Doja Cat Explains Why 'Scarlet' Is An 'Angry Project': I'm 'Squaring with All & Defending Myself'

Doja Cat aired several complaints on her 2023 album Red.

And in a new interview with Jack Harlow about Present Spacethe “Paint the Town Red” rapper explained why tapping into her own rage was such an important part of her creative process. “Red it's a very, to put it simply, a very angry project,” he said in the conversation published Thursday.

“I think the point of this album was to show anger and how I process it through my mind, but it's also about standing up for your own love and being loved,” Doja continued. “It's kind of my 'Why should I!' moment when I fight with everyone and stand up for myself, telling myself that I'm here for me and not just for everyone else's enjoyment.”

Released last September, Red followed the success of 2021 Planet Her. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top Rap Albums chart.

Speaking to the “First Class” rapper, Doja also opened up about why she carefully considers who she does and doesn't follow on social media. “I think as humans, we're not ready, or we're not fully prepared, or fully evolved, when it comes to the Internet,” the Grammy winner said. “So when we see things online, there are things that we think we have control over that we don't. And when we see people having a good time, but we're rotten, not having the best day, and we're scrolling and we see something that's not artistic expression, but someone who's doing something that we'd like to do, I think we're not doing 'Consider what it does this to our brains.”

“I know I just shouldn't follow people who aren't going to be creative, because that's more stimulating for me in a positive way, to follow people who are creating something new,” he continued. “It's a safe haven for me as opposed to a place where I see people either pretending to be happy or being truly happy. I don't want to use my phone to witness people's happiness that I'd rather experience in real life.”