Hot Pink, available since Nov. 7, marks the second album released by Doja Cat. It boasts an explosion of bright beats that wander from old-school R&B to pop, all while showing off fresh aspects of the female rapper’s definitively hip-hop style. The album serves as a shining example of what Doja Cat does best: experiment while having fun.
Many will recognize Doja Cat from her late 2018 viral video sensation, “Mooo!” It was a low-budget track along with a homemade music video, introducing the world to her sound in a goofy package with lyrics like “Bitch, I’m a cow, bitch, I’m a cow / I’m not a cat, I don’t say meow.” Since its release, she’s proven herself as a serious artist with her debut album Amala and singles like “Tia Tamera,” a collaboration with Rico Nasty.
Hot Pink is easily on par with Doja’s other work. Per usual, her lyrics are sex-drenched to the point where the censoring involved in the clean version of the album both detracts and distracts. Her tracks feature clever rhymes served with a clean delivery and the lightheartedness fans have come to expect of her.
One aspect of her music that reigns supreme is her extreme versatility. She can work within a variety of genres, giving fans polished songs that still distinctly feel like they’re part of the Doja Cat brand. “Bottom Bitch” gives listeners a taste of grunge punk with its Blink-182 samples and auto-tuned background vocals, but Doja Cat also isn’t afraid to venture into a slow and sultry sound in “Streets,” reminiscent of early 2000s R&B.
Although criticism for Hot Pink claims it’s without focus, I wholly disagree. While Doja Cat might meander amongst genres, it comes off as fresh rather than foggy. Jumping between different sounds is also something she does often and is even known for. For the most part, the tracks are arranged in a way that transitions between songs of different tones. The first half of the album is bursting with upbeat, pop-funk notes whereas the latter half mellows out and slows down. Most importantly, Doja Cat manages to tie Hot Pink together with common themes of strong bass lines, quirky lyricism, and similar time signatures.
“Rules” is arguable one of the strongest songs on the album and has a music video accompanying it. It opens with a sharp, twangy guitar riff and Doja Cat conducting a desert drug deal for mice amidst feline imagery, complete with henchman in tow. Director Christian Sutton filters Doja Cat through saturated, coloured lighting and settings that evoke an old western film while she spits unapologetically sexual lyrics. Ones that come to mind are the opening line “Said play with my pussy / But don’t play with my emotions” and “N***a, don’t laugh ‘cause the pussy ain’t joking / N***a, don’t splash when the pussy be soaking.”
Hot Pinkis an infectious album that rounds out Doja Cat as an artist, giving fans varying genres that further demonstrate her adaptability in a music scene where artists often rely on one specialty. To date, Doja Cat has claimed within her lyrics to be a cat, cow, and a reptile. Time will only tell what this chameleon queen will experiment with next, but in the meantime Hot Pink is a solid success.
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.
