Here Are My Thoughts On Doja Cat’s New Album “Scarlet”
By Andrew Hylton
Doja Cat has been known as a mainstream artist in the pop landscape for a few years now. Known for her soft, smooth vocals and melodic rap sensibilities, she has set herself apart from her musical peers by being versatile not only in her skills, but her sound.
In her previous two albums “Hot Pink” and “Planet Her,” there was a noticeable pop sound that was present, which was different from her soundcloud rap beginnings. She later dismissed these albums as “mediocre pop” and “cash grabs,” alluding to them being label obligations.
Doja Cat, whose real name is Amala Zandile Dlamini, started her career as an underground battle rapper in Los Angeles, California. She has often said that rapping is her strong suit compared to singing, and that critics and hip hop fanatics alike discredit her rap skills due to her music being so heavily pop. However, with the release of her fourth studio album “Scarlet,” Doja Cat is in the driver’s seat taking back control of not only her music and career, but her overall public persona.
Scarlet is considered to be her first full-length rap album; however, does it deliver in the same way her previous albums do?
In the year 2023, there’s only so much you can do in efforts to shock the general public in the pop landscape. We’ve had pop stars in the past play with the good girl gone bad narrative that was made famous by the queen of pop herself Madonna in the 1980s. She pushed boundaries and defied the odds when it comes to being a provocative female performer. It is so hard for women in pop music to stay relevant and keep everyone’s attention.
There’s no better way to do that than controversy and an image makeover. Some have been successful while others have failed. A few modern examples that come to mind are Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and most recently Taylor Swift when she released her album, “Reputation” in 2017 after months of public scrutiny and critique about various things in her personal life.
This brings us to 2023 with Doja Cat releasing “Scarlet,” her fourth studio album, which is a kiss off to the haters who doubted her success and are critical of her every move. She has been the topic of conversation ranging from online beefs with fans, using satanic imagery in her music videos, and shaving her head in efforts to shy away from being a conventionally attractive pop star.
The first glimpse that we got from this era was the promotional single “Attention,” in which Doja Cat fires back at critics about her most recent image. The track is reminiscent of old school 90s hip hop music, which tells a story as the production is stripped down in efforts to understand what she is trying to convey.
Nevertheless, this isn’t the chart topping, club banger that most fans wanted from her. After hearing the first single, I didn’t know what to expect from the full body of work. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the album as it is her most cohesive album to date in terms of production.
Usually when you listen to a Doja album, you expect versatility and variety of sounds. However, it was interesting to hear a consistent production theme, while still having each track have its own identity. For example, on songs such as “Paint The Town Red", it samples “Walk On By" by Dionne Warwick while still capturing the modern sounds of melodic rap. Genres such as R&B, Neo-Soul and boom bap, which is a subgenre of hip hop, are highly prevalent on this record with signatures such as “Ballut,” “Can’t Wait” and the D’Angelo and Erykah Badu inspired “Often,” which is a personal favorite of mine.
Doja Cat is unique in the sense that she is a copycat for lack of a better term. She pulls from so many different artists, but still maintains her cleverness and individuality.
You can easily listen to a song such as “Ouchies” and Missy Elliott come to mind or hear the verses on "Demons” and automatically think of the animated tone and bass thumping beats of Kendrick Lamar. On more introspective tracks like “Skull And Bones" and "Love Life", she raps about the pressures of the industry and how she’s coming to terms with the person she is today. These two records are giving J. Cole vibes with their gloomy and moody productions. It is noteworthy to say that there is nothing wrong with pulling inspiration from different artists, but solidifying your own lane is just as important.
Nevertheless, one of the songs that is fan favorite at the moment is “Agora Hills.” Doja goes back to her pop roots with the infectious chorus about no longer hiding a lover from the public. On the verses she raps in a valley girl accent while using a vocal fry to add comic relief to a rather serious subject matter. This song could have easily been on one of her previous two albums as it follows the commercial formula in which she criticized.
One critique that I would give the album is the fact that it feels too long in certain places. The tracklist is 17 songs, and while there is nothing wrong with having a long album, it runs the risk of being too repetitive and having filler material, which this project does have. In a perfect world, an album only needs 12-14 songs in efforts to convey a message, especially on a conceptual album like this.
In conclusion, it is safe to say that Doja Cat is one of the most dynamic and interesting entertainers of our time. She is more than just a rapper or singer, she’s an artist, which means that she creates whatever she wants whether it’s pop, hip hop, R&B, etc.
While "Scarlet" is a solid project that is an enjoyable listen, in some spots on the album, Doja comes across as trying too hard to prove she’s a real MC. It’s almost like she folded under pressure while making this album. She shines the brightest when being carefree and simply just making music for the fun of it.
My hope for Doja Cat’s future projects is that she puts more focus into the music itself rather than trying to prove something. The people who listen to her music know what she’s capable of, and that’s all that matters. As this is her first full-length rap album, the possibilities are endless as to what Doja Cat’s next album will be. She constantly keeps listeners engaged and shocked by her antics and artistic choices. However, the question is, what will she do next?