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Doja Cat's first single "So High" (2012)

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Doja Cat's first single "So High" (2012)

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Having uploaded many tracks to Soundcloud before this one, "So High" was the first to gain traction quickly online.

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Its a hair flip ;3
 creds to Evil Needle ;  Falling Leaves ;3

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Setting the tone for the rest of her career, Doja Cat released a song whose title included a slur used by alt-right 4Chan users, and against those who've suffered police brutality

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Doja added that she's counted, and she's done 98 apologies over the course of her career in response to various criticisms towards her. "My behavior isn't something that always needs to be followed. I'm not perfect," Doja admits. "But at the end of the day, I shouldn't be doing dumb sh\*t. But also, I need to be standing up for myself instead of making a video that's diplomatically and politically correct."

To Doja's credit, being a celebrity does not make you a default role model. Famous figures have been saying this for decades. Meanwhile, artists who have grown up on the internet and participated in social media culture have left a digital footprint. It's now commonplace for audiences to dig up and interrogate old content, positive and negative.

Truth is, celebrities are not role models. They don't have to be perfect and pristine. But they're also not beyond accountability and being called out for woefully ignorant behavior that puts them in compromising positions.

It comes down to this: Doja Cat's fame and career comes in large part from her ability to tap smartly into internet culture with her music. But the reality of getting famous from the internet is that the same place from which you gained critical acclaim will also keep a record of your ascent - messes and successes alike.

Doja's intentions are probably genuine. She's probably not a writhing racist who secretly hangs out on alt-right platforms specifically looking to strip for bigoted men. She probably is proud of being Black and might not have internalized racism issues. But what Doja does have is a platform. She's a public figure with a huge fan base and, sadly, has to take the accolades with the criticism. It's her right to clear her name, but it's also in her best interest to be more conscientious about where and how she spends her time. The cost of fame is your character.

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A video of Doja Cat in a chat room with alt-right men resurfaced, along with an offensive song from 2015.

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Despite her online fame, which followed the release of the music video for "Mooo!", Doja's first album failed to reach much commercial success.

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Having started her career by uploading tracks to Soundcloud, Doja Cat's online presence has played an immense role throughout her career

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Garnering much more success than her first album, through critics' reviews and more online traction, Doja's second studio album produces hits such as "Say So" and "Streets"

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"Say so" became a viral hit at the beginning of the pandemic, when a dance trend emerged featuring the song.

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Say So song created by Doja Cat. 8.7M videos. Watch the latest videos about Say So on TikTok.

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The dance trend was later featured in the official music video.

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A remix of "Say So" featuring international rap sensation Nicki Minaj was released later in 2020, breaking a Guinness World record and solidifying Doja's place in the rap industry.

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Over the past two years, women have solidified their position at the forefront of Hip-Hop culture, and 2020 especially saw some of our favorite femcees reach incredible new heights. In addition to being more present and dominant than ever, the women in rap made history last year as well, as two female rap collaborations made it all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Doja Cat's "Say So" remix with Nicki Minaj was able to grab the top spot on the U.S. singles chart on May 16, 2020, and just three months later, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's sultry single "WAP" also reached the apex of the Billboard Hot 100. While both of the songs made history, it was Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj's groovy, pop-rap collab that was able to crack the ceiling and open the floodgates.

Over a year later, that achievement has now been recorded in the history books, as the Guinness World Records have officially recognized the "Say So" remix as the first song from a female rap duo to become a Hot 100 chart-topper. While fans await Doja Cat's response to the great news, Nicki has shared the news on her Instagram, with the caption, "No album/single out in 3 years. Cheers to 2022."

Revisit Doja Cat's Nicki Minaj-assisted remix of "Say So" below and let us know in the comments some of your favorite female rap duos of all time.

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Doja Cat & Nicki Minaj's "Say So" Remix Earns Them A New Guinness World Record

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Nicki Minaj and Doja Cat will go down in history as the first female rap duo to conquer the Billboard Hot 100.

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Doja's third studio album featured multiple superstar-status celebrities (Ariana Grande, The Weekend), as well as those popular within the rap worls (Young Thug, JID)

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Lead single for Planet Her (2021) & collaboration with SZA

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Lead single for Planet Her (2021) & collaboration with SZA

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Doja Cat - Kiss Me More (Official Video) ft. SZA

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In the second of a series of four Genius interviews, Doja Cat establishes her online presence again, analysing what is considered to be a "meme" song online.

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Doja Cat "Mooo!" Official Lyrics & Meaning | Verified

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Despite a plethora of controversial moments throughout 2023 (and prior), singles from Amala's newest album "Scarlet", have yet again solidified her status as a rap star.

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Doja Cat's "Paint the Town Red" adds a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and ascends to its first frame atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. survey (dated Sept. 30). Notably, the song is the first rap hit to lead the latter list over the ranking's four-year history.

Elsewhere, Drake's "Slime You Out," featuring SZA, debuts at No. 3 on the Global 200 and SZA's "Snooze" soars 42-6 following the arrival of its remix with Justin Bieber. Plus, two songs are new to the Global Excl. U.S. top 10: Kenya Grace's "Strangers" (21-4) and Tate McRae 's "Greedy" (a debut at No. 10).

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts' calculations.

