Album Review - Scarlet by Doja Cat

You can summarize the lead-up to Scarlet by one word: Defiance. In today’s fan-obsessed stan-culture, Doja Cat, in preparation for this album, fought against the idea of the “being a fan = entitled to you” mentality that’s so long plagued the popular artists of the world. Whether it was getting into public spats with any remotely negative comment via Twitter (I refuse to call it _) or through Instagram Live videos since the release of Planet Her, fans or any close observers have witnessed Doja participate in activities that would be career suicide for anyone with less talent, less will, or less skill. 

In the leadup to this album, Doja Cat spoke of Scarlet as a traditional hip-hop album, in contrast to her previous, more-poppy records like her 2021 release Planet Her. The versatile artists, while nearly-condemning her previous records, spoke of this project as a “chains-are-off” album, informing her remaining fans that her album would have an entirely different sound than what we’ve grown accustomed to hearing. One that’s free of expectations, free of record execs, free of pop-star pressure. 

While that might not entirely be the case, one thing is correct: she is absolutely right about this album crafting a different sound. From the album’s opening track, “Paint the Town Red,” backed by its sample from Dionne Warwick’s “Walk on By,” Doja unleashes a near-confrontational style of rhyming, one that doesn’t hesitate to question you for questioning her ability as a rapper. 

While Doja was never a one-dimensional artist, Scarlet, for lack of better words, is a stamp of lyrical approval, showcasing that flow-for-flow, few can match her knack as a creative. For those looking to experience Planet Her Pt. 2, do not hold your breath. Scarlet is her lengthiest album, with nearly an hour in run-time, and a different experiment than longtime Doja fans have ever heard, being her most lyrically complex project.

Scarlet shows a great sense of shit-talking ambition and complex fury, with Doja using her art to fight back at critics and real-life controversies, even if they are of her creation. You can define this album as a direct and sometimes repetitive hip-hop project equipped with some heavy-rock ambiance. However, this is the appropriate energy for an album titled Scarlet. She’s energetic in all the right ways, and her rapping throughout this project is more in-your-face, with occasional acts of showboating and upfront vulnerability.

Production-wise, this album damn near becomes a concept album from instrumentation alone, with each beat creating a crimson-red feel long before Doja steps towards the microphone. There has never been a more thematic-appropriate set of instrumentals that allows Doja (or vice-versa) to set up the subject matter, flow, and (sometimes) even the bars. Songs like “Fuck the Girls (FTG)” are dominated by the overbearing beat, allowing Doja to spit a no-nonsense threatening style of flow over booming 808s and extremely-dark instrumentals. 

Overall, a very good album! Extremely traditional hip-hop and one I would recommend checking out. You can listen to Scarlet here.