GloRilla’s ‘Glorious’ Debut: The Most Praiseworthy Moments
“Last year, when I was first working on my album, I was just trying to make everything big, and I had to catch myself,” detailed GloRilla to The New York Times of the work that would come to be known as Glorious.
“I wanted to start reaching out to like, international artists, and make big-sounding songs, and the Memphis type of beats is what people like to hear from me.”
The 25-year-old set out with the goal of expanding her territory and amplifying her sound and through 15 tracks, she stands on business. Released last Friday (Oct. 11), the debut album does not dim Big Glo’s light but allows others to shine in her presence with her. With features from Megan Thee Stallion, Kirk Franklin, Muni Long, and more, the album incorporates Gospel and R&B while paying homage to Southern Hip-Hop.
GloRilla performs onstage at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards held at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images
Thanks to her 2022 breakthrough, the Grammy-nominated “FNF,” the Memphis talent signed to Yo Gotti’s CMG with the boss calling her “a natural-born star.” Since then, GloRilla has glowed up in real-time, with hit records, television appearances, and viral moments, offering her signature swagger as one of Tennessee’s hottest exports.
The chart-topping collaborations with cousin Cardi B, features alongside her CMG labelmates, and a viral Rihanna cosign led the rapper to this moment. Still catching her breath from sprinting through the summer with the Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape, GloRilla’s Glorious debut has arrived.
Below, VIBE takes a look at the best moments in the album.
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The Gospel
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images With a name like Gloria Hallelujah, it is not off-brand for the Memphis rapper to include spiritual themes in her debut album. Midway through Glorious in one of the album’s brightest moments, GloRilla takes a praise break, offering “Rain Down on Me,” with Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, and Kierra Sheard, followed by “Glo’s Prayer.”
In the first of the two tracks, an organ opens the church doors as GloRilla’s signature ad-lib echoes behind the familiar voice of Kirk Franklin, who told the NYT, “I was attracted to the purity, the spirit, of her desire to work with me.”
“Rain Down on Me” highlights a bright, thankful GloRilla, proudly standing under an endless flow of blessings as “God’s favorite.” Kierra Sheard’s powerful vocals stand in the track, rooted in Glo’s rap roots and Franklin’s ability to motivate and maintain a powerful choir.
With “Glo’s Prayer,” she continues her conversation with God, this time asking for help and guidance. Speaking directly, the explicit lyrics question: “Is it me, Lord? What do I need to change, man?” Both tracks coupled together highlight not only the duality in GloRilla’s game but also the relatable feeling of growing up in the church and being grounded in faith while also knowing “ni**as [sometimes] ain’t sh*t.”
Because sinners have souls too, right?
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The Rap Girl Collabs
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images GloRilla is arguably at her best when she’s rapping alongside her peers. Her standout lyrical moments come as blows to her detractors but her party-ready tracks are slam dunks with the occasional assist. Sexyy Red, Latto, and Megan Thee Stallion all make appearances in Glorious and in each instant, the rap girls unite their star power for fun, explicit, and boastful collaborations.
First in the tracklist, Latto and GloRilla demand to know the “PROCEDURE,” paying homage to the ultimate girl-gang cast of Set It Off. The two women take turns flexing themselves as the prize over the Supah Mario-produced beat.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py9S2bD0RZQ?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
Next in the lineup of female rap features, GloRilla and Sexyy Red take on a “Wipe Me Down” sample in “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME.” The song, arguably ready to carry both of their summer street dominations well into fall, prove they’re both untouchable. They are equally “giving hair, face, a**, titties.”
In the last of the three, GloRilla calls on her rap bestie Megan Thee Stallion for the defiant “HOW I LOOK.” The threatening track questions anybody who dares question either of the chart-topper’s methods or motives.
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The R&B
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images With appearances from Muni Long, Fridayy, and T-Pain, GloRilla got R&B singers to do their job. Rather than autotune her signature deep tone for melodic hooks and bridges, Glorious includes moments where the aforementioned talents display their vocal flair.
In “DON’T DESERVE,” GloRilla teams up with Muni Long to share a heartfelt message to a friend trapped in a toxic relationship. The duo begs a troubled homegirl to open her eyes to red flags and escape domestic abuse. While it is not a club banger as GloRilla is known for, the track can be eye-opening for younger fans in any position in similar situations.
With T-Pain, GloRilla gets flirtatious in “I LOVE HER.” She confesses, “I know I can get a lil’ crazy/ But I love that you know how to deal with it,” while displaying a more sensual side of her sexy, juxtaposed against the raunchy moments filling the album. Also, a T-Pain hook is an instant cheat-code song with replay value.
GloRilla closes Glorious with “QUEEN OF MEMPHIS,” where she is coronated with a melodic hook from Fridayy. The reflective end calls on the rapper’s faith and fortitude that propelled her to the top of the rap game.
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The Agression
Image Credit: Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images for Hot Girl Productions GloRilla knows herself and with that level of self-awareness, she is clear about what she will and won’t do. A theme across her budding catalog, on Glorious her aggressive tone and defiant attitude prove multidimensional.
In “I AIN’T GOING” she is adamant that any lover who attempts to physically harm her will receive the violence they intended to act on. In “STOP PLAYING” she shows her a** with a smile. In “LET HER COOK,” blares “Never gave a damn, I ain’t never gave no f**k,” as loud as the horns in the Issac Hayes sample in the track.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP6eqCOM7tk?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
And who could forget the Bad Gal Riri-stamped “TGIF” where she declares “I ain’t got no ni**a, and no ni**a ain’t got me!”
Each song finds the 25-year-old putting bass in her voice weaponizing her deep tone as a tool against hatin’ b**ches, misdirected opps, and any person bold enough to attempt to stand in her way. GloRilla’s Glorious provides a 42-minute soundtrack for fans looking to look their best, feel their best, love their, and set out to be the best at whatever their endeavor, by any means necessary.