Feline phenomenon Doja Cat’s new album Hot Pink is the purrrfect guilty pleasure experience. I’m here to give you the full album review & breakdown. Last month on my New Music Monday column, we indulged in her single Bottom Bitch, which made the hype for this album cat-aclysmic. Hot Pink gives us the full scope of her artistic vision with her singles, and takes us to a new freaky dimension that this Kinky Kitten’s conjured up. Let’s break it down.
1. Cyber Sex
For a kinky freak like me who has regular phone sex and makes his girlfriend his own personal cam girl, I feel this. Cyber sex is such a huge part of our culture, and in many cases the basis for highly intimate sexual relationships. Who the hell meets in real life nowadays anyway? Cyber Sex is the perfect opening to her hip-hop fairy tale Hot Pink, which essentially is what this album is, a fantasy world come to life.
Doja Cat sets herself apart from most female rappers in the game by having a sense of humor. She doesn’t take herself too seriously or try and be too hard. She add’s just enough shock value into her persona without it being misconstrued as clout chasing. She’s got sex appeal, a smooth singing voice, and a bag of tricks that’l keep listeners coming back for more every time.
2. Won’t Bite – feat. Smino
Won’t bite opens up with Doja chanting a worldly melody about the degree of her ferociousness. How she can be a good kitty, calm & submissive, but then the claws can come out and she’ll rip your damn head off if you’re not careful. Smino is one of only three features on the album, and delivers a proper contrast to Doja’s grace and wit. He’s the right compliment to her flow here, and flips it with finesse while delivering the male perspective of this pussy cats comedy.
3. Rules
Rules is one of the “harder” songs on the album. A single that I skipped over when it first dropped earlier this year. While the video is a top notch gangster movie in it’s own right, and an all around visual achievement, the song leaves more to be desired. In all honesty it’s my least favorite song on the album, but that doesn’t deny it’s good qualities. It channels some wild west country elements, and her braggadocios flow gives her a villainous persona that looks undeniably fun to play.
4. Bottom Bitch
Every Pimp needs a bottom bitch. And Doja Cat is pimpin hard on this song. This one is all about confidence and swag. Pimping in my opinion being used here as a metaphor for loyalty and devotion to her, yet still competing in what was once a male dominated hip-hop landscape and making the game her bitch. Since this single dropped, I been spinning it in the club every night and watch people pop their collars to this shit. The song samples Blink 182’s What’s My Age again which is an achieving in it’s own right, but you’ll really have to listen close to hear it.
5. Say So
The diversity of concepts on this album is rich in pop sensibility. Say So shifts gears into a sexy disco groove perfect for the swingers clubs. Her vocals on this track express her unique range of talent, and her musical background really shines through on this one. Doja Cat proves that she’s in no way just a rapper or social media meme. She’s the real deal and she came for respect.
6. Like That feat. Gucci Mane
Certified Bop. And I don’t throw the term bop around loosely. Only when my heads bobbin and I feel like a million bucks will I exercise that term in my vocabulary. Honestly though I could have done without Gucci Mane on this song, but it does give Doja some added street credibility with this collab. I’d have personally liked to see someone like Kyle on this, but maybe sometime in the future. Brrr.
7. Talk Dirty
When this track hits it feels like Doja was just warming up with the last ones. She uses all aspects of her vocal skills here, and flows seamlessly from rapper to R&B singer as she tells you exactly how dirty she likes to talk. The effects she uses on her voice are designed to hypnotize and seduce the listener, luring them into her kinky world of BDSM. Talk Dirty to her indeed.
8. Addiction
Addiction comes in all shapes and sizes. And this song feels like Doja Cat has quite her fair share of them. But the fun part is trying to figure out what addictions she’s actually talking about here. With a little help from Genius, I pulled up the lyrics and can only gather from the first verse she’s talking about a “Daddy” type that can relate to her broken personality. And being proud of herself for resisting his draw for a day. Verse 2 deals with drug addiction with a combination of metaphors and slang, ie: They on the trees like Koala.
9. Streets
Streets has a real chopped and screwed feel to it. Like you sippin lean ridin in a Cadillac through the streets real slow. When the 2:20 second mark hits, Doja flips it with a fire ass verse about how dope her man is and how she’ll do anything to keep him. I felt that.
10. Shine
Hearing Shine for the first time it occurred to me to look up who made the beats on this album. The names that stand out to me on Wiki are Yeti Beats, Kurtis McKenzie, and Tyson Trax who has the official production credit on Shine. While the concept of bragging about jewelry and swag in hip-hop is nothing new, the approach taken is creative for sure. Put this one on when you’re in the mirror getting dressed.
11. Better Than Me
Better Than Me is Hot Pink’s one ballad on the album. It starts off slow and oozes confidence about Doja’s sex appeal. It makes me think about what may happen to any girls who hit on her man or get in her way. I think that would be a huge mistake for them.
12. Juicy feat. Tyga
Juicy get’s the most play of any of her other tracks by me in the club. Even though Tyga is on the song I can’t say he adds anything special to it or that I even play his version in the club. Tyga has is own rap style that to me tends to work better on beats at 100bpms. Juicy in particular slaps without him on it but I dig the fact that she’s getting co-signed by solid act’s in the rag community.
Overall Doja Cat’s- Hot Pink is a solid album that can be listened to from front to back. In my opinion she takes a bit of all the legendary female emcees and sprinkles them together in her own Hot Pink melting pot. She’s over the top, yet still feels down to earth. She’s takes a comedic approach to rap which to me the hip-hop game is in dire need of in the current cultural landscape. A must listen.