Scarlet Review: Doja Cat’s Rant Ritual

Scarlet Review: Doja Cat’s Rant Ritual 

By Dylan Barbee

Image provided by @dojacat on Instagram

Release Date: September 22, 2023

Doja Cat is notorious when it comes to controversy. The 27 year-old pop-rap artist has made this clear whether it be through calling her last two projects Planet Her and Hot Pink cash grabs that her fans fell for or stirring up internet beef with her own fan base which resulted in her losing 500,000 followers on Instagram. Doja Cat’s non-conforming and rage-driven outlook has flooded onto the canvas of her new album Scarlet where the artist turns to hip-hop to express her rejection when it comes to the mold of being a light-hearted pop artist her stans expect her to fit into.

 

There is not one feature on Scarlet, which makes it obvious that Doja Cat wanted to make a statement about potentially accomplishing streaming records on her own. Throughout the album’s 17 songs that span across 57 minutes Doja tries to prove that she can do the same numbers as she did on the pop songs of her past like “Say So” and “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA. It’s clear Doja can accomplish this with Scarlet’s lead single “Paint the Town Red” making Spotify history by becoming the first rap song from a solo female performer to be the most streamed on the app back in August. Despite Doja Cat’s lead single putting up numbers, I feel like Scarlet is a forgettable album with reused themes about pointless petty conflict over mediocre trap beats and a hip-hop delivery style that rarely shines through the album’s annoying “let all hell break loose” tone. 

 

The first half of the album consists of a generic trap production style where Doja Cat taps into her lyricism. She mainly addresses her beef with people in the industry and those who claim to be her fans. “We are enemies, we are foes, who are you?” Doja raps in an irritating flow on “Demons”. A lot of the lyrics on Scarlet come off as confrontational but simple as it seems she puts little to no effort into developing good cadences and she would much rather be stirring the pot. “Got a life-long career, you make a living, I got a overflow of trophies you ain’t winning,” Doja raps on WYM freestyle which makes it seem she’s roasting her listeners. 

 

The drought continues on songs like “97” where both Doja’s lyrics and vocal performance just seem sloppy and uninspired. She also comes off as a sore winner a lot throughout Scarlet’s entirety especially on the song “Ouchies”. Doja Cat continues to talk about internet beefs with stans on this song which makes it seem like she's trying to prove to herself that she doesn’t care about all the controversy surrounding her name these past few years but the fact that she keeps addressing the past makes listeners feel it really gets to her. 

 

Although Scarlet is mainly a surface level album with repetitive narratives about playing along with confrontational arguments rather than being the bigger person there are still some highlights. The song “F**k The Girls (FTG)” has a mellow but menacing production style that carries Doja Cat’s lyrical performance. “Gun” is another song that caught my attention due to Doja Cat’s impressive flow.

 

The best song on Scarlet is “Agora Hills” where her westcoast valley girl sound that she adopts changes that output of her voice making it an entertaining listen about a passionate relationship. The dreamy production style allows Doja to excel at her best on Scarlet especially when it comes to the song's two verses. This blend between the valley girl tone and the euphoric beat makes the song an addicting listen. Not to mention the creative phone calls that act as bridges carry the story along about Doja’s strong desire for a confident man that she is not embarrassed to show the whole world to. 

 

I feel like Scarlet ended somewhat better as it started as Doja Cat provided a few slow r&b and pop songs about love. “Can’t Wait” is one of the best vocal performances I’ve heard from Doja Cat to date despite the chorus being prolonged and repetitive. The verses are like “Agora Hills” when it comes to context but without the valley girl tone where she displays deep affection for her lover. The song “Skull And Bones” also serves as a unique listen due to its dark but musically inclined beat that sounds similar to Tyler, The Creator but if he executively produced the soundtrack to the 2009 animated film Coraline. When it comes to the song’s lyrics, they are nothing more than Doja Cat continuing to rant about how people perceive her. “Y’all be pushin’ Satan this and Satan that, My fans be yellin’ “Least she rich,” you need that pact,” Doja Cat raps.

 

On Scarlet, I feel like Doja Cat fell short in her attempt at the rebellious and provocative persona that Eminem once had as Slim Shady. Although I do respect the creativeness especially when it came to the last couple songs on Scarlet, Doja tried to ignite a following with an overstated message that extinguished within the album’s first three songs. 

Rating: 5/10