Third Coat of 'Paint' Atop Global 200

Doja Cat's "Paint the Town Red" logs a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, having become her first leader on the list, with 89.8 million streams (up 1%) and 12,000 sold (up 5%) worldwide Sept. 15-21.

Jung Kook's "Seven," featuring Latto, keeps at No. 2 on the Global 200, after spending its first seven weeks on the chart at No. 1 beginning in July.

Released Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. ET, Drake's "Slime You Out," featuring SZA, starts at No. 3 on the Global 200 with 52.1 million streams and 2,000 sold worldwide in its first week. Drake earns his record-extending 30th top 10 on the chart.

Olivia Rodrigo's "Vampire" falls 3-4 on the Global 200, after it debuted atop the chart and led for two weeks in July, and Taylor Swift's "Cruel Summer" rises 6-5, after reaching No. 3.

SZA's "Snooze" bounds 42-6 on the Global 200, surpassing its prior No. 25 peak. Following the Sept. 15 release of its remix featuring Justin Bieber, it boasts gains of 60% to 41.7 million streams and 99% to 3,000 sold worldwide. Thanks to "Slime You Out" and "Snooze," SZA ups her count to five top 10s on the survey. (All versions of "Snooze" roll up into one chart listing; Bieber is not listed on the song on the Global 200, as the remix did not account for the majority of the single's overall consumption during the tracking week.)

'Red' Reign on Global Excl. U.S.

Doja Cat's "Paint the Town Red" rises 2-1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, marking her first leader on the ranking, with 64.8 million streams (up 3%) and 4,000 sold (up 8%) outside the U.S. Sept. 15-21. Notably, the song is the first rap hit (as defined by songs that have hit Billboard 's Hot Rap Songs chart) to top Global Excl. U.S. over the ranking's four-year history.

Jung Kook's "Seven," featuring Latto, drops to No. 2 after spending its first nine weeks on the Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 1, and Myke Towers' "LaLa" rebounds 4-3, after it dominated for a week in July.

Kenya Grace's "Strangers" vaults 21-4 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 28.9 million streams (up 50%) and 1,000 sold (up 42%). TikTok has been a big factor in the growing profile of the South African-born, British-raised singer-songwriter's breakthrough song, as a portion of its audio has been used in over 500,000 clips on the platform; she also has over half a million TikTok followers. Two weeks earlier, Grace became a first-timer on Billboard 's charts.

Taylor Swift's "Cruel Summer" climbs 6-5 on Global Excl. U.S., after hitting No. 4.

Plus, Tate McRae's "Greedy" launches at No. 10 on Global Excl. U.S., with 22.1 million streams and 1,000 sold outside the U.S. in its first week. The singer-songwriter from Calgary, Alberta, Canada (she drives a Zamboni in the song's official video), achieves her first top 10 on the chart, surpassing her prior No. 15 best with her first entry, "You Broke Me First.," in 2020. Notably, she appears in the video for Olivia Rodrigo's "Bad Idea Right?" (which hit No. 9 on the ranking a week earlier).

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Sept. 30, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 26). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard 's subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

(This story has been updated, Sept. 26, to reflect revised ranks on the Global Excl. U.S. chart.)

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Doja Cat's 'Paint the Town Red' Tops Global Charts, Drake & Kenya Grace Lead New Top 10s

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"Paint the Town Red" rules the Global 200 for a third week and Global Excl. U.S. for a first frame - becoming the first rap hit to lead the latter chart.

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Doja Cat went on to perform at the 2023 Video Music Awards in August.

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Doja Cat - "Attention" / "Paint The Town Red" / "Demons" | 2023 VMAs

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Doja Cat: 'Planet Her,' Natural Chemistry with Ariana Grande and the Power of "Woman" | Apple Music

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The Internet has played a positive role in Amala's career as well - she was able to break through into the music industry as a high school drop out, and become one of the most well known new artists.

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Doja Cat Talks Going From Drop Out to Viral Sensation on Growing Up: California

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With the e-girl trend gaining traction on TikTok, among other socials media sites, in 2020, Doja's Vogue interview titles "Doja Cat's Guide to E-Girl Beauty" serves as yet another example of just how prominent her social media presence has been.

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Doja Cat's Guide to E-Girl Beauty | Beauty Secrets | Vogue

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There's a popular adage floating around the social media site formerly known as Twitter: "I miss the old Doja."

With the release of her album Scarlet this fall, pop star Doja Cat debuted a new look. She dropped her colorful lacefronts for a shaved head. She eschewed skin-baring costumes for brutalist demon-inspired imagery. Oh, and she told her fans - repeatedly, aggressively - to fuck off.

The singer built her career on being a pop star who enjoyed the finest things the internet had to offer, just like regular people. She shitposted constantly, going on comedic Instagram Lives and gaining her first bout of genuine fame in the music industry for a green-screened video of her singing a song with the lyrics "Bitch I'm a cow." She was knowledgeable enough to enjoy internet comedy but not feel like she was selling something, taking a playful approach to promoting her music, which most fans appreciated.

