Doja Cat Earns First No. 1 Rap Song w/ ‘Paint the Town Red’ This Year

Doja Cat has achieved a remarkable milestone in her career, going from having her rap skills questioned to securing the coveted No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She becomes the first solo rapper to reach the top of the chart in over a year.

On Monday, September 11th, the Los Angeles native ascended to the pinnacle of the chart with her single, “Paint the Town Red.” This track, released in early August, has been steadily climbing and is currently enjoying its fifth consecutive week on the chart.

This achievement marks Doja Cat’s second No. 1 single, with her previous hit being “Say So” featuring Nicki Minaj, which was released in 2020.

According to the most recent Billboard data, “Paint the Town Red” has garnered 32.1 million radio airplay audience impressions, 27.7 million streams, and 8,000 downloads.

Earlier this year, Doja Cat announced her intention to make changes to her music and move away from the pop genre after shedding her pop star title to focus on refining her rap skills. In April, she took to Twitter to share her new direction, saying, “no more pop.” She also acknowledged feedback about her rap verses, stating:

“I know they are. I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I just enjoy making music, but I’m getting tired of hearing y’all say that I can’t, so I will.”

When asked about the inspiration behind this shift, she revealed that pop music no longer excited her, saying:

“pop isn’t exciting to me anymore. I don’t wanna make it.”

In more recent news, Doja Cat has been announced as one of the performers at the 2023 VMAs, joining a lineup of A-list artists. The event is set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and will be broadcast live on September 12th. Other stars scheduled to grace the stage include Lil Wayne, Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion, Karol G, and Shakira.