Fan entitlement is at an all-time high, which in and of itself represents an all-time low for society at large. But Doja Cat is using one listener’s unfounded criticism of her skills as a rapper as not only a teaching moment, but also an opportunity to speak out about something she “[cares] about deeply.”
In a series of social media updates over the weekend, Doja, whose new album Vie is expected this year, shared multiple responses to an X user who initially argued that fans were “trying to force her into female rap conversations.” This argument, however, was swiftly disputed.
“You don’t listen to or read enough of my writing to be able to make this claim,” Doja wrote in response to one of several X posts on the topic from the same user. “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.”
In another response, Doja, who has a Grammy win and 19 nominations to her name, noted that making these blanket statements about an artist’s entire catalog requires actually taking the time to comprehend the work in question. Only then can someone reasonably make an assessment.
“I shouldn’t have to sit here on Twitter and give you a simplified, snipped, deconstructed, and without insulting you, DUMBED down version of my writing for you to be able to hear what hundreds of thousands and let’s be honest, millions of people are recognizing as adequate rap bars,” Doja wrote. “You aren’t stupid. Listen to my music.”
In one of her lengthier replies, Doja cited Flying Lotus’s Captain Murphy alias and Atmosphere among the artists who “shaped part of how I write.” She also rejected the more competition-based arguments put forth by some, noting that “expressing yourself” should be paramount.
“There are rappers who have strengths and weaknesses. I am one of them,” Doja added. “But that doesn't mean I don’t know what I'm doing. I didn't grow up on the same flavor of rap that you might align with. I came up listening to backpack rappers and the style they adopt is different.”
Eventually, Doja and the X user in question found some semblance of common ground. See more below.
Doja also fielded a few fan reactions to the back-and-forth, at one point saying, “I think it’s okay that I speak. I’m not using slander or attacking this person in any way.”
Rap isn’t alone in this type of discourse. Rock, for example, has its own version, with subsequent waves of the genre and related offshoots routinely made the subject of debates led by those who think a particular take on the thing they love is inherently inferior to whatever iteration they prefer. While art can indeed be determined to be good or bad, it’s rarely, if ever, inherently the latter.
Give things a chance, new and old alike. Be open to the possibility of your personal definitions of rap or rock or pop or anything else being expanded.
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