But in the lead-up to Doja's new album - and with it, the sudden appearance of a Doja fully immersed in a darker side of the internet - users have redoubled their discussions surrounding her online interactions, homophobic comments, and past ties to nebulous chat rooms. On Friday, the singer posted a selfie on Instagram, revealing that, in addition to her bejeweled eyebrows and rhinestone crown, she was wearing a T-shirt with a photo of Sam Hyde. (Hyde is an infamous comic best known for his Adult Swim show Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace, which was canceled over allegations of racist, sexist, and alt-right content. Whenever a school shooting occurs, fans of 4chan spread the rumor that Hyde is the shooter, a misinformation hoax so common that it once tricked U.S. Congressman Vicente Gonzalez.) After heavy backlash from fans, Doja deleted and re-uploaded the photo, this time cropped to remove Hyde's face, but not without also changing the caption to include a plethora of eye-roll emojis - 39 to be exact. The prevailing critique seems to be that this is an era that Doja needs to leave, that there's a past version of the singer that would give fans the same quality of music, without any of the seeming neo-Nazi sympathies or links. There's only one problem: The old Doja isn't dead. This version has been here the whole time - people just haven't been paying attention.

In fact, most of Doja's past controversies all center around her being too online for her own good. During the height of her initial fame in 2020, a video leaked of Doja in a Tinychat room, rolling around on a bed while saying the n-word. The video chat room was associated online with alt-right and white supremacist movements, and fans decried Doja's presence in such a space. (Or, as rapper N.O.R.E called it, Doja was "in racial chat rooms showing feet.") In a 2020 statement, she denied being associated with any racial conversations, but said that calling her friends white supremacists was "fucking stupid." There's also past (and now-deleted) social media posts from 2015 of Doja using homophobic slurs to describe Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, the Creator, and her staunch defense of her long-rumored boyfriend J. Cyrus. Cyrus, a streamer and comedian, has been accused of manipulating and emotionally abusing members of his Twitch team and community. (On Dec. 20, 2020, Cyrus issued a now-deleted apology, acknowledging that he had caused many of his moderators harm, but was working on himself. ) Put succinctly, Doja Cat has long been associated with her extreme views online. The difference is that as she becomes more famous, she seems less inclined to hide it.

doja cat BEEN weird but the music ate so bad i had to chalk them chatroom feet shenanigans up to fake news. but this getting ridiculous
- zae (@itszaeok) October 7, 2023

On Sept. 22, Doja Cat released Scarlet, a 15-track LP that took aim at all of the star's biggest critiques of fame and virality. Rolling Stone writer Larisha Paul described the album as Doja "brawling in the trenches of the IDGAF war," failing to solidify her status as an internet troll by showing cracks in her bravado. "Seventy percent of the nearly hour-long Scarlet tries to convince you that Doja is unbothered," Paul writes. "Even as she fired off hyper-specific breakdowns of exactly what it is she isn't bothered about." But as her controversies continue far past her album rollout, Doja is emerging as a pop star seemingly determined to misrepresent valid criticisms people are throwing her way.

A small - and male - contingent of the "I miss the old Doja" crowd seems to be fixated on the singer's past looks, commentary that's allowed the vocalist to wrap up valid concerns over her edgy obsessions and alt-right past connections into a nebulous clapback against fans with parasocial relationships. "I don't even know y'all," she wrote to a fan on Threads in July. "Seeing all these people unfollow makes me feel like I've defeated a large beast that's been holding me down for so long," she commented on Instagram after seeing a dip in followers. "I don't give a fuck what you think about my personal life I never have and never will. Goodbye and good riddance miserable hoes."

In Doja Cat's 2021 Rolling Stone cover story, her team and managers cited her past controversies online as an example of a child of the internet growing into her newfound fame. "When you're dealing with a real artist, everyone makes mistakes. Everyone says things. I would be lying to you if I said there wasn't nervousness [about her being online]," her manager Gordan Dillard said. "But Doja's growing into an adult. She's maturing. She's a human being. And I can never be mad at her for being herself. She is who she is."

But at 27 years old, Doja Cat isn't a kid accidentally going too far on Facebook while her parents aren't home. She's an adult with a large platform, who apparently thinks wearing a T-shirt of a neo-Nazi sympathizer is just edgy, and everyone is too sensitive. And as she continues in her career, Doja Cat's actions feel less like the stumblings of a child and more like those of a grown pop star who has no desire to learn in the first place. She's been screaming for people to pay attention to her. Maybe it's time we did.

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Doja Cat's Edgelord Posts Have People Freaking Out. It's Nothing New

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Doja stans have redoubled their discussions surrounding her online interactions, homophobic comments, and past ties to nebulous chat rooms.

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Doja Cat on Thursday became the latest star to join the popular internet show "Hot Ones," which features celebrities eating spicy chicken wings while answering questions.

But her appearance - which was tied to her recent album, "Scarlet," and touched on her evolution as an artist - comes after months of mounting controversy. Many of her fans (who refer to themselves as "Kittenz") have called out the rapper for some of her recent actions, including when she openly mocked some of them.

A representative for Doja Cat didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. She didn't address any of the recent backlash during the show.

Here's a look at why she has been so controversial online.

Selfie with Sam Hyde shirt

Last week, Doja Cat posted, then deleted, a photo of herself wearing a shirt showing YouTuber Sam Hyde, who is known for his alt-right leanings.

She later re-uploaded a cropped selfie that hid the shirt design. The caption of the photo is a series of eye roll emojis.

