album Doja Cat - 'Scarlet'

[ImpressMeMuch]

6 minutes ago, GeminiCat said:

Definitely some sort of visual album. Spotify is apart of it too. Wtf… We’re gonna be torn between streaming, Agora mv and now probably a surprise visual album drop 
 

 

The album cover makes no damn sense with how much effort every other inch of this rollout has omg

 

unpredictable queen 

[istan4badgalriri]

46 minutes ago, dabunique said:

how long for u?

Less than 5 hours now

[PMM]

i am so happy
go off doja
cant wait to listen to it tomorrow after work

[TomTom]

20 minutes ago, dabunique said:

where dem Kesha stans to celebrate with us 

Here! 

[bearman]

27 minutes ago, dabunique said:

where dem Kesha stans to celebrate with us 

My two favs releasing AOTY away from that guy. We're winning. 

[GeminiCat]

 

[professor2000]

Oh wait…if it’s for Spotify, maybe it’s not a visual album.  But not sure what would be living on YT then.  I guess we’ll see.  

[Alex]

If you guys want to read my long review 

Spoiler

*****, she said what she said!

 

Doja Cat (rapper, singer, songwriter, performer, producer, and the antithesis to Cancel Culture) finally returns with her fourth album, “Scarlet”, and she has a lot to prove with a lot to say.

 

This era has been terrifying for fellow fans such as myself who have been watching it unravel since day one. Infamous Twitter rants, the “cash grab” comments, “I hate my fans”, the boyfriend allegations, it’s more than evident that Doja loves to talk **** and honestly make things more difficult for herself, but I digress. Back to the music, Scarlet has been an interesting departure from 2021’s “Planet Her”, which spawned hits upon hits to soundtrack the rest of the year. That album cemented Doja as a force to be reckoned with in the mainstream pop scene and further showcased her immense versatility over the 14 tracks. Scarlet, however, comes from a place of being jaded and frustrated as a result of not being recognized as a rapper by certain audiences.

 

The era’s first offering, “Attention”, marked a distinct sonic shift from what the general public has been accustomed to from Doja Cat. She ditched the pop-rap sound for a return to her earliest SoundCloud material, which is mostly rooted in R&B and accompanied by her signature rap verses. “Attention” was no different to the fans who’ve been following Doja for a while, but the drastic image change was. Doja shaved her head bald in August of 2022 and made international headlines over her new hairstyle. Following this, the initial rumours that would only grow stronger in the months to come started swirling around her. “She’s insane.” “She sold her soul to the devil.” and the inevitable “I miss the old Doja” spread through her social media comments like wildfire. Instead of succumbing to the intense scrutiny and vitriol everyone was spewing at her, she doubled down, spewed that energy right back to the internet and decided to accept what she had received. The result is *Scarlet*.

 

Scarlet appears to be a two-sided album, with the first half housing the more uptempo hip-hop cuts and the latter half containing the laidback, chill, SoundCloud R&B sounds that laid the foundation for Doja’s discography. Initially teased as a double album release with the presumed titles being “First Of All” and “Finally”, the final product seems to be the amalgamation of what Doja has been cooking up for the past two years. The album opens up with the most controversial hit of the year, “Paint the Town Red.” The song broke streaming records and reached the summit of multiple international charts. The music video perhaps was the most fire-fuelling addition to the demonic narratives that have been following Doja for the past year now. Either way, the controversy was successful and D, I’m really shooketh.

 

“Demons” follows right after with what is perhaps the most divisive song of Doja’s career. This song garnered attention for its audacious approach and sonically features a heavy-hitting trap beat and peculiar horn loops reminiscent of a circus motif. Panned by online critics, the song received an accompanying video starring Christina Ricci and Doja Cat as a full-fledged terrorizing demon. This music video particularly further underscores Doja’s fearless creative exploration and makes her unapologetic approach a testament to her artistic evolution. Doja manages to take the song as unserious as humanly possible, and perhaps in doing so, pisses off everyone who in turn panned the song. “I’m a puppet, I’m a sheep, I’m a cash cow / I’m the fastest growing ***** on all your apps now,” she exclaims with an intentionally humorous delivery. Most of you didn’t get it but I sure did. Doja has reached the position where she can send shots and talk her **** without worrying about the consequences. The message was only further engrained when Doja took to the stage at the 2023 VMAs with an electrifying medley and secured the best performance of the night.

