Doja Cat Discusses Being Considered A Rapper & Nicki Minaj's Influence

“The only person who should be rating hip-hop is an OG or somebody who is respected in hip-hop,” Doja told Elle for a new profile.

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As for her love for rap, she explained, “When I was little, that’s kind of all I listened to,” mentioning Busta Rhymes and Lauryn Hill. “I’ve rapped since the beginning, and I really couldn’t even sing that well to begin with—I got a lot better. I use my voice as a tool to create these worlds, and it’s fine if people think that I can’t rap.”

One high-profile name to claim Doja isn't a rapper is Remy Ma. Appearing on Drink Champs in March, the legendary rapper praised Doja for making "dope records," but said her music shouldn't go in the "rapper category."

“I think her as a businesswoman really inspired me,” Doja told the outlet. “The way Nicki can carry herself felt almost alien to me, because I was kind of a little runty kid, trapped in her room, just watching YouTube videos. And back then I was like, ‘Damn, that’s dope.’”

Check out the cover for Doja's Elle profile below.

About The Author

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.