Doja Cat, Planet Her | Album Review 💿

Grammy-nominated singer/rapper Doja Cat shines on her third studio album, Planet Her.  Planet Her screams ‘breakthrough’ album. 

For 🎙 Doja Cat (Amala Dlamini), her sophomore album, 💿 Hot Pink, was a key moment in her career.  Basically, Hot Pink elevated her profile, helping set up her third studio album, 💿 Planet Her, for big-time success.  Listening to Planet Her, it sounds as if Doja has arrived, delivering an enjoyable, well-rounded pop album that appeals to numerous listeners.  This is the project that feels like her ‘breakthrough’ album. No, Planet Her isn’t flawless, but ‘more often than not,’ it’s a thrilling, ‘victory lap’ for Doja. 

“Woman”

“I touch your soul when you hear me say, ‘Boy’ / Let me be your woman.”  Doja Cat commences Planet Her superbly with the groovy, feminine ✅ 🎵 “Woman.” The chorus is repetitive but ultimately sweet.  As for the verses, Dlamini paints the various roles of women. The first verse is sung and smoother in quality, while the second features those aggressive, ‘gives no fucks’ bars.  Thematically, second track 🎵 “Naked” doesn’t need excessive explanation, as Doja clearly has the bedroom in mind.  One notable moment is when she proudly references her bisexuality (we assume), via fruit:

“Don’t care who see me out my clothes, baby
Yeah, I like bananas and peaches.”

On 🎵 “Payday,” Doja Cat enlists idiosyncratic rapper 🎙 Young Thug for the assist.  His performance is indelible and distinct – an acquired taste to some degree.  Of course, Thugga’s verse is characterized by the universal three-letter word. As for Doja, she focuses on the drip, as the song title suggests. Never short on personality, follow up, 🎵 “Get Into It (Yuh),” is a prime example. The performance is frisky and outlandish.  The chorus, particularly, is wild: “If you go to church / Get into it, yuh / If she ain’t got a butt / Fuck it, get into it, yuh.” Worth noting, Dlamini pays ode to Nicki Minaj on the outro – RESPECT!

🎵 “Need to Know” 

✅ 🎵 “Need to Know”, one of the best moments from Planet Her, finds Doja Cat accompanied by sleek, modern production work from 🎛 Dr. Luke.  This sophisticated, fresh backdrop plays to her strengths, which lie in the realm of pop, R&B and melodic rap. Doja gives us a little bit of everything, singing often, but dropping some un-pitched rhymes on the second verse.

The theme of choice is, of course, SEX!  What really sells this sexed-up joint is her big personality, and as we all know, size matters (“What’s your size? (Size) / Add, subtract, divide (‘Vide)”).  The crème de la crème – the crowning achievement – is the memorable chorus:

“Wanna know what it’s like
Baby, show me what it’s like
I don’t really got no type
I just wanna fuck all night.”

“Need to Know” finds the pop artist thriving with her cutting edge, unapologetic approach.

✅ 🎵 “I Don’t Do Drugs” marks another high-profile collaboration, this time featuring 🎙 Ariana Grande. It marks one of the top tier joints from Planet Her. The record is an aesthetically pleasing, cool, chill ‘burner.’ The production is silky smooth (🎛 Sully and 🎛 Y2K), anchored by a banging beat.  Doja’s vocals are impressive, and she ensures she’s the star. Grande doesn’t upstage her, even given her own compelling turn on the second verse.  You won’t be able to keep the chorus out of your head! While 🎵 “Love to Dream” has the unenviable task to follow two juggernauts, it maintains the consistency of Planet Her.  Once more, Dlamini serves up radiant vocals, adding in an edgier, rapped verse as well.

“You Right”

“I got a man, but I want you / And it’s just nerves, it’s just dick / Makin’ me think ‘bout somethin’ new.” Woo! Doja Cat keeps Planet Her fiery with ✅ 🎵 “You Right,” a steamy, honest duet with 🎙 The Weeknd.  Clearly, Amala is in a situation.  She has a man, but she wants this other man.  Likewise, The Weeknd feels the same, with the sex playing a big role (“But-but-but this sex will cloud your memory / A couple of strokes to put it in, then you’ll belong to me”). Safe to say, that some potent D…

🎵 “Been Like This” features the gift of pitch shift, on the intro vocals performed by 🎙 Bryson Tiller.  This intro sets the tone and provides contrast to Doja.  As usual, she enters, bringing ample firepower.  The balance between singing and rapping continues to be one of the selling points of Planet Her as a whole.  One specific selling point on “Been Like This” is the sweet upper register Dlamini exhibits toward the end.  On 🎵 “Options” featuring 🎙 JID, the ‘options’ are, um, sexually charged – shocking, right? A prime example: “Kitchen, island, bedroom, closet.”  Basically, her and him can 🎵 “Go to Town” any and everywhere (see what I did there?).  It’s shallow but entertaining.

“Ain’t Shit”

So, who exactly ‘ain’t shit’ on ✅ 🎵 “Ain’t Shit?” According to Doja, “these dumb-ass niggas.” As you might imagine, Dlamini drags the living [bleep] out of them, exuding ample toughness.  “Niggas ain’t shit, come up in your crib / All up in your fridge, can’t pay rent.” Woo! It doesn’t stop there, particularly when Dlamini states, “They fall, then I gotta facepalm.” 🤦 Mercy! 🎵 “Imagine” gives another polished joint, masterfully produced by 🎛 Mike Hector and 🎛 tizhimself – that beat and those synths! As for Doja, she’s ‘in-your-face’ giving that bold persona. She continues to ‘get her shine on’ on penultimate cut, 🎵 “Alone,” delivering more sweet vocals.  One of the more memorable lyrics hails from the chorus: “Baby, when you fought me at the door (Fought me at the door) / Kinda hard to force what’s natural.”  Something tells me, “Alone” will be one of those records from Planet Her that elevates itself towards the top of the listening rotation.

Planet Her concludes with infectious hit single, ✅ 🎵 “Kiss Me More” featuring 🎙 SZA. There are several reasons why this joint is so successful.  For one, the track’s underpinnings – the harmonic progression and such – is admirable.  Furthermore, lush production work awesomely supports sweet vocals by Doja Cat and later, SZA. An 🎙 Olivia Newton-John classic, 🎵 “Physical”, further fuels that fire. Doja sings and raps, showing off incredible versatility. She brings the heat on her rhymes coming over aggressive, playful, and sexed-TF-up (“I, I feel like fuckin’ somethin’” and “Niggas wishin’ that the pussy was a kissin’ booth”).  As for SZA, she brings vocal contrast on the third verse, matching Doja’s aggressiveness (“Pussy like holy grail, you know that / You gon’ make me need bail, you know that”). “Kiss Me More” is nothing short of a surefire bop.

Final Thoughts 💭 

All in all, as stated before, Doja Cat has arrived on Planet Her.  There are plenty of fun and enjoyable songs to tickle the listener’s fancy.  Doja does great balancing rapping and singing, showcasing her artistry and versatility.  Planet Her is not perfect, but to date, this is Amala Dlamini’s best offering to date with no shortage of bops.

✅ Gems 💎: “Woman,” “Need to Know,” “I Don’t Do Drugs,” “You Right,” “Ain’t Shit” & “Kiss Me More”

🎙 Doja Cat • 💿 Planet Her • 🏷 Kemosabe / RCA • 🗓 6.25.21

[📷: Kemosabe / RCA]