Music Video Breakdown: Doja Cat’s ‘Streets’

Like most other Doja Cat music videos, “Streets” is bizarre and infused with many sexual themes.

The music video begins with a traffic-jammed New York City streetway; Doja Cat poses as a mannequin in a store window. A taxi driver takes notice of her, and she begins to seduce him as the music and vibe of the whole video dramatically shift to become almost hallucinogenic. This otherworldly realm mirrors that of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” –– which also embodies a carnal and vacant mental state. The taxi driver, who is sucked into this alternate reality, is mesmerized by Doja Cat’s sensuality. She suddenly appears wearing a sexier outfit, dancing erotically for the taxi driver. Likewise, the music video begins to resemble a more explicitly sexual music video, similar to other Doja Cat videos like “Say So” and “Juicy.” Nonetheless, although the message she promotes is very sensual, the video is not unreasonably so, as other rap videos like “WAP” from Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are just as sensual if not more.

Throughout the music video, red comes to symbolize sexual desire, particularly that of men, while also appearing to mark a shift from the normal perception of reality towards a very objectified and materialistic one. Doja Cat seems enabled by this shift, empowering herself through her sexual charms. Nonetheless, her message is not overly obsessive or controlling. It remains light-weight and simple to decipher: Doja Cat sees her lover as “a one in a million” and wants to keep him to herself.

The music video progresses with another scene change as Doja Cat starts to transform into a spider. Doja Cat first appears in a ripped, black dress, performing atop a demolished car for men with glazed over eyes and diamond grillz in their teeth. As the taxi driver from before gets too close to her, she traps him in her web. The lyrics appropriately portray this scene, as she sings, “Tryna keep him 'cause I found him / Let a hoe know, I ain't motherfuckin' sharing.” Though the aim seems to be empowerment, the underlying messages seem to be that Doja’s sexuality is the only way she can “keep” her man. This limits her feminine empowerment to a very superficial sense of control.

In another moment of symbolism, the appearance of mannequins at two points in the video –– both Doja Cat at the beginning of the music video and her lover beside her on a couch at the end –– represents a materialistic and empty sense of “love” and intimacy. In this later scene, Doja Cat lays on the lap of a mannequin model of her lover, oblivious to the world around her even as it erupts in flames. In this sense, Doja Cat has an innocent aura –– she is blind to what a deeper love is like, clinging to a man she can only have physically.

“Streets” reflects this “child-like” attitude in many senses, as it shows Doja Cat’s inexperience with a more profound love. Nonetheless, the music itself is slow-wave, complimenting Doja Cat’s voice well. “Streets” does not diverge very far from her typical music style, but it is not as upbeat as other songs like “Like That” and “Boss Bitch.” Nevertheless, the message resembles Doja Cat’s simple and upbeat personality, encouraging a good time as it is sometimes needed.

— Staff writer Angelina V. Shoemaker can be reached at angelina.shoemaker@thecrimson.com.