Hyde is an alt-right comedian known for his YouTube channel and his Adult Swim show, "Million Dollar Extreme: World Peace," which was canceled after one season. The show was criticized because of its edgy sketches and his social media posts supporting alt-right conspiracy theories like Pizzagate, he said in a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Hyde also donated $5,000 to the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer in 2017 when the Southern Poverty Law Center sued it for organizing a harassment campaign against a Jewish woman, according to the Los Angeles Times. When the Times asked him why he donated the money, Hyde said, "You can say I want reporters to know I make more money than them."

The photo featured on Doja Cat's shirt depicted Hyde carrying a gun. The image has been used as a meme in response to multiple mass shootings over the years, with trolls claiming "Sam Hyde is the shooter." After the 2017 Sutherland Springs, Texas, church shooting, memes of Hyde duped Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, who incorrectly said Hyde was the shooter.

Doja Cat fans expressed disappointment at her posts. Some compared her recent behavior to that of Ye, whose fans denounced him this year after he praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis.

Doja Cat hasn't publicly responded to the backlash against her shirt.

Telling fans to 'get a job'

In July, Doja Cat took to Meta's Threads to tell fans to get off their phones and "get a job." After a fan account asked for a preferred fan base nickname, she doubled down, writing, "Just delete the entire account and rethink everything." She also denied a person's request to say she loved her fans. "I don't though because I don't even know y'all," she wrote.

After the heated exchanges with multiple fans, major presences in the "Kittenz" world, including the Twitter fan pages @DojaNews, @thekittensroom and @DojaHQs, signaled their discontent by deactivating their accounts. The fan account @dojacatbrazil announced an indefinite break this week.

Some behind the accounts who spoke to NBC News at the time said they had hoped she would issue some kind of an apology.

Dating a controversial streamer

Doja Cat was spotted kissing Twitch streamer and musician Jeffrey Cyrus, better known as J. Cyrus, in December. Fans criticized her affiliation with Cyrus, who has been accused of emotionally abusing and manipulating his female Twitch moderators.

Cyrus issued a now-deleted apology in 2020 acknowledging the accusations from his moderators, according to Rolling Stone.

"There is no excuse nor justification for my actions. I was careless. I was greedy. I was ignorant. I was disrespectful. And I was completely in the wrong. In a position of power and trust, I gave into the temptations and attention of those who looked up to me," he wrote.

When fans called her out for her alleged relationship with Cyrus, Doja Cat wrote in an Instagram comment, which included profanities, that she doesn't care what people think about her or her personal life.

She hasn't addressed it further.

Participating in chatrooms some label as offensive

Doja Cat received backlash in May 2020 for allegedly frequenting chatrooms for incels, or "involuntary celibates," and white supremacists. Videos of her participating in such rooms on the messaging app Tinychat began circulating on social media at the time.

The videos resulted in the trending hashtag #dojacatisoverparty on X. Fans accused her of laughing at racist jokes and appealing to incels in the chatrooms.

Doja Cat said in a 2019 interview with Paper Magazine that she had a "religious obsession" with certain unnamed chatrooms as a teenager.

"People would pick on me and use horrible, horrible language, just the worst, and I just didn't understand why people were so crazy on there," she told the magazine. She added that she would join in on the fun by making "offensive jokes and do things sort of out of the box."

After she was criticized for her time in the chatrooms, she apologized in a now-deleted Instagram post and said she never said anything racist in the calls.

"I've used public chat rooms to socialize since I was a child. I shouldn't have been on some of those chat room sites, but I personally have never been involved in any racist conversations. I'm sorry to everyone that I offended," she wrote in the now-deleted Instagram post, according to Complex. She added that she was proud to be a Black woman with South African heritage.

Titled a song after a racial slur

In 2015, Doja Cat released a song with title that was a racial slur that originated on the message board of the extremist forum 4chan.

The phrase came out of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. It is derived from the phrase "didn't do nothing," and it is used to mock victims of police brutality, according to Know Your Meme.

Doja Cat responded to criticism over her use of the word in an Instagram Live session in May 2020. She said she had heard the phrase the day she created the song. She said that members of a chatroom she was in had called her the phrase and that the song was an act to reclaim the slur used against her.

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Here's why Doja Cat is considered controversial online, even to her fans.

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The rapper, who was a guest on Thursday's episode of "Hot Ones," recently angered fans when she wore a shirt depicting an alt-right comedian.

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The singer is holed up at her home as she recovers

Doja Cat confirms that she's undrgone the knife for lipo and breast reduction

Doja Cat has revealed that she's undergone breast reduction and liposuction surgery.

The star has had lipo on her thighs and reduced her breasts to 32C

Getty Images for Coachella

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Doja Cat reveals she's had breast reduction and liposuction surgery

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The singer is holed up at her home as she recovers

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Doja Cat and her current boyfriend J Cyrus

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Doja Cat and her current boyfriend J Cyrus

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Along with her own scandals, Doja Cat recieved additional backlash in the past few months for dating Vine star turned Twitch streamer J Cyrus, who was accused of harrasment by multiple women between 2020-2022.

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Rumours about Doja Cat's involvement in notoriously racist online chatrooms escalated from sole participation to accusations of actively encouraging members to voice hate speech.

