Doja Cat Stands Her Ground in Rap Debate Questioning Her Skills
Over the weekend, Doja Cat found herself in the middle of a heated online debate about her status as a rapper. It started when X user @playeration wrote on Saturday…
Over the weekend, Doja Cat found herself in the middle of a heated online debate about her status as a rapper. It started when X user @playeration wrote on Saturday (Aug. 9), “Hopefully after Doja drops pop disco album of the century her fans can stop trying to force her into female rap conversations.”
Doja’s upcoming fifth studio album, Vie, is “pop-driven,” she told V Magazine in a recent cover story—but the magazine also pointed out she’s still rapping on much of it.
That didn’t stop @playeration from doubling down, writing, “Sorry to inform you guys but you can’t be taken seriously as a rapper without ever prioritizing bars, punchlines, wordplay, and storytelling: the very things that make rap what it is.” They even claimed they asked four Doja fans to name her best bar, only to get “CRICKETS.”
Doja Fires Back
“You don’t listen to or read enough of my writing to be able to make this claim,” Doja replied in the same thread. “I’m alright at what I do and sometimes I’m incredible. Please stop trying to downplay my ability—it feels like you’re doling out criticism with no constructiveness based on something that’s deeper than just the topic of music.”
When pressed for specific lyrical examples, Doja refused to give an easy answer. “Part of me feels like you will immediately shoot it down,” she explained. “What I intend with my work is for the listener to choose what they rock with and what they don’t. You have to give me a chance… If you don’t read or listen how will you know. I shouldn’t have to… give you a simplified, snipped, deconstructed… DUMBED down version of my writing for you to… hear what… millions of people are recognizing as adequate rap bars. You aren’t stupid. Listen to my music.”
Respect Where It’s Due
The conversation eventually cooled when @playeration said they had listened to Doja’s full catalog and were looking forward to Vie tracks like “Jealous Type” and “Take Me Dancing,” which she previewed over the weekend. They also cited Rakim, Jay-Z, and Jeezy as their “frame of reference” for rappers.
Doja responded with grace: “Jay Z is a great writer and so is Rakim and Jeezy you have great taste. 😉 Thank you for opening up about that. If you’ve listened to every single song off of every single album I’ve made I appreciate that. If you haven’t been able to find a bar that you can connect with, that’s more than okay… Thank you.”
Looks like Doja’s message is simple: before you question her rap skills, press play.