 

Scarlet follows these two singles up with “Wet ******”, which sonically reminded me of something Playboi Carti would release, “**** The Girls” and the London on Da Track produced “Ouchies.” These tracks prioritize sharp punchlines and witty lyricism over radio-friendly hooks, providing a refreshing perspective on Doja’s versatility as an artist. However, "97" emerges as a slight outlier, where the synergy between Doja's delivery and the beat falls short of the high bar set by the rest of the album. The subsequent three songs usher in the transitional phase and middle of the album, combining Doja’s Rap and R&B sensibilities with more trap beats.

 

"Gun" serves as perhaps the most familiar Doja Cat song on the album. Doja seamlessly returns to the rhythmic landscape that she has mastered in the past, evoking memories of her previous album "Planet Her." The song's pop-trap sensibilities make it an easy potential radio hit, which might leave you wondering why it wasn't chosen as a single. While the lyrics may not tread new ground, "Gun" provides a necessary change of pace after the preceding rap-heavy tracks. "Go Off" shares similarities with "Gun" but leans more heavily into a singing delivery, deviating from the rap-centric approach of its predecessors. "Shutcho," with its endearing and memorable punchlines, marks the end of the first half of the album, maintaining Doja's signature humour.

 

Scarlet’s centerpiece track arrives with “Agora Hills”, which is seemingly named after Doja’s childhood neighbourhood. The song acts as a heartfelt love letter and features Doja adapting a valley girl accent with spoken, dramatic interludes interspersed throughout the track. “Agora Hills” seems to take the best elements of Doja’s previous hits, such as Need to Know and You Right, and channels them into a career highlight.

 

The album delves deeper into R&B cuts with “Can’t Wait” and “Often” which blend almost seamlessly. The former returns to Doja’s SoundCloud greatness which accompanies you with a fuzzy feeling while the latter song gives slight Erykah Badu-isms with its Neo-soul production. The mellowed-out vibe continues into “Love Life” which stands out as the weakest song on the album. With a hook that seems undercooked, the song bodes a lack of interest past the first minute of the song. However, "Skull and Bones" emerges as a standout in the latter half. Accompanied by an angelic-sounding hook, the song makes sure to address that Doja has in fact, not sold her soul, but rather harnessed it for success.

 

Scarlet reaches its final stretch with “Attention”, which is absolutely one of Doja’s best songs, and “Balut”. The latter, a future jazz-rap staple, opens with a captivating Ric Flair sample, which Doja later mimics for the outro, and exudes a smooth, seductive vibe. While “Balut” may sound like the album’s true closer, in typical Doja Cat fashion, she makes sure to conclude the album with a bang and get the last word in with “FYM Freestyle.” The snappy two-minute closing statement assuring everyone that, well, she’s made it.

‘Scarlet’, if anything, is Doja Cat’s creative breakthrough, presenting a multifaceted exploration of Doja’s artistic prowess. By being able to focus on her rap ability and not having to worry about chasing radio hits (while still providing us with a couple of standout tracks) it seems she’s been able to make the album she’s always wanted to. One thing that remains consistent throughout Doja’s career is her chameleon-like versatility and the everlasting grasp that her discography has on TikTok. Needless to say, Doja Cat has a very fruitful career ahead of her and I can’t wait to see where she takes us next.

 

To conclude this review, I want to give Doja some props for consistently evolving her sound and image for the more recent half of the last decade. She went from Amala to Hot Pink to Planet Her to Scarlet and managed to nab hits in every single era, all in 6 years. Call it what it is but it’s insanely impressive considering her controversial online presence. On top of that, it all seemed effortless to her. Scarlet may not be flawless, but it’s a phenomenal album that proves Doja can run her mouth while having the talent to back it up. Rest assured, Doja’s winning streak won’t be ending anytime soon.

