Doja Cat recently sat down with CBS Sunday Morning, where she opened up about her artistry and the upcoming release of her new album Vie. During the interview, she made a statement that immediately lit up social media: “I think I’m a rapper that makes pop music.” For someone whose career has always danced between rap verses and pop-friendly hooks, it wasn’t a shocking admission, but it was enough to spark a heated online conversation.
The rapper-singer has never been afraid to melt genres, but here her words resonated. There were listeners who felt validated, affirming the theory that Doja's sound is firmly in pop territory even if she quite clearly does rap ability. Others took offense, however, speculating that she was trying to reboot herself at a time when her sound has become increasingly dependant on rap. The controversy soon gained momentum, and her statement became one of the better-read music moments of the week.
Doja Cat pop music controversy goes viral
The quote went viral when a post of her quote began going viral on Instagram and X. People reacted by the hour, with fans breaking down whether Doja should be considered a rapper, pop star, or both. Some pushed back on her statement and some defended it, and others just joked about it in internet fashion.
It was answered bluntly by one user,
"Which pop music have you made before"
"But she primarily rap so she is a rapper, not a pop singer."
The jokes weren't far behind either.
One supporter made light of it by saying that
"Doja's genre is officially 'whatever TikTok is calling it this week.'"
Another scoffed at it altogether with,
"She said it right and that is all you need to know,"
but another tried a bit of tough love: "Girl you a pop artist give it up."
The split answers confirm the way polarizing Doja Cat's genre-bending sound has become. She's spent years alternating between number-one pop singles such as Say So and darker rap anthems from newer material, so the public face of her has never easily fit in with one category. For some followers, that eclecticism is exactly what makes her stand out.
For others, it provokes bewilderment and that's why her words sparked so much controversy. It's also worth noting that this isn't the first time Doja Cat has bucked the notion of genre-labeling music. In past cycles of albums, she's pulled away from pop altogether, hinting that she was eager to pull more strongly in the rap direction. Now, however, she seems to be embracing a split identity, nodding to her rap roots while also touching on the irresistible pop sheen of her biggest hits.
That struggle between self-conception and public perception is driving much of the buzz surrounding her.
Doja Cat's comment is dangerously plain, but it implicates a wider debate within music: do genres even exist anymore? Her comment evoked such animated reactions because people see her differently some as pop princess, others as rapper who made it over. The truth is she has established a career by refusing to be in any one lane, and maybe that is what she is contending. Whether you choose to agree or disagree, one thing is for sure: Doja Cat thrives in gray spaces between genres. As Vie approaches, her ability to produce this kind of controversy shows she isn't merely part of the pop or rap space she's redefining what we know about both.