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Pop star Doja Cat has denied taking part in racist conversations online, and apologised for a song that appeared to mock victims of police brutality.

The star took to Instagram to address several accusations, including the suggestion she had stripped for white supremacists in a video chatroom.

While she called that allegation "100% incorrect", the star admitted to "dumb-ass behaviour" in her past.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you or made you feel in any way upset," she told fans.

The singer/rapper, whose real name is Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini, was responding after the hashtag #DojaCatIsOverParty trended on Twitter over the weekend.

'Bad decision'

The controversy was triggered by the emergence of an old song under the title Dindu Nuffin - a term used to disparage black victims of police brutality.

Some people claimed the lyrics referred to Sandra Bland, a black woman who died in police custody in Texas in 2015, although Dlamini never mentioned her by name in the song.

Subsequently, footage began to circulate of the singer participating on the video chatroom site Tiny Chat, making sexual comments to men who were reportedly members of the alt-right/incel community - an online subculture of white supremacists who are "involuntarily celibate".

In a statement posted to her Instagram on Sunday night, Dlamini tried to put the videos into context

"I've used public chat rooms to socialize since I was a child," she wrote.

"I shouldn't have been on some of those chat room sites, but I personally have never been involved in any racist conversations. I'm sorry to everyone I offended."

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The singer, whose father is South African actor Dumisani Dlamini, went on to say she identified as a "black woman" and that she was "very proud of where I come from".

She confessed to writing the song Dindu Nuffin, describing it as a "response to people who often used that term to hurt me". However, she now accepts, "it was a bad decision to use the term in my music".

98 apology videos

Hours after publishing her statement, the singer took to Instagram Live, describing the text as "an edited piece from me and the people I work with", and promising to use her live stream to address the controversy in detail.

After playing fans clips of the 98 video apologies she had drafted over the weekend, the star spent 30 minutes discussing the allegations against her.

She described Dindu Nuffin as "lyrically lost" and "maybe the worst song in the entire world", but insisted it was "in zero ways connected to police brutality or Sandra Bland".

"To see a song, my song that I made, connected to an innocent black woman's death is one of the most awful rumours that I've ever encountered," she added.

Dlamini again denied taking part in racist conversations, while admitting "there is racism that happens across Tiny Chat", suggesting it was more prevalent there than on other social media sites.

However, the star added that she had been a moderator on the site before her musical career took off, and had banned users for comments that were racist or abusive towards women.

"I've been targeted by it and I know it's controllable," she said. "The narrative that it's a white supremacist chat is absolutely 100% incorrect."

Dlamini further addressed people who had said she was guilty of "internalised racism" and self-hatred", saying: "I love my skin colour. I think I'm beautiful".

She acknowledged that some of her promotional photos may have been "lightened to a certain point" but claimed: "That just happens. I'm not behind editing my photos".

And she also denied mocking Beyoncé, following a video that spread across social media in which she appears to refer to the star as "Beyonkey".

"Beyoncé is the cream of the crop," she said. "Beyoncé is the reason why I believe I can be who I am. Beyoncé is one of the driving forces of who I am in my career. Beyoncé is undeniably talented and every time anyone has ever came for Beyoncé, I was there. And that's all I have to say."

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Doja Cat's internet history was dragged into the spotlight after the breakout success of her disco anthem Say So, which recently went to number one in the US and number two in the UK.

She concluded her video message by thanking fans for their support, and acknowledging that she was not an ideal role model.

"This is the most serious you're ever going to hear me speak," she said.

"To all of my young fans [and] people who look up to me, my behaviour isn't always something that needs to be followed.

"I'm not perfect - but at the end of the day I shouldn't be doing dumb [stuff]".

Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

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Doja Cat denies 'stripping for white supremacists' and using racist insults

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The rapper denies participating in racist chatrooms and apologises for offensive lyrics from 2015.

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Doja took to Instagram to respond to the allegations being brought up by her fans.

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In an effort to stay relatable, Doja tweets about her plastic surgery in an 'attainable' way

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Throughout the lead-up to the release of her new album Scarlet, Amala has 'called her fans out' numerous times.  A couple of examples can be seen when we look at multiple tweets from this time -  she has told her fans to "get a job" instead of arguing about the name of her fan base online, as well as saying that anyone who likes the music she previously released fell for an elaborate "cash-grab" scheme.

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Doja Cat Reportedly Calls Out Fans Who Dubbed Themselves ‘Kittenz’: ‘Get a Job’

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Doja Cat has reportedly called out her fans for appearing to select a nickname for her loyal fanbase without her consent.

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Doja Cat lost nearly one million followers this summer, following her tweets dissing fans.

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Doja Cat, who has lost 911,910 Instagram followers in the last 30 days, said it's made her "feel free."

Last month, she disparaged fans who nicknamed themselves "kittenz," and told a commenter she didn't love her fans.

Some applaud the singer for setting boundaries, while others question if this might hurt her career longterm.

Doja Cat is hemorrhaging Instagram followers in the midst of her latest album rollout. But rather than apologizing for insulting dedicated fans, the singer is doubling down, saying the dropping numbers have made her "feel free."

Over the last 30 days, Doja Cat - whose real name is Amala Dlamini - has lost 911,910 Instagram followers, according to metrics tracker Social Blade. She currently stands at a staggering 25.1 million followers.

