DOJA CAT.

Winter blues got you down? Feel like your days are dragging on? Time to pop in those earbuds and play some Doja Cat.

Recently I’ve really been discovering Doja Cat’s music and bumping to her extremely catchy songs on my trek to class. Her playful and bouncy style mixes bubblegum pop with trap, which distinguish her from the rest of the rising artists in the rap game. You may recognize Doja Cat from the viral song and music video “MOOO!” but you better not limit her abilities to that single piece. Each of her songs have a different type of sound ranging from light trap to slightly grungy and pop punk, as her voice is extremely versatile. Doja crushes any and all expectations placed on her as an artist and instead chooses to make music that feels good to her.

Doja Cat, was born in Los Angeles, California as Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini. Dlamini comes from a fairly artistic family as her father was a composer, her mother was a painter, and her grandmother was an artist. Her first exposure to rap music came from her brother as he used to rap to her when she was a child. Moreover, Dlamini played the piano and danced throughout her childhood. Her music falls within the genres of rap, R&B, hip hop, and neo soul. She credits Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, Erykah Badu, and a few others for influencing her style of music, while also drawing off of Indian and Japanese culture for inspiration as well. To date she has made two albums, with her most recent one called “Hot Pink” which was released in 2019.

One song that truly draws me into Doja Cat’s music is “Juicy” (which peaked at #45 on the US Billboard Hot 100). The first few seconds of the song where the anticipation is built before the beat is introduced are catchy enough to roll around my head for hours. The song has the perfect tempo with enough bass and pace to keep you moving and wanting more. Moving out of musical technicalities, Doja Cat’s lyrics are simple and are extremely fun to sing along to with your friends (particularly a late Friday night or so). Doja Cat’s meaning behind her lyrics is not awfully complicated, as it is a lighthearted song that is simply about butts. Her body positive language embraces any body shape, type, figure, etc. and she goes about this without bashing “skinny” girls, as many other songs with the same theme have done. It’s essential to have artists like this that aim to make everyone feel good and sexy, regardless of their race, gender, body type, and so on. Doja’s unapologetic sexual expression and appreciation of bodies crafted together with an amazing beat make a memorable song.

I urge to take a chance on Doja Cat’s music, even if you think you might not like it you’ll never know until you find out.

Blog Topics

Passion Blog: Keep the current blog about music and discovering/reviewing new and alternative artists, musicians, and bands.

Civic Issues Blog: The idea for this blog is examining the rise of mental illness among youth and teenagers over the past couple of years. Why is this spike happening? Are more people just getting diagnosed? Is it due to the impact of technology/social media? What are some proper treatments to fix these issues? Along with these increases in mental illness, I would also examine the use of prescription drugs (or more so the over-prescription of drugs) and compare these rates to the past.

This I Believe Draft

I believe in taking my shoes off at the door.
-talk about the things that my grandparents always told me to do/ bothered me about
-mention how this happened all the time
-these things may have been annoying in the moment, but have built my character over time
-manners, being polite, respectful, these things have been ingrained in me now
-I have only realized this when reflecting upon the past
-mention how hardworking, stubborn, motivated by success my grandparents are
-their work did not end within the house (grandma cooked everyday, yard work, helped the neighbors, never asked for help themselves)
-never complained about their current situations, only strived to create the best for me and our family by doing whatever they could
-traditions are necessary for one’s identity and honoring them makes me feel closer to my grandparents, as well as respecting where they came from and how they became the people they are now

Themes:
-Respecting traditions/customs from your culture (even if you don’t like them/or think that they are annoying or outdated it is important to show respect towards the past and the things that made your family who they are)
-Appreciating your elders and the path that they paved (Use this as motivation to succeed in your life! Your life has been made possible and created for you, don’t let this opportunity slip away from you!)
-Recognizing the hardships that they went through in order to allow you to have the opportunities that you have today (We don’t always take time to look back and truly be mindful of what we have and have been given.)
-You have to step into someone elses shoes in order to fully understand what they have been through and appreciate everything that they have done.

Traditions:
-cleaning house every saturday
-going to church sunday morning
-making pierogies/ kotlety
-picking mushrooms
-planting flowers, keeping nice appearance of the house
-grandma making food for the sick/alone elderly neighbors
-mowing lawns/ doing yard work for elderly with my grandpa
-don’t wear hats in the house
-take shoes off at the door
-never buying/eating food outside of the house (there is always food at home!)
-always having leftover polish food for school lunches
-grandma making packages for relatives in Poland

As a child I remember the constant nagging I endured from my grandparents merely seconds after I stepped foot through the front door. Why isn’t your jacket zipped up? Where is your hat? You’re going to get sick! Come eat some soup. Take off your shoes, I just cleaned the house! This is the comforting, yet quite annoying ritual which awaited me every afternoon, a ritual that nestled in the spaces separating the squished couch cushions, deflated from years of use.

My grandparents are the type of people that have been handcrafted from the thickest and most durable piece of granite.They are ridiculously stubborn in their ways and refuse to let any distractions get in the way of their daily routines. Every morning I arose to the click of the kettle and the tinkling of a metal spoon against the sides of a mug as my grandma prepared my grandpa’s cup of instant coffee. Soonafter they would both drive to the nearby nursing home where they cleaned grime, changed dirty diapers, and delivered meals in order to make a meager wage.

I remember my grandma’s firm hands folding pierogies and pressing perfect creases among the edges……

Second Semester Blogging Ideas

Passion Blog: I’m keeping it the same as last semester, which is having a blog about music (upcoming artists, indie bands, etc.) This blog talks about the background of each artist, the style/genre of the music, descriptions of their quirky musical distinctions from other artists, as well as explanations of the meanings of some of their songs. I keep each entry factual, but I also occasionally add my own personal opinions about the artists in each post.

Civic Issues Blog: One possible idea for this blog is about rehabilitation for either addiction or mental illness. Mental illness has always been a difficult topic of discussion, yet is becoming increasingly easier to talk about in this modern day and age. Rehabilitation and the rights a patient has is a very interesting topic to me as many people with illnesses do not receive the proper care they have a right to, and are taken advantage of. I have researched mental illness with the 1930s and the horrifying medical procedures that a lot of people went through just because they were seen as different from the rest of society. Rehabilitation is a serious topic that could prevent future relapses, aid people suffering from mental illnesses, and that has the ability to change people’s lives if used correctly.

Another possible idea for this blog is examining the rise of mental illness among youth and teenagers over the past couple of years. I got this idea through my sociology class last year as I found out that youth suicide rates have spiked significantly in recent years. Girls as young as 12 to 15 also have extremely high rates of self harm comparing to the rates of past generations. Why is this spike happening? Are more people just getting diagnosed? What are the proper treatments to fix this issue? Along with these increases in mental illness, I would also examine the use of prescription drugs (or more so the over-prescription of drugs) and compare these rates.

“This I Believe” Podcast: One idea for this podcast is the power of music. I believe that music has the ability to change a person and is essential to life. Music brings me so many feelings that I just cannot describe. But, I feel these sensations inside of myself, deep down rumbling in my lungs, brooding in my stomach. Music has changed me, and keeps on changing me every day. It has been a comfort when I needed it the most, it has supported me and motivated me to pursue the greatest moments in life.

Another idea for this podcast is talking about the constant need for change. I believe in pushing myself to grow and to never be comfortable with a sort of stable routine. I believe that some people get stuck in their lives, and eventually they lose their motivation to seek out new experiences and refuse to explore. I believe in a controlled chaos, one where there is always something to learn from or become a better person because of a change in one’s life.