In “Rules,” Doja Cat did not come to play at all.
Last year, à la Catwoman bolted through our speakers that she wasn’t a cat and doesn’t say meow. However the confident femcee snaps back in “Rules” chorus this time around, saying that she might if you don’t play with her emotions (or cash). Prior to ‘Rules,” Cat switched up the tempo, just like she breezes through vibrant wigs. In “Bottom Bitch,” Cat tested the waves of rock-and-roll and paddled through effortlessly with high spirits. Through the subtle auto-tune, Cat sung ever so softly about how much she loves her compadre.
But “Rules” is a contrast to the ballads she’s been releasing lately. Tapping back into her unbothered rhyme schemes, Cat steps on necks with her knee high purple boots, literally. Starting off, Doja Cat opens the door and enters a Wild, Wild, West inspired backdrop, wearing a purple fur coat, roped up corset and cowboy hat. Then once she picks up a clear briefcase full of cash and latches a iguana on her arm, things get pretty interesting. As the sensual feline spitter enters a white car, Doja lets her claws loose. With a no nonsense attitude, Cat gets straight to the point, leaving no room for any disagreement. Her line “Break some bread up, nigga, that butter my biscuit (Ha)/You ain’t talk money, then really, that’s none of my business/I don’t even need these lenses (Yeah)/20 on 20 my vision (Woo) ” only goes to prove that the artist has no time to waste. Because of self-assurance, she is always certain of what she wants.
Then at the 2:09 mark, Doja Cat comes in with a stripped blazer, red wig, stunner diamond encrusted shades, lipstick and a white collar. With an invisible smirk and little wave, Cat opens the trunk and those watching see the scene shift to an office setting. Mockingly, she moves her pen back in forth in means of poking fun at what she’s constantly heard before without really listing what it is, “Telling me this and that.” Following after, Cat suggestively says “Then throw that shit for the birds, I’m ghosting.” Be wary, because at the 2:30 mark, Cat lights the car on fire. And although others should be worried about the person trapped in, the act ends up signifying itself as powerful.
By the 2:49 mark, Cat slithers into some snake-skin attire and her sensuality follows in pursuit. As she pets a live snake, the world stops in their tracks because the reptile is rumored to be dangerous. Yet Cat remains unharmed. Moreso, it seems as if they are one due to their vicious nature. And as the video closes out on a snapshot of the car on fire, fans subconsciously label her as brave.
Honestly, the video alone proves that Cat is in a lane of her own.
If you haven’t already, stream “Rules” here:
By: Natalee Gilbert