The losses come after Dlamini posted messages on X (the app formerly known as Twitter) and Threads last month that made fun of her most loyal fans for calling themselves "kittenz."

"My fans don't name themselves shit," she wrote on July 23. "If you call yourself a 'kitten' or fucking 'kittenz' that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house."

The remarks sparked outrage and ignited a discussion about the ethics of parasocial relationships between celebrities and their fans. Some are applauding the singer for setting boundaries, while others are questioning if she's sabotaging her own career.

Dlamini seems largely unbothered if she is losing fans by the multitude.

"Seeing all these people unfollow makes me feel like I've defeated a large beast that's been holding me down for so long," she wrote in an Instagram Story on Wednesday. "It feels like I can reconnect with the people who really matter and love me for who i am and not for who i was."

The following day, Dlamini reposted a meme to her Stories that read, "People pleasing is over become unacceptable."

In recent weeks, Dlamini has continued to feud with members of her communities. Along with dissing their self-given fandom name, the singer refuses to acknowledge the connection she has with some of them.

When another user told Doja Cat they wanted to hear her say she loved her fans, she responded, "I don't though cuz i don't even know yall."

Last month, NBC reported that one former fanpage operator named Jamun, who has since deactivated his @DojaNews account, suspected Dlamini was lashing out after fans had widely criticized her suspected boyfriend, J. Cyrus, a comedian and Twitch streamer, who has faced allegations of emotional abuse.

Dlamini's statements this week have only prompted her followers to continue hashing out the drama in the limited comments section of her latest post.

"Imagine getting mad at someone for setting boundaries with STRANGERS and thinking you're in the right," one wrote. "If u like when people unfollow you and u wish to be unfollowed," another argued, "why do u keep releasing music babes make it make sense."

Insider has reached out to Dlamini's reps for comment.

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Doja Cat thought she could afford to diss her most loyal fans. Now she's hemorrhaged nearly 1 million Instagram followers - but she's doubling down.

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The artist, who said she felt 'free' after hemorrhaging followers, is igniting a debate about fan dynamics and parasocial relationships.

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Doja Cat used slurs wen refering to fellow rappers Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt in 2015, then proceeded to repeat the aforementioned slurs in multiple attempts at a public apology.

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Doja Cat Comes Under Fire for Defending Homophobic Language in Tweet

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After allegedly using a homophobic slur, the viral “Mooo!” star issued an apology that sparked even more outrage. She has since issued a cycle of apologies, which have been deleted from…

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Pop musicians love eras. Every album cycle they put on a new alter ego different from the last like a costume, taking on a whole new personality, aesthetic and sometimes public persona too. Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are literally in the midst of tours that cycle through their decades-long careers, personalities and music. Pop rapper Doja Cat is no different from every other pop star even if she claims she isn't.

The singer is using controversy to sell her new venture into what she calls her truest rap era.

For her new album "Scarlet," the pop rapper transforms into her new era: The Scarlet Era. She now dresses in a new demonic, blood-red look all the while fending off her fans in real life and on the internet (See "Attention" music video). The promo for the album mostly consists of images of a bloodied Doja Cat and her dancers. At the VMAs, the artist was accompanied by a legion of bloodied Scarlets, and statues of red Scarlet mannequins have been popping up all over the country.

It's a change from her previous albums "Hot Pink" and Grammy-nominated "Planet Her," which fans familiarized themselves with her pop sound and look. It's almost fitting that the rapper has released songs titled "Demons" and "Paint the Town Red" when she is aiming to burn down whatever favorable image people and her fans had of her before this new cosplay became her personality.

Like every artist that has come before Doja (think in the vein of Miley Cyrus), the singer is using controversy to sell her new venture into what she calls her truest rap era. Rappers usually have a closet full of skeletons and so does Doja Cat even though she says she doesn't in the song "97."

In the last handful of years, during her meteoric rise, the musician has faced possible cancellation for a plethora of bad behavior. It goes as far back as her early internet days saying homophobic slurs, in 2020 being accused of engaging in race-play chatrooms, and starting a feud with teen "Stranger Things" actor Noah Schnapp. While all this behavior she's accused of is troubling and odd, unfortunately, it's become expected for chronically online people to be engaging in this type of edge-lord, troll-like behavior. That's not even the extent of where Doja's controversies end.

Earlier this year, the singer took to Threads to claim that her former successful and critically lauded pop albums were "cash grabs," upsetting her fans, who weirdly call themselves Kittenz. And yes, it's with a "Z." In a now-deleted post, Doja upset them even more: "My fans don't name themselves s**t. If you call yourself a 'kitten' or f**king 'kittenz' that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house." When fans asked her to tell them that she loved them she said in response, "I don't though cuz i don't even know y'all."

She'd rather be famous for metaphorically burning down her image because she let fame go to her head.

She reportedly lost 500,000 Instagram followers after the set of deleted posts. Fans even began to deactivate their fan accounts - no longer wanting to support the singer after her refusal to coddle fans. After the mass unfollowing, Doja said that it felt like she "defeated a large beast that's been holding me down for so long . . . I feel free."

