GloRilla has been setting the rap scene ablaze since her 2021 breakthrough single ‘FNF’, delivering high-energy entice anthems for unbiased ladies, go-getters and social gathering lovers. Again then, the now 25-year-old instructed NME that she hoped to be the “feminine model of Chief Keef”, placing out music that’s “younger, turnt and gangster”. She’s saved her promise ever since, dropping back-to-back bangers, together with this April’s ‘Ehhthang Ehhthang’ mixtape, which featured the Megan Thee Stallion-assisted ‘Wanna Be’. Six months later, the Memphis rapper kicks off her long-awaited debut album with the identical fierceness she’s rapidly turn into identified for.
Singles ‘Hollon’ and ‘TGIF’ – paying homage to Southern hip-hop’s golden age – have already confirmed their party-starting energy, however Glo has been saving the most effective for the remainder of ‘Superb’’ tracklist. She recreates that pair of tracks’ magic with Sexyy Crimson on ‘Whatchu Know About Me’. Updating Lil Boosie’s 2006 basic ‘Wipe Me Down’, they make the last word empowerment observe and you’ll’t assist to do the chickenhead when Glo asserts: “Each time I come out, you already know I A-T-E / I’m that bitch, hoe, get like me.”
The identical could be stated for the vivacious and unrelenting ‘How I Look’, the place she reunites with Megan Thee Stallion on the short-yet-impactful reminder to by no means query your value. Glo additionally has a message for anybody who would possibly dare undervalue her with a warning that she’s “simply rolled by the cemetery / There’s lots room for hoes.”
‘Superb’ isn’t an album that’s solely stuffed with typical rapper braggadocio, although. Whereas ‘Whatchu Know About Me’ and ‘How I Look’ are by far the most effective rap choices right here, Glo mixes issues up, too, on the right gospel tune, ‘Rain On Me’. She enlists assist from iconic choirmaster Kirk Franklin and famend gospel singers Kierra Sheard and Chandler Moore to reward God with “each inch inside her physique,” leading to an uplifting tune that fills you with heat.
All through the album, the Memphis hitmaker each will get actually snug with the listener and shares a robust message of lady energy. ‘Step’ with BossMan Stream appears like an express no-holds-barred name out of your bestie detailing her dream man, and ‘Let Her Prepare dinner’ is all about taking what’s yours, set to a menacing interpolation of Pharoahe Monch’s ‘Simon Says’. However this strategy additionally hurts the album in locations.
On ‘Ain’t Going’, GloRilla raps from the attitude of a lady standing up in opposition to an abuser: “I’m gon’ die bout my respect […] Kill you bout that bread / Put it in your head.” Whereas addressing home violence is essential, the splendidly ferocious drill beat is overshadowed by the tune’s message that trivialises the problem, suggesting you must search revenge by way of an ‘eye for an eye fixed’ strategy. ‘Cease Enjoying’ can also be a tune of two sides. Its message is highly effective as GloRilla praises sturdy ladies: “Her issues, she smoke ‘em / They slept, she stroll ‘em / She did it, she confirmed ‘em.” However her awkward circulation upends issues, making the mