''Purrr!'' is the debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) by American rapper

Doja Cat Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCl ...

. It was released independently on August 5, 2014 by MAU Records and distributed by

Kemosabe Records Kemosabe Records is an American record label founded by record producer Dr. Luke in 2011. It was launched as an imprint of RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Los Angeles, California, the label has signed acts including ...

and

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

. Many of the songs were recorded by Doja Cat in a DIY-style using a variety of

instrumentals An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to ...

which she found online from producers such as

Mndsgn Ringgo Ancheta, better known by his stage name Mndsgn (pronounced "mind design"), is an American record producer and singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Biography Mndsgn was born Ringgo Ancheta in San Diego, California and was rais ...

, Evil Needle, and Dream Koala.

Background

On March 13, 2014, the EP's only single and third track " So High" was officially released on streaming services. This was a repackaged version of the song, as Doja had independently published it on November 8, 2012 via

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

. At the time of ''Purrr!'''s release, "So High" had amassed over 712 thousand streams on

and over 240 thousand views on the official music video.

Critical reception

David Turner of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' highlighted the song "Control" as "a breezy seaside joyride built on slow builds and wavy echoes" and also praised Doja Cat's "spacey singing style" throughout the record. Briana Cheng of ''

Dazed ''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a quarterly British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. ''Dazed'' is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for produ ...

'' wrote that on "No Police", she "fiercely meows" and "sassily" raps and sings over a "mild" guitar riff as part of the "mollifying" beat, notably humming from the police

sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology that lured sailors to their deaths. Places * Si ...

from

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

's 2008 single " Mrs. Officer". Petar Kujundzic of ''Hypebeast'' described ''Purrr!'' as "a fine list of bass-heavy,

alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and ...

tracks" and highlighted the song "No Police" for "offering the best of her vocal and lyrical abilities". Writing for ''Illsociety'', Kelly Hawkins praised Doja Cat's "brazen raps and airy vocals".

Track listing

Samples * "Nunchucks" is built around the musical base of "Legwarmrs", performed by

. * "So High" is built around the musical base of "Falling Leaves", performed by Evil Needle. * "No Police" is built around the musical base of "We Can't Be Friends", performed by Dream Koala.

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2014 debut EPs Doja Cat albums Kemosabe Records albums RCA Records EPs Alternative R&B albums