In her second Billboard No.1 single "Paint the Town Red," the musician raps about this newfound freedom. She'd rather be famous for metaphorically burning down her image because she let fame go to her head. And she's going to have so much fun in the chaos because "she's the devil/She a bad lil' b***h, she a rebel."

She spits:

Yeah, b***h, I said what I said
I'd rather be famous instead
I let all that get to my head
I don't care, I paint the town red

Furthermore, the fans also have a beef with Doja Cat because of her relationship with comedian and Twitch streamer J. Cyrus. The controversial Cyrus has been accused of emotional abuse, lying and manipulation by female moderators on Twitch. Fans also claimed that Cyrus would flirt and message younger female fans who were of legal age but were significantly younger than him.

Despite the allegations of abuse and following outcry from fans, Doja and Cyrus are reportedly still dating. There is speculation that her newest single off of "Scarlet" addresses everyone's concerns about her relationship. The singer is in love in "Agora Hills" and she doesn't care to show it off to everyone who chides her for it. But she also calls out her fans' involvement in her personal life, and she basically tells them to bugger off.

The rapper sings:

Get used to my fans lookin' at you
F*** what they heard, I don't f*** with them birds
I'm a mean kitty, don't get stabbed with the rat tooth
Boys be mad that I don't f*** incels

In a moody "F**k the Girls (FTG)," the rapper again tells her fans off by referencing her viral Threads message: "I don't love you h**s, you worship everything you couldn't be." In "97" she again, repeats the same grudge she holds against her haters who ultimately double as her fans:

Like they wasn't tryna fight me in Threads ('Bout some music)
In a tweet that I'ma probably still stand by (I'm ruthless)
Keep ya money, funky b***h, 'cause I don't play about (The rumors)
They gon' buy it, they gon' pirate, they gon' play it, they consume it

Doja Cat has a right to criticize how attached fans are to her personal life. Every celebrity deserves their right to privacy especially when it comes to their relationships, but the constant barrage against her fans feels like it's misdirected and maybe even a level of projection. As someone who is so hell-bent on incinerating her already charred reputation, the singer sure as hell cares about what people think about her. As a woman, I understand her need to want to burn everything down and lash out when people are expecting too much from her. She will never 100% appease every single stan but regardless if celebrities like it or not they do have a pre-established social contract with their fans. Whether they honor it or not is up to them but they can't be surprised when there is backlash when they say their fans are basically nothing to them.

It's easy for me to be unsympathetic to the backlash against her because she prides herself in being the same level of internet troll as her extremist super stans. Some pop music stans can act like rabid animals, and I know this as I had a One Direction Twitter fan account in 2013. But the only way to win the internet troll games as a creative artist passionate about the work is to drown out the noise and trust the opinions that hold real weight.

Throughout "Scarlet," Doja is palpably angry. She is ready to retaliate against the negative effects of the parasocial relationships between fans who have still given her the level of fame that allows her to openly say to them that they should "f**k off." And even though the new album is receiving mixed reviews from critics, moderate sales numbers and a public souring on her image - she still has secured herself a Billboard No. 1 single. Selling controversy is the cheapest trick in the music game and clearly, no musician is above making a buck off their own personal mess. But it absolutely drowns out what is important about the art and fabricates it into a spectacle - the very thing Doja Cat is afraid of becoming.

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Doja Cat's new polarizing, dark side cashes in on how controversy always sells

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Op-ed on how Doja Cat has been under much scrutiny during the release of her most recent album "Scarlet"

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It all kicked off on Threads!

Doja Cat has sparked controversy online after telling her fans to "get a job" after noticing some of them named her fan base Kittenz. The rapper is in the midst of a rebrand as she gears towards making different music following the success of her albums Planet Her and Hot Pink.

Over the weekend, Doja Cat called out her supporters which has led to a lot of them deleting their accounts. But how did it all start? Here's the full Doja Cat controversy explained.

The drama stems from Doja Cat calling her two albums 'cash grabs'

In May earlier this year the rapper called her two hit albums, Planet Her and Hot Pink, "cash grabs".

"Planet Her and Hot Pink were cash grabs and y'all fell for it. Now I can go disappear somewhere and touch grass with my loved ones on an island while y'all weep for mediocre pop," she wrote in a tweet. However many people seemed to laugh it off, responding with memes to the tweet.

Doja Cat criticised her supports who call themselves 'Kittenz'

In a now deleted social media post, Doja wrote: "My fans don't name themselves sh*t. If you call yourself a 'kitten' or f**king 'kittenz', that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house."

When asked for clarification from a follower about their social media handle, the rapper told them to "delete the entire account".

"Just delete the entire account and rethink everything it's never too late," she wrote.

When asked by a fan to express her love, she said no quite bluntly

The controversy continued when another fan account asked Doja Cat to express her love for her fans and the rapper replied: "I don't though because I don't even know y'all."

The drama continued when another fan account said they had supported Doja through "thick and thin".

"Nobody forced you [I don't know] why you're talking to me like you're my mother b**tch you sound like a crazy person," the rapper wrote on Threads.

Top fan pages for Doja Cat began deactivating their accounts

Following the fallout from her comments, Doja's top fan pages on Twitter began deactivating their accounts. Some of the accounts include Doja HQ, The Kittens Room and Doja Cat News.

Doja Cat then deactivated her Threads account

After all the drama, the rapper then deactivated her account on Threads.
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Featured image credit via YouTube.

