Nas took aim at Doja Cat in his latest song, calling her 'the opposite' of 'unapologetically Black,' referencing her presence in fringe chat rooms

• Rapper Nas released the first single, "Ultra Black," for his upcoming album, and it includes a line aimed at Doja Cat, who ascended to pop stardom with her song "Say So."
• Nas refers to "ultra Black" and "unapologetically Black" as "the opposite of Doja Cat," referring to the singer's controversy over her participation in "racist" chat rooms.
• Doja Cat addressed the chat rooms and a 2015 SoundCloud track called "Dindu Nuffin" in May 2020, apologizing for causing offense but stating she had never said anything racist online and was "very proud" of being a Black woman.

"Doja Cat" trended on Twitter shortly after the release of Nas' single "Ultra Black," the first off his upcoming album. The song is a testament to Black pride, and it includes a line aimed at the "Say So" singer, describing her as "the opposite" of the anthem's message.

"We goin' ultra Black, unapologetically Black/The opposite of Doja Cat," Nas raps, referring to the May 2020 "#DojaCatIsOverParty" trending hashtag and the controversy the very online star was then embroiled in.

Doja Cat hasn't responded to Nas' name-drop, and her team didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The online reaction to the lyrics has been divisive, with many people defending Nas while others are criticizing him for verbally attacking a Black woman, with some resurfacing abuse accusations from his ex-wife Kelis and other former romantic partners.

—Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 14, 2020

Doja Cat has apologized about her past use of online chat rooms and clarified the meaning of a 2015 SoundCloud track

In May 2020, videos and screenshots surfaced showing Doja Cat's participation in video chatting platform TinyChat, where Twitter users accused her of "talking to racists and laughing to their racist jokes." In December 2019, Doja Cat told Paper Magazine that she frequented a chat room, but wouldn't name it, telling the magazine that "people are f---ing crazy" and would attempt to find it.

Doja Cat told Paper that people used "horrible language" and would pick on her in the chat room, but she said she remained in it and made "offensive jokes."

A 2015 track Doja Cat uploaded to SoundCloud called "Dindu Nuffin" also sparked outrage, since that phrase is used in racist online circles as a sarcastic way to blame victims of police brutality. Critics suggested that Doja Cat released "Dindu Nuffin" in response to Sandra Bland's death in police custody.

After "#DojaCatIsOverParty" trended on Twitter, some former members of the chat room Doja Cat was active in vouched for her character, saying that they never witnessed her say anything racist, just "troll" comments.

Then, Doja Cat addressed the situation on Instagram, apologizing for any offense she may have caused, but stating that she didn't use racist language online, and clarifying that "Dindu Nuffin" was meant to flip the meaning of the racist phrase – she wrote it was a "bad decision to use the term."

"I've used public chat rooms to socialize since I was a child. I shouldn't have been on some of those chat room sites, but I personally have never been involved in any racist conversations. I'm sorry to everyone that I offended," the singer wrote.


"I'm a Black woman. Half of my family is Black from South Africa and I'm very proud of where I come from," she continued. Doja Cat also said "good luck motherf---er" to anyone trying to cancel her during quarantine.

In response to Nas' lyric, many Doja Cat fans are defending her, but others are justifying Nas' right to criticize her

While it's unclear what motivated Nas to name-drop Doja Cat, it stirred up plenty of online controversy and buzz. Twitter erupted with discussion about Nas' relevancy in 2020, possible justifications for criticizing Doja Cat, and allegations about Nas' treatment of women.

—❂ (@slitmyclitt) August 14, 2020

In 2018, Nas' ex-wife Kelis accused him of physical assault and mental abuse during their high-profile celebrity marriage of five years. Carman Bryan, Nas' ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter Destiny, has also accused Nas of physically abusing her, alleging that he once hit her so hard she "saw stars."

When making allegations against Nas, Kelis recalled the infamous photos of Rihanna's injuries following an incident with Chris Brown, because she remembered considering coming forward. At the time, she says she remembers having bruises all over her body from Nas. Kelis and Nas divorced in 2009.

Nas denied Kelis' accusations in an open letter on Instagram, writing that he has never beat women and alleging the Kelis was "verbally abusive" to him and his daughter, and alleging that Kelis was physically abusive to him as recently as 2018.

—Elijah (@Ivveme) August 14, 2020

Other Twitter users compared Nas' musical prowess to Doja Cat's, and some celebrated his attack.

—R (@DojaDavonne) August 14, 2020

And some suggested that Nas could have attacked an older man (Nas is 46, Doja Cat is 24) like Terry Crews or Kanye West, rather than name-drop the pop and hip-hop artist.

—picassos lil homie (@thicchotep) August 14, 2020

Nas, like Doja Cat, has not addressed any of the Twitter discourse surrounding his new track.

• Read more:
• Doja Cat was canceled, and then uncanceled, for what some are calling her 'racist past.' Here's a timeline of the Twitter drama.
• How #isoverparty became the default hashtag format for Twitter cancelations, from celebrities like Doja Cat to companies like Wendy's
• Doja Cat responded to people who tried to quarantine cancel her: 'good luck motherf-cker'
• Doja Cat harnessed viral moments to reach no. 1 on Billboard, but her online past has also resulted in controversial moments for the 'Say So' singer