Rules (Doja Cat song)


"Rules" is a song by American singer and rapper Doja Cat, released as the third single from her second studio album Hot Pink with an accompanied music video for the song being released on the same day of the single's release. The song was written by Doja Cat, Yeti Beats, Lydia Asrat, Lukasz Gottwald,Theron Thomas, Ben Diehl and Salaam Remi. The song was produced by Tyson Trax alongside Ben Billions, Remi and Danielle Alvarez. Soon after its release, the song became popular on Twitter, and Doja's performance was noted to be influenced by Kendrick Lamar.

Background

"Rules" was released as the third single from Doja Cat's sophomore album Hot Pink as well as being the third track on the album. Doja Cat first teased the song by releasing a still from the music video on her Instagram account on October 16, 2019 as well as another shot from the video on October 22, 2019. The song was announced upon its release along with its music video premiere.

Music video

On October 24, 2019, a music video was released alongside the song's release. Directed by Christian Sutton while video production was handled by Psycho Films, the video portrays Doja as the boss of a Cat Mafia gang with the video taking place in the desert.

Critical reception

Lakin Starling of Pitchfork wrote, " captures a more serious—though hardly humorless—mood, pairing eerie old-western bass with Doja’s memorable command: 'Play with my pussy, but don’t play with my emotions.'" Following the release of the song, Shaad D'Souza of The FADER placed the song on the "20 Best Pop Songs Right Now" list admiring the "loose, funky production" as well as Doja's "charisma and charm".
Many publications such as Elle and Pitchfork praised "Rules" and pointed out the similarities of Doja Cat's lyrical delivery to those of Kendrick Lamar's.

Charts

Release history