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As her supporters deactivate their fan pages, here's the Doja Cat controversy explained

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Doja Cat controversy explained as her fans deactivate their accounts. Doja Cat has faced controversy online recently for conversations with fans.

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In October Amala posted a series of images of herself wearing a t-shirt depicting alt-right comedian Sam Hyde for which she received significant backlash online.

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Doja Cat is catching heat once again for her online antics.

On Friday (Oct. 6), the 27-year-old rapper posted and then deleted a photo of herself on Instagram wearing a shirt with an image of alt-right comic Sam Hyde, who reportedly has ties to the neo-Nazi movement.

Doja's black tee featured a pic of Hyde holding a rifle, an image often used as a meme on social media in the aftermath of mass shootings.

See latest videos, charts and news

Hyde previously served as a co-writer on Adult Swim's Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace, which was canceled after one reason following complaints of racist and sexist themes, according to Buzzfeed. In 2017, the comedian also pledged $5,000 to neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer after its editor Andrew Anglin faced a legal battle with the Southern Poverty Law Center over his alleged "trolling" against a Jewish woman, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Doja Cat deleted the original Instagram photo featuring Hyde, but later replaced it with a cropped version with his face removed. The second post featured a caption with numerous rolling eyes emojis. The comments section included many onlookers expressing their disapproval of the "Paint the Town Red" singer's choice to post the controversial image.

"why are you hiding your shirt? embarrassed that you're wearing something with a nazi on it ?" one user wrote. Another added, "girl get it together. this isn't cute or funny."

Many fans also took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their frustrations with the rapper. "imagine being a pick me for incels... like doja cat is really trying her best to be cancelled and un-famous again just so she can get back to those racial chat rooms full time," one person wrote.

Doja Cat is no stranger to online controversy. Earlier this year, she claimed that her last two albums - 2021's Planet Her and 2019's Hot Pink - were "cash grabs" and teased her fanbase for falling for it. She also lost nearly 300,000 social media followers after blasting her fans for calling themselves "Kittenz." In recent years, Doja came under fire for tweeting homophobic slurs to describe rappers Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, the Creator, and was accused of participating in alt-right chat rooms.

Doja recently dropped her fourth album, Scarlet, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The new set marks her highly anticipated return following Planet Her, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and delivered plenty of Billboard Hot 100 chart hits.

She'll be heading out on a 24-date trek in support of the album with The Scarlet Tour, which launches on Halloween in San Francisco and wraps Dec. 13 in Chicago. Opening acts include Ice Spice and Doechii.

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Doja Cat Gets Backlash After Wearing Shirt With Photo of Alt-Right Comedian Sam Hyde

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Doja Cat is facing backlash after posting and deleting a photo of herself wearing a shirt with an image of alt-right comedian Sam Hyde.

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This article discusses Doja Cat's new album and the various avenues through which we can view it as a success. However, it should be noted that this album has not managed to reach the success that Planet Her had reached before. This is likely due to the provocative nature of the album and the rebrand that she has decided to pursue.

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5 takeaways from doja cat's new album 'scarlet' | grammy.com

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5 Takeaways From Doja Cat's New Album 'Scarlet' | GRAMMY.com

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'Scarlet' is a creative reset for Doja Cat, who returns to her rap roots for the 17 track, self-written record. Read on for five takeaways from Doja's jarring journey of introspection.

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This album has been seen as provocative from the very announcement, with wax replicas of Doja's newly formed persona Scarlet appearing around the US.

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In 2022, after what was considered a disappointing show for many South American fans, Doja Cat took to Twitter to announce that she was quitting music. This was the beginning of a series of tweets in which Doja expressed the desire to rebrand or explore new creative avenues in terms of genre as well as aesthetics.

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Doja Cat's music career is dead ... thanks to Twitter.

Well, that's what the singer and rapper's claiming, at least, after going toe-to-toe with the Twitter mob over a canceled concert in Paraguay. Her first mistake was hopping online after playing Lollapalooza in Brazil Thursday night.

Doja copped to not putting on "a good enough show," but promised she'd do better Friday night. Well, her fans in Paraguay got all butt hurt because she'd never tweeted them over missing a festival show there earlier this week. Mind you, that concert was canceled due to a deadly storm and flooding ... so, certainly not DC's fault.

Anyway, Doja's response to the ridiculous outrage was "I'm not sorry," and that ignited the Twitter war with fans and even journalists in Paraguay. She eventually fired back, "I moved on I'm just gonna let everybody be mad" ... and changed her Twitter handle to "I quit."

Then she rage tweeted, "I can't wait to f***ing disappear and I don't need you to believe in me anymore." She added, "I'm a f***ing fool for ever thinking I was made for this this is a f***ing nightmare. Unfollow me."

Doja topped it off by declaring, "This s*** ain't for me so I'm out. Y'all take care."

BTW, she's supposed to hit the road with The Weeknd this summer in North America ... so, we seriously doubt she's done done -- but, way to go, Twitter. Ya happy now?

Originally Published -- 7:06 AM PT

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Doja Cat Quits Music After Twitter War with Pissed Fans in South America

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Doja Cat claims she's quitting music after going toe-to-toe with an angry Twitter mob.