Missy Elliott & Doja Cat Discuss Being Industry Outliers, Their Coveted Career Paths and More

In an extensive feature for Interview, Missy Elliott and Doja Cat discuss their careers, stardom and creating music for themselves.

Another artist on artist interview has arrived but this time it features the legend Missy Elliott and an artist who looks up to her, Doja Cat.

For the newest Interview cover starring Doja Cat, the two talented outliers speak about a range of different topics but it mainly centers the entertainment industry. In addition to speaking about the industry, the duo also candidly touches on Doja’s affinity for creating music that she finds fun. Interestingly, Elliot and her bond when they touch on this as she also thrives when she makes music that she finds personally meaningful. The discussion also touches on Planet Her, Hot Pink, and Doja’s career trajectory. 

The two bonded when discussing rapping versus singing, something Doja Cat feels she is constantly figuring out. Her thoughts on rapping: “When it comes to rap I could be better. I think everybody feels that way with their own art, in all kinds of ways. But I see all these incredibly talented rappers around me, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing pop, but I should focus on my pen now more than ever.’” Missy added, “That’s growth, because of course you don’t want to change so much, but then you do have to start tapping into other subjects.”

After this poignant moment, the two then leaned into chatting about creating music that pushes their artistry forward since it sounds dramatically different from their peers. Missy asked Doja: “Do you ever feel like your ideas are so far-left that maybe they don’t fit into the mainstream pop world?” Her response: “Absolutely. I have some songs that I so want to put out that are probably six years old. They are crazy. I sampled something that I’d probably never get the rights to.” 

Elliott then shared a few words of advice with Doja Cat:

“Sometimes you gotta take a chance. I never felt like I fit in, period. I don’t think there was a lane for the music that we did. The only reason they found a lane is because I was rapping over the tracks. But at first, I don’t think people understood the music. You’re starting to create your own lane. It probably won’t ever fit, but people will love it.”

From here, Doja opened up and shared that Planet Her is a “collage of sounds” she felt were cool. But, she also admits it was cohesive because she worked with one specific producer rather than allowing it to ether into weird, non-cohesive territory. “It was going to sound way weirder, but I took some stuff out,” she said. 

On the topic of rapping, Doja admitted it’s tough for her and added it’s harder for her to rap than sing. She also mentioned that she gets writer’s block sometimes when she’s working on her music that involves rapping. Eliott expressed here that she likes rapping more because she feels she can’t sing well. 

During another portion of the extensive conversation, the two also bond over being introverts who enjoy being home (interesting). Who knew they both were hermits who enjoy staying home?

An additional question that really stood out during their chat was this one from Missy, “Now, with so many women dominating hip-hop, has it settled in your mind yet that you’re a major figure at this moment?” Doja replied saying she still feels normal. 

Before the conversation wraps Doja Cat makes it clear that she always looked up to Missy Elliott due to her creative music videos. She says Elliott was her Beyonce when she was a child, this shared moment drives the point home that the interview was a full-circle moment for Doja. 

“No matter how much music I’ve done, the best feeling is when you talk to another artist, and you realize that something you’ve done has left an impact on them,” Elliot said.

Read the entire conversation on Interview.