 

[GeminiCat]

3 minutes ago, professor2000 said:

Oh wait…if it’s for Spotify, maybe it’s not a visual album.  But not sure what would be living on YT then.  I guess we’ll see.  

Live performance? 

[AdrianNicki]

I really like the album, even though it sounds different than I expected. I thought it would be a lot more "aggressive" if that makes sense. My ranking on first listen:

 

1. Often (This is a career highlight for me. I'm obssessed)

2. 97

3. Paint the Town Red

4. Attention

5. Ouchies (This would have been my #1 but it's so short. I wish the verses were a little longer. For some reason it reminds me of some Missy Elliot song but I can't recall which one)

6. **** The Girls

7. Agora Hills (I understand why this is a single. I'm afraid those talking interludes will get annoying at some point. I don't like talking on songs in general. It breaks the momentum)

8. WYM Freestyle (I thought the whole album would sound like this)

9. Demons

10. Can't Wait

11. Balut

12. Wet ******

13. Go Off

14. Skull and Bones

15. Love Life

16. Gun (I've seen a lot of praise for this one and I'm not sure why. The hook is catchy but the verses are not doing anything for me. I was getting quite bored towards the end)

17. Shutchoo (It's confusing. I need more time with this one)

[professor2000]

3 minutes ago, GeminiCat said:

Live performance? 

Thats possible…because didn’t Brett say something about Santa Monica’s Scarlet might be a statue or Scarlet herself…?  Hmm.  

[professor2000]

It’s crazy how everybody has different stand out/favorite tracks…it’s never consistent.  I think that’s a good thing…a little something for everybody.  
 

 

[HEAVYONIT]

Not everyone saying she was in her flop era and praising the album 

[Alex]

43 minutes ago, GeminiCat said:

Definitely some sort of visual album. Spotify is apart of it too. Wtf… We’re gonna be torn between streaming, Agora mv and now probably a surprise visual album drop 
 

 

looks like a custom exhibition of sorts

[zasderfght]

I'm at work, so I can't listen to Scarlet. Can someone tell me what/if any tracks sound like Demons? I like how Doja sounded on that track, and I like how aggressive it is. 

[Supervillain]

4 minutes ago, zasderfght said:

I'm at work, so I can't listen to Scarlet. Can someone tell me what/if any tracks sound like Demons? I like how Doja sounded on that track, and I like how aggressive it is. 

Wet ****** and WYM Freestyle

[Alex]

I wonder if she'll surpass Drake next week too and snatch the record for rapper overall 

 

 

[sleepevaded]

24 minutes ago, Alex said:

looks like a custom exhibition of sorts

I just want y’all to know, don’t get too excited for anything, they’ve done this for a bunch of albums since Billie’s WWAFAWDWG? and at most Doja will attend hers tomorrow

[unclefloprry]

Making visual albums isn't a big thing anymore, people barely watch videos on YouTube (at least from Western artists), but I'm here for it. 

 

[hallucinate]

2 hours and 20 minutes until it’s out for me 

[My20sBlues]

Deluxe version on Saturday with the remaining 4 tracks from the initial tracklist, new cover too

[Supervillain]

1 minute ago, My20sBlues said:

Deluxe version on Saturday with the remaining 4 tracks from the initial tracklist, new cover too

Post receipts NOWWW

[Alex]

8 minutes ago, My20sBlues said:

Deluxe version on Saturday with the remaining 4 tracks from the initial tracklist, new cover too

source?? (i had a feeling this would happen) 

[My20sBlues]

2 minutes ago, Alex said:

source?? (i had a feeling this would happen) 

Unfortunately I made it up but it would be cool

[Alex]

oh hell nawl... you can't wear @RideOrDie wig and then be RideOrDie!