The nature of being a popstar means that people will always downplay their rapping ability. Drake has spent over a decade desperately trying to balance the two worlds. On one hand, it’s deeply considerate and intentional to be able to conjure up good rapping. However, some of that takes a backseat to popstar imperialism, enough where more people can jam to it but also isolate those who want a little more. It’s something Doja Cat still deals with to this day, despite her elusive and kinetic flow. Now, she’s lashing out about it.
Recently, Doja made a series of response tweets, responding to various criticisms about her rapping. The first saw her respond to someone claiming that she didn’t have any quotable lines. Obviously, she took exception. “You don’t listen to or read enough of my writing to be able to make this claim. I’m alright at what I do and sometimes I’m incredible,” Doja says. “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.”
Doja Cat Lashes Out at People Taking Shots at Her Rapping Ability
Then, the person tried to explain what rap was to her, like she doesn’t do it for a living. None of this makes sense in Doja’s mind. “You can continue to copy and paste this theory but the truth is is I do tell stories, use punchlines regularly, and prioritize wordplay frequently. This is what rapping is by definition. You agreed that I rap. If I rap on 95% of my music what does that mean in your mind?” she replies.
Then, Doja Cat defends her credentials further by describing her interests and origins. The way she sees it, she just happens to be a popstar. “Rappers write similarly to each other but a lot don’t. There are rappers who have strengths and weaknesses. I am one of them. But that doesn’t mean I dont know what I’m doing,” she explains.
“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,” Doja Cat continues. “Examples of rap that sounds this way are Busdriver, Aesop Rock, Quasimodo, Doom, the Captain Murphy project, Atmosphere etc.. There’s a lot more but these rappers shaped part of how I write. It’s not always about being a better writer than other people or being the best. It’s just about expressing yourself.”
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