The 11 best Doja Cat songs

Why have a Top 10 when you can have one more? Here are our 11 favourite Doja Cat songs, ranked

A true popstar of the digital age, rapper-singer-performer-internet troll Doja Cat is the controversial but undisputed bridge between rap and pop, alternative and mainstream. From her early SoundCloud releases – her independently released debut single ‘So High’ (2012) has since amassed 9.58 million plays – to plenty of viral moments since (mocking her own fans, making a song about cows…), Doja Cat has cultivated a dedicated online community and presence.

Despite her aversion to her popularity (or notoriety), Doja has steadily carved a lane for herself with every project; each more lyrically and sonically elevated than the next. This past week brings even more elevation for the artist, with a recent teaser for the deluxe version of her latest album, Scarlet; a Jay-Z approved verse on the soundtrack for Jeymes Samuel’s The Book Of Clarence; and it also marks the four-year anniversary of release of her TikTok breakout hit ‘Say So’.

But with an all-hits-no-skips catalogue, which of her songs reign supreme? Ahead of her Parklife headline slot, and the UK leg of her Scarlet tour in June, we rank her top 11 songs.

11. ‘Say So’

(Hot Pink, 2019)

There was a point during TikTok’s rise to the top the social media food-chain in 2020 where you couldn’t go two videos without hearing the chorus of ‘Say So’. The fifth single from Doja Cat’s sophomore album, Hot Pink, the disco pop track kicks off our list with its seamless blend of sugary sweet vocals and witty tongue-in-cheek bars. This song best encapsulates her Hot Pink era, managing to breeze between unapologetically feminine motifs whilst staying true to her off-centre rap delivery, assertively telling the romantic subject of the song to confidently let Doja know if they want her; as she states “if you frontin’, I’ll be bouncing”. Equal parts fun and empowering, the song’s remix with Nicki Minaj went to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – the first song by a female rap duo to do so.

10. ‘Game’

(Amala, 2018)

While 2019 definitely marked a breakout year for Doja Cat, it did mean that her debut album, Amala (2018), was overshadowed by the more brash and overtly pop-leaning Hot Pink, neglecting some of the more alt-pop songs in her early catalogue. Fear not, because this list gives Amala the love it deserves, with ‘Game’ coming in at number 10. The aptly titled track features sonic elements reminiscent of a late 90s video game soundtrack, while the lyrics lament the games played by Doja’s romantic counterpart – “you did it to me like you’ve played this game before”. The youthful bouncy house of the Yeti Beats-produced track pairs ingeniously with the immature attitude Doja is taking issue with, and sets the perfect backdrop to contrast with her witty lyrics and sharp delivery.

9. ‘Woman’

(Planet Her, 2021)

Ah, what we would do to hear this song for the first time again. Ever the genre-bender, ‘Woman’ is the Afrobeats-inspired opening track of Doja Cat’s pop magnum opus project, Planet Her (2021). Setting the tone for the rest of the album, ‘Woman’ showcases an even more artistically cohesive Doja, as she glides between a succinct rap and R&B vocal performances. All the soulful, experimental and quirky elements of Amala, and the pop mainstream sensibilities of Hot Pink, come together to create a more elevated future-looking sound that celebrates womanhood and Doja’s one-of-a-kind artistry.

8. ‘Better Than Me’

(Hot Pink, 2019)

Coming in at eighth place on our list is the sultry R&B deep-cut ‘Better Than Me’. Produced by TROY NōKA, Yeti Beats and JohnGBeats, the slow track kicks off with Doja Cat stating “All of them b*tches ain’t better than me”, a reminder to all listeners on this album closer. With hip hop and rap’s long history of competitive bravado, it comes as no surprise to hear such sentiments from a contemporary rap heavyweight, but in true Doja Cat style, ‘Better Than Me’ is delivered in a pro-femme sex-positive it-girl manner.

7. ‘Need To Know’

(Planet Her, 2021)

An extraterrestrial trap-pop beat, a versatile vocal performance, atmospheric melodies and raunchy lyrics – ‘Need To Know’ takes us on both an audio and visual trip to the sensual plains of Planet Her. The video stars Doja Cat as a blue otherworldly Pussy Galore-esque character, which complements the innuendos in the lyrics; “I don’t play with my pen / I mean what I write”. With such horny overtones, it should come as no surprise that our lucky number seven was described as “grinding sex jam” by NME.

6. ‘Tia Tamera’ ft Rico Nasty

(Tia Tamera, 2019)

An ode to the Mowry twins and their Sister, Sister legacy, and also, an ode to being well-endowed. Both financially and physically. This 2019 single, later featured on the deluxe version of Amala, comes in at number six with a guest appearance from Maryland metal-rapper Rico Nasty. ‘Tia Tamera’ not only boasts some of Doja and Rico’s most audacious and skilled lyricism, but flexes some of Doja’s own production skills as well. The track is bold with a heavy bassline, and features references to Black 90s sitcoms, fashion trends, cartoons and cultural markers. The perfect hype song for any occasion.

5. ‘Get Into It (Yuh)’

(Planet Her, 2021)

As a lover of early deep-cuts, the interpolation of Nicki Minaj’s flow from ‘Massive Attack’ (2010) on Doja Cat’s second verse in ‘Get Into It (Yuh)’ is the primary reason that this song makes the top five. A deceptively simple and undeniably catchy track, ‘Get Into It (Yuh)’ is the fifth single off Planet Her and pays playful tribute to Minaj’s trailblazing pop-rap career – “Thank you, Nicki…I love you!” – all tied neatly into a glitchy/futuristic two-minute package. Nothing left to it but to get into it.

4. ‘Body Language’

(Amala, 2018)

We couldn’t make a top five without ‘Body Language’. With an R&B falsetto in the intro, and a sultry vocal performance throughout, Doja Cat proves she’s not a one-trick-pony and can deliver a classic yet contemporary R&B track with the best of them. Still as unabashedly sex positive as always, “We both got it in on freak / We ain’t afraid of sexuality”, ‘Body Language’ is Amala’s intimate hidden gem worthy of real estate in your upcoming Valentine’s Day playlists.

3. ‘Options’ ft JID

(Planet Her, 2021)

Our final trip to Planet Her, ‘Options’ takes third place on our ranking. A conversational collaboration about the perennial dating staple, the sneaky link, ‘Options’ features Dreamville rapper-singer JID providing the male perspective of the raunchy rendezvous. And raunchy it is indeed, with Doja Cat listing all the locations for their various activities – “Kitchen island, bedroom, closet” – and JID rap-singing about his Option’s abilities, “Stand on your hand ’cause you flexible”. But besides it’s sexual themes, ‘Options’ is a unique mainstream pop-rap staple in that it still offers a classic hip hop trope of a duet bringing the best lyrical performances out of each other, while still being extremely easy to listen to.

2. ‘Love Life’

(Scarlet, 2023)

Doja Cat made headlines trying to distance herself from her pop origins in the lead up the announcement of her latest album, Scarlet. Hoping for people to take her rap skills and hip hop contributions more seriously (or perhaps it was all trolling. With Doja Cat, you never really know), she called her previous albums “cash-grabs” and made it clear that Scarlet was a completely different, pure rap world. While the album still has embers of its predecessors, songs such as ‘Love Life’ proved her controversial album rollout right. ‘Love Life’ is set against a Jay Versace-produced track that feels like a future-looking J Dilla beat pack; all while Doja confidently expresses gratitude for the life she leads. This is an assertiveness we haven’t seen before, ladled with vulnerability and a shedding of the boxes the artist was forcibly put in.

1. ‘Rules’

(Hot Pink, 2019)

There’s only one person who can start a song with the line “Play with my p*ssy but don’t play with my emotions”, and have an accompanying music video where they play a kingpin who is also anthropomorphised cat. There is only one Doja Cat. The funky bounce, the Western-movie bass, the charismatic delivery, the mature themes – this is Doja at her finest. The opening line serves as a command to take her seriously. There’s only one part of her she allows to be played with (with consent) and anything else is non-negotiable. In many ways, ‘Rules’ is a progenitor of the confident rap style we hear in Scarlet and, with no doubt, her future hits to come.

Doja Cat’s Scarlet Tour comes to the UK in June. Find tickets here.