#99

#99. Doja Cat - Get Into It (Yuh) (#34, 2021)

3rd of 2021

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Nicki Minaj is a very frustrating figure to talk about. She's undeniably significant, carving out a lane that allowed many to follow suit. Even just in the lane of female rappers, there's a bit of a gap where you just don't see any hit songs for several years. This was part of why Nicki's success took me by surprise; she just didn't fit in with popular music at the point in time I arrived with it. That was probably true in any case though, as she was a larger than life personality who'd hide no eccentricities in her performance. What I might consider to be a put-off would end up being a defining feature. Nicki's fans loved her for her odd bars & asides, and it gave her a unique edge.

When Nicki stood up in her own lane for so long, it gave her an almost unprecedented edge. Whenever another female rapper came up, they'd inevitably be compared to Nicki. When one's had all the free real estate to themselves for so long, the comparisons are usually not flattering. Nicki has grown a reputation for having the most vile fanbase, ready to pounce upon any threats. When Cardi B had her quick rise to fame, there could have been some sense of camaraderie. The two even collaborated together not long after on Migos' "MotorSport", though that emerged rumours of a feud between the two. It's very easy also in a world obsessed with certain career stats for this to happen, as it no doubt got under a lot of Barbs' skin when Cardi quickly started amassing #1 hits before Nicki was able to have any (she'd eventually get a few).

It always feels like having this deranged army on your side has gotten to Nicki's head as she's seemed increasingly in line with their antics. Just one of those annoying by-products of a world that insists upon pitting women against each other until they eventually just go along with it. In her case, she's so far gone that it's hard to imagine reeling it back. Considerably more female rappers have seen success in the 2020s, and while Nicki could be revered as an elder stateswoman, she just doesn't seem especially interested, she's more into hitching up to MAGA instead.

When it comes to Doja Cat, she seems a little more content, and hasn't really started any major feuds with her. It helps that at the end of the day, Doja Cat took her to the career height that had eluded her for a decade: a #1 hit. It was a symbiotic situation; Doja Cat had her active hit "Say So" bouncing around near the top of the chart, while Nicki had an army of fans ready to pounce on a remix with her on it. The quality of the remix has never mattered in this regard; there was enough curiosity and campaigning to get to the top of the charts for a week. Maybe it's less important now that Nicki has gotten to #1 more times since then, but Doja Cat provided that initial breakthrough when it looked like the drought could be eternal.

The other thing that might help is that Doja Cat is very clearly influenced by Nicki and makes no secret of this. This entire opening spiel was inspired by the fact that she closes off "Get Into It (Yuh)" by quoting Nicki's song "Massive Attack" after saying 'Thank you Nicki, I love you'. What I'm now seeing is that there was an invitation extended out to get Nicki to hop onto a remix of this song (understandable given that the song's 2:18 runtime has all the hallmarks of 'we'll finish it another time'), but Nicki declined thinking that she couldn't add anything to the song. Amazing revelation of quality control or just disinterest now that the first collaboration had served its capital purpose, I'll leave it up to you.

I was a little late to hearing "Get Into It (Yuh)". I was very ardent about keeping up with the charts at the time but this was a peculiar exception where it just wasn't on the charts for a little while. It should have been, as part of a reasonably big haul of entries from Doja Cat's latest album, but the label decided to hold it off for quite a while, and I just didn't have the interest in me to look into it.

When I did, I was immediately impressed. It felt like a revelation, a side of Doja Cat as an incredibly capable rapper that we just didn't always get as part of the showcase on her crossover hits. The Nicki influence is clearly all over it with all the switch ups in delivery, but the moment that always gets to me is the song's second verse where Doja starts rapping in double-time and doesn't just stay on beat but hits this perfect state of rise and fall that briefly transports you. Bonus points that a good part of it is to defend another previous collaborator in Ariana Grande. It's another show of versatility, like "Boss Bitch" (#141) before it that can go a long way in proving the worth in one's arsenal.