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As she waited for her widely publicized album VIE, already causing a buzz for its unapologetic pop disco rhythms, Doja Cat has been battling to maintain her place in rap, one tweet at a time.

The Grammy-winning musician, whose career has been built upon blending styles in chart–toppers, was at the center of a bitter online war of words when an X user (@playeration) suggested her new project highlighted that she ought to be excluded from conversations regarding female rap in general.

“Hopefully after Doja drops pop disco album of the century her fans can stop trying to force her into female rap conversations,” the user posted. They doubled down with another tweet: “Sorry to inform you guys but you can’t be taken seriously as a rapper without ever prioritizing bars, punchlines, wordplay, and storytelling: the very things that make rap what it is.”

Doja Fires Back: ‘I Do Tell Stories… I Rap on 95% of My Music’

Doja Cat struck back swiftly and nastily. Paraphrasing the accusation, she replied:

“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?”

But the critic was less certain. Claiming to have gone out and gotten four of Doja‘s fans‘ opinions on her “best bar“ and gotten “CRICKETS,” the user wanted to know if she had ever actually dropped a knock-out rap moment.

Doja‘s reply did not hold back:

“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. 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.”

The Demand for Proof and Doja’s Refusal to “Dumb Down”

The critic pressed again, asking Doja to name her own go-to bar. Her answer was a blend of creative pride and irritation at being required to provide instant verification:

“If I give you any bars part of me feels like you will immediately shoot it down… 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. You aren’t stupid. Listen to my music.”

A Surprising Turn From Criticism to Respect

In a plot twist befitting a reality show reconciliation, the X user disclosed that they had in fact listened to her entire discography, even singing praises about deep cuts like “Jealous Type“ and “Take Me Dancing,” but clarified that when critiquing rap, they measure artists against legends like Rakim, Jay-Z, and Jeezy.

“By that metric, wordplay, punchlines, bars, I just don’t rate you as highly. That’s not hate, it’s just a difference in what I look for in rap.”

This prompted Doja to extend an olive branch:

“Now I understand you and you understand me and now I can respect where you’re coming from… If you haven’t been able to find a bar that you can connect with, that’s more than okay, that’s your right. Thank you.”

The critic continued praising the scenes from VIE, calling them “album of the century“ material.

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