“Let Her Cook”
The “Tomorrow 2” rapper changes things up and slows down the pace. However, between Glo’s more drawn out raps and the horns behind her, it’s a spoiled mix on “Let Her Cook.” Back to the drawing board for a new recipe.
It’s been the year of GloRilla and she looks to cap off her 2024 with a successful release of her debut album, GLORIOUS, which arrived on Friday (Oct. 11).
Big Glo season is here. Coming into her anticipated debut LP, Big Glo set the stage with her Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape earlier this year and supported “Wanna Be” collaborator Megan Thee Stallion on her Hot Girl Summer Tour, which ran through arenas across North America.
GLORIOUS boasts 15 tracks in total along with special guest appearances from a range of collaborators like Sexyy Red, Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Kirk Franklin, T-Pain, Fridayy, Bossman Dlow, Muni Long and more.
The CMG rhymer set the table with thunderous singles “TGIF” and “HOLLON,” which invaded the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sit at No. 28 and No. 95, respectively.
“I was praying for it, I didn’t know if it was gonna come or not. I was praying for it and manifesting it,” she told Billboard News of her recent success. “I said I’ma give them the mixtape first get ’em back used to me, give ’em a feel of me and that’s gonna prep me for the album. Mixtape did good — did what it’s supposed to do, which prepped me for my album.”
Rihanna even publicly clamored for Glo to drop her album in July — and when RiRi comes calling, you deliver. Three months later, she’s delivered for Rih and her millions of fans with GLORIOUS‘ arrival as Glo looks to cement her status as one of female rap’s titans.
Stream the project below and check out our rankings of all 15 songs from worst to best.
The “Tomorrow 2” rapper changes things up and slows down the pace. However, between Glo’s more drawn out raps and the horns behind her, it’s a spoiled mix on “Let Her Cook.” Back to the drawing board for a new recipe.
Timbaland’s stripped-down production enters the fray rather than his blaring truck-rattling drums. Big Glo has had enough of guys in her life playing with her. Instead of getting depressed or crying about it, GloRilla just went back at her now ex-boyfriend twice as hard. “My ex, he cheated/ Didn’t cry, I cheated/ His opp, let him eat it/ Big Glo undefeated,” she confesses.
Bossman Dlow and GloRilla set the bar high with “Finesse,” but “Step” doesn’t measure up to what could’ve been from two of the hottest rappers dominating 2024 while motivating millions around the globe. It feels more like Big Glo had a song finished — her half-virgin and “Hawk Tuah” bars are clever — and then Dlow tacks on a throwaway verse after the two-minute mark.
GloRilla either knows how to fight or she’s the most self-confident rapper coming out of Memphis. “I Ain’t Going” is a brash lyrical display while putting her man in his place and letting her insecure partner know that she’s “willing to die” for her respect. Don’t play with Big Glo or get ready to deal with the consequences. Either way, “I Ain’t Going” will live somewhere in the middle of GLORIOUS.
Big Glo narrates her come-up from the streets of Memphis to flossing as the First Lady of CMG. She sets the table with a 90-second sprint touching on her sobriety since her April arrest along with how she’s learned from the mistakes in life. At just 25, her story’s nowhere near finished and GLORIOUS serves as a time capsule into GloRilla’s elevation.
Drake once compared his final verse on projects to surgery. GloRilla declares herself the “Queen of Memphis” in humble fashion to close out her debut album. “I done been through the worst/ It brought the best out of me,” she admits while aligning with Kelly Clarkson’s mentality of “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Even as her star power grows, it can get lonely at the top as she’s lost loved ones along her journey. But even through the storms, the 25-year-old always thanks the man above for keeping her on her path. Fridayy injects his heavenly croon from the clouds to put help Glo put a bow on GLORIOUS.
“Ciara’s Prayer” had CiCi praying to God that the next man she became romantically involved with was also her future husband. GloRilla takes an opposite approach with “Glo’s Prayer” as she asks the Lord for his guidance in leaving this deceitful man alone. “Is it me, Lord? What do I need to change/ Or is it my taste in men that I need to blame,” Glo wonders. This is more of a companion track connected to the gospel-leaning “Rain Down on Me”.
GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion reunite for the bouncy “How I Look.” At this point, there’s gotta be potential for a joint project or EP from Meg and Big Glo. It’s weaker than “Wanna Be” but still a solid showing on the debut. “How I look?” is a question you can ask anything or anyone you turn to in life, but at the end of the day, it’s the confidence in one’s self that’s needed to thrive.
“Hollon” is an instant chaos-maker and party-starter. Glo’s been able to craft these infectious hooks that get stuck in listeners’ heads while also raising their collective heart rate. While she can tend to be shy in-person, there’s nothing bashful about “Hollon.” When Glo enters a room, the fellas better bow at her Balenciaga heels and she’s ready to rumble with any of the girls. “Don’t start with me, b–h, I’m petty/ Linе any b—h up, I’m ready,” Glo raps.
Hallelujah. A GloRilla gospel record? A Kirk Franklin feature? It’s a welcomed pivot to cleanse from the ratchedness for Glo as she bathes in the purity while seeking out the Lord’s blessings and guidance. It’s not exactly out of left field as GloRilla and her nine siblings were raised by a religious mother. She breaks out into a rapper’s prayer and even calls for protection of her haters.
“Watch over my haters, they the ones that make me go the hardest/ I just want us all to win, I just want us all to prosper/ Thank You, Lord,” she says. It’s a wholesome moment on the album with help from Kierra Sheard and Chandler Moore to inspire fans powering through hardship.
The third time’s a charm when it comes to the Latto-GloRilla connection. The pair of southern rhymers take turns laying out the blueprint for women knowing their worth and keeping the treacherous dudes at bay. Supah Mario helms the starry production and Big Mama appears to get the best of Glo in a tight prize fight. “Time out, take spots, Caresha please/ They call me big mama, bend a b—h over my knees, yeah/ Y’all gon’ call it beef, but we all know I’m just a threat,” Latto spews.
GloRilla lets her guard down and taps into her softer side because life is all about balance. Muni Long is a perfect dance partner to tango with on “Don’t Deserve” as her angelic vocals aide Glo’s journey looking inward. Muni implores women to stand up for themselves and leave certain relationships when they’re disrespected as she grapples with issues of domestic violence, verbal abuse and more. “That n—a don’t deserve my friend/ He don’t know what to do with a bad b—h,” she sings on the chorus. Thematically, it’s a sobering track reminiscent of Eve’s “Love Is Blind.”
Possibly the most anticipated collaboration on GLORIOUS. The fun police would even have a good time turning up with GloRilla and Sexyy Red, who do justice by Boosie Badazz’s “Wipe Me Down” sample. It’s a female empowerment anthem — but done with a bad b—h twist. Glo’s “It’s giving hair, face, a–, titties” chorus is the new ratchet version of “head, shoulders, needs and toes.” The women in rap are winning right now and “Whatchu Kno About Me” is just another example.
T-Pain making a cameo is such a pleasant surprise. GloRilla was excited to get Teddy Pain on her album, and fans are thankful for the Florida hitmaker’s appearance. Pain made a career cooking up anthems surrounding love, and his intoxicating hook expertly balances out Glo’s gritty romance. The calculated risk pays off.
GloRilla continued her solo hitmaking ways with “TGIF” heading into GLORIOUS. Her husky flow meshes well with the thumping production. Then combine that with her motivational speaker bars and just about even the laziest of people are ready to run through a wall. Rihanna rapping along to the rambunctious tune only poured more fuel on Glo’s fire. Looking at the clock on a Friday and seeing it’s 7 pm on a summer night — kicking off the weekend won’t ever be the same.