in the other tracks…butttt something about it, man. Something about this song is not making me like it that much. It’s very chill, very calming, but not very engaging. I start off enjoying it and then, my mind drifts. I’d say I really listened to the lyrics on the third listen. The other two times I skipped and moved to a more energetic track. It may be just a preference thing, though.
Skull and Bones
“When I arrive on set, there ain't no holy water. But when I grind my set, make sure to throw me waters.”
Rating: 8/10
I was legit put in a trance. I feel like I’ve been drawn in by a siren call. For real. I love how she rode the beat and her lyricism was really good on this one. I wasn’t expecting it to be a song where she’s hyping herself up from the title, but she always exceeds my expectations. And she made me spit and laugh when she talked about Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold!. I really feel like this is a vent album because she’s been addressing the rumors that she’s demonic a lot. Y’all, I think she wants y’all to shut up about it (if you haven’t noticed by now lol).
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Attention
“Show you how to touch it, hold it like it’s precious. It don’t need your lovin’, it just needs attention.” Rating: 10/10!!! The visuals!!! The lyricism!! The references!!! And the smack talk…Man, she ate. She’s so straightforward in this one. This directly confronts the discourse about her shaving her head and, well, all the things that she’s been showing on social media lately that people have found a reason to hate. Focus on her music. Let’s just let people live and do their work without inserting our opinions, okay? She’s gonna make money anyway, and we’re still streaming her music. |
Balut
“Copy the greats, that’s my number one strategy. But beware that you can’t copy stats.”
Rating: 8/10
I don’t really know why, but a lot of people I know don’t like this song. I do, though, so I don’t care. But the dislike for this song that I will acknowledge is the upset at her misdefinition of the actual Filipino dish as being a live bird instead of a fertilized duck egg. I personally wouldn’t eat it, but I can see why a lot of Filipinos are upset because people react so strongly to the dish that it’s become disrespectful and even xenophobic. At the same time, I can also see how she could perceive it as a live bird because there’s an actual bird body in the egg (not to mention the discourse on whether things are truly alive at fertilization, but I won’t get into that in this article). Regardless, it’s a cooked dish. To get back on the topic of the actual track, I liked the 90’s vibe of the song (I know the other songs have a similar sound, but I really noticed it with this track). But again, the lyrics are about her being an absolute boss and I love it.
WYM Freestyle
*I don’t like this at all so I’m not even gonna add a quote.Rating: 3/10
Did she just…not have anything else to say? What even is this? This was bad, and I don’t even want to talk about it. I’m only giving her a three because I like her, but I feel like my ears are bleeding.
“Copy the greats, that’s my number one strategy. But beware that you can’t copy stats.”
Rating: 8/10
I don’t really know why, but a lot of people I know don’t like this song. I do, though, so I don’t care. But the dislike for this song that I will acknowledge is the upset at her misdefinition of the actual Filipino dish as being a live bird instead of a fertilized duck egg. I personally wouldn’t eat it, but I can see why a lot of Filipinos are upset because people react so strongly to the dish that it’s become disrespectful and even xenophobic. At the same time, I can also see how she could perceive it as a live bird because there’s an actual bird body in the egg (not to mention the discourse on whether things are truly alive at fertilization, but I won’t get into that in this article). Regardless, it’s a cooked dish. To get back on the topic of the actual track, I liked the 90’s vibe of the song (I know the other songs have a similar sound, but I really noticed it with this track). But again, the lyrics are about her being an absolute boss and I love it.
WYM Freestyle
*I don’t like this at all so I’m not even gonna add a quote.Rating: 3/10
Did she just…not have anything else to say? What even is this? This was bad, and I don’t even want to talk about it. I’m only giving her a three because I like her, but I feel like my ears are bleeding.
My Opinion on the Album in its Entirety
I mean, despite her leaning toward a darker vibe and the controversy about that (among many other things), I still enjoy her as an artist. I have no personal issue with how Doja moves in the world, but there can always be a little truth found in rumors, right? That or she’s just messing with everyone because her so-called fans keep poking at her. Moving on from that, this album was kind of a surprise. I’m not quite sure if if it was because I missed an announcement on a release date, or the fact that it came out so soon after the music video for “Demons,’ but it was surprising nonetheless. A good surprise, I might add. I love how she’s clapping back at what some of these ‘fans’ say about her through her songs. And the love songs she released midway through the album scratched my brain in the right spots.
I will say, though, that a lot of the songs had a bit too much repetition for me. I would have liked the album a little more if she didn’t focus so much on the chorus, as the songs would repeat the same 4 lines over 3 times. No matter how irritated I get when I catch myself rapping some of these songs, that’s the main reason why I can’t say I hate this album. So I’d say the main issues with this album are her delivery (though I believe she’s trolling us again like what she did with MOOO! in 2018) and the repetitiveness. All in all, I’d give this album an overall rating of 7/10.
I mean, despite her leaning toward a darker vibe and the controversy about that (among many other things), I still enjoy her as an artist. I have no personal issue with how Doja moves in the world, but there can always be a little truth found in rumors, right? That or she’s just messing with everyone because her so-called fans keep poking at her. Moving on from that, this album was kind of a surprise. I’m not quite sure if if it was because I missed an announcement on a release date, or the fact that it came out so soon after the music video for “Demons,’ but it was surprising nonetheless. A good surprise, I might add. I love how she’s clapping back at what some of these ‘fans’ say about her through her songs. And the love songs she released midway through the album scratched my brain in the right spots.
I will say, though, that a lot of the songs had a bit too much repetition for me. I would have liked the album a little more if she didn’t focus so much on the chorus, as the songs would repeat the same 4 lines over 3 times. No matter how irritated I get when I catch myself rapping some of these songs, that’s the main reason why I can’t say I hate this album. So I’d say the main issues with this album are her delivery (though I believe she’s trolling us again like what she did with MOOO! in 2018) and the repetitiveness. All in all, I’d give this album an overall rating of 7/10.
Peyton Henderson-Howell
