On Oct. 11, Gloria Hallelujah Woods, more commonly known as GloRilla, released her debut album “GLORIOUS.” Best known for her hit song “FNF (Let’s Go),” which was nominated for Best Rap Performance in the 2023 Grammy Awards, GloRilla creates empowering messages for her fans while also showcasing her own life experiences in her 15-track album.
Beginning with “INTRO,” GloRilla immediately sets up who she is as a person and artist. Her mindset that she “loves criticism” sparks admiration in many.
In an interview with Apple Music published on April 3, 2023, she addresses haters.
“[Internet trolls] make up a lot of lies about me and that’s where I get mad,” GloRilla said. “… Anything else they say about how I look, how I sound; everybody got an opinion … I really don’t care.”
This attitude is reflective of one of her main purposes of the album: to address haters and tell them that she doesn’t care what they think. For example, the fourth track “TGIF” claps back at her haters with lyrics like “60 thousand fans came to see me do my dance,” similar to “HOW I LOOK (feat. Megan Thee Stallion),” where she responds to critics by flaunting her Grammy nomination with clever lyrics like “How I look? Ask the ‘Gram.”
“STOP PLAYING” is the sixth track on the album and has a much more unique production style in comparison to other songs on the album which can sound repetitive. The background of the song doesn’t have the heavy beats that characterize the majority of the album and stands as a stark contrast to her sharp rapping. The message of the album isn’t as unique as its production, but it remains powerful because it speaks about never settling for less than you deserve. Meanwhile, she addresses her fans saying “I’m doin’ this for all the baby Glo’s.”
One of the greatest strengths of the album is the sheer number of features of other artists, seen in the next track “DON’T DESERVE (feat. Muni Long).” Singer Muni Long’s ethereal voice is opposite of GloRilla’s and adds much-needed variability to the album.
Although Muni Long’s feature is great for the album, the most vital feature on the album is in “RAIN DOWN ON ME.” The song features four different artists: Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, Kierra Sheard and Chandler Moore. This is by far the most unique song on the album because it is a gospel song at its core, which GloRilla grew up on. The song is a prayer to God in thanksgiving and asking for protection. The song is characterized by gospel riffs, a piano and even some pop influences, and yet remains true to GloRilla’s rap style.
“I really liked ‘RAIN DOWN ON ME,’” said junior Leah Chinn. “It had artists I’ve never heard about before … and I think it sounded different; maybe because of all the different artists.”
“GLO’S PRAYER” immediately follows “RAIN DOWN ON ME” and has the same gospel motif. However, she has no features on this song, so her own style is able to shine through while still expressing her roots. The song is about asking God to help her get a guy, who is a walking red flag, off her mind.
Unfortunately, the next few songs on the album are extremely repetitive. The lyrics, meaning and sound have little variation between all the songs. The only notable mention is the title of the thirteenth track, “LET HER COOK,” which is a widely known slang phrase coined by Gen-Z. GloRilla has had some popular hits on TikTok like “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and “Yeah Glo!” so she may be trying to create another TikTok hit by appealing to its young users. Yet, the actual content of the song feels extremely repetitive. The only thing that helps to differentiate between songs is the featured artists.
“QUEEN OF MEMPHIS” ends the album and pays homage to her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. It closes up the album with a neat bow because GloRilla addresses haters and speaks on her personal experience of gaining fame. She emanates confidence in her abilities with lyrics like “I knew I was a chosen one when I made it out.”
Overall, I would rate the album 3.5 out of five stars for its repetitive sounds and message, clever use of featured artists and tribute to GloRilla’s roots and home.
