Hot Pink Deluxe

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Doja Cat first achieved mainstream success as an internet "meme star" in August 2018 with the single "Mooo!". The consequent revival of material from her existing catalog earned her first two entries on the Billboard Hot 100: the original solo version of "Juicy" and "Candy". Doja Cat told the Los Angeles Times that she wanted Hot Pink to earn her more respect as a rapper. While recording the album, she ceased to smoke marijuana and discovered that her songwriting improved significantly, feeling "more concise and clear and levelheaded." In an interview with Paper, she referred to Hot Pink as a firm restart for her career, and the most "refined, chiseled" representation of herself. She named the album Hot Pink because she wanted people to feel that it was "passionate, warm and welcoming." However, in 2023 Doja Cat ended up describing the album, along with the following outing Planet Her, as "mediocre pop" and "a cash grab."

In Their Own Story

Hot Pink opens with "Cyber Sex," in which Doja Cat expresses her desires to engage in virtual sex. This is followed by the African-influenced song "Won't Bite" featuring Smino, which samples "My Angel (Malaika)" by Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte. A fully rap song in "Rules" follows, which Nerisha Penrose of Elle found to be influenced by Kendrick Lamar. The fourth song, "Bottom Bitch" samples the 1999 Blink-182 song "What's My Age Again?" and was noted to have taken on a more punk approach to pop. On the fifth track, "Say So," Doja Cat gives a nod to the 1970s, as she "seamlessly switches between floaty vocals and skilfully contained flows over a disco-inspired beat." It is followed by "Like That" featuring Gucci Mane, an upbeat R&B, hip hop song. "Streets," the ninth track, was described as a melancholy R&B ballad that sees Doja Cat "in her most serious form." The album closes with the remix of "Juicy," which contains guest vocals from rapper Tyga.

Reader's Guide

Hot Pink became known for its longevity and ability to produce singles long after its release, ultimately spawning seven singles between 2019 and 2021. A remixed version of "Juicy" featuring Tyga served as the lead single on August 15, 2019, and became Doja Cat's first career entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Bottom Bitch," was released on October 3, 2019, with a music video sporting a "girl-power, early-aughts pop-punk" aesthetic. The third single, "Rules," was released on October 24, 2019, along with a music video in which Doja Cat portrays a reptilian mafia boss. "Cyber Sex" was released as the fourth single on November 7, 2019. "Say So" became a sleeper hit after gaining popularity on TikTok, where a dance created by user Haley Sharpe went viral. Following a remix featuring Nicki Minaj released on May 1, 2020, "Say So" reached number one on the Hot 100, becoming both Doja Cat's and Minaj's first number one single. "Like That" featuring Gucci Mane was serviced as the sixth single in early May 2020. In early 2021, "Streets" became a sleeper hit and entered the top 20 of the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, as well as the top ten on the Billboard Global 200.

Did You Know?

• Doja Cat stopped smoking marijuana while recording Hot Pink and found her songwriting improved significantly.
• The song 'Bottom Bitch' samples the 1999 Blink-182 song 'What's My Age Again?'.
• The album was nominated for Top R&B Album at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.
• In 2023, Doja Cat described Hot Pink as 'mediocre pop' and 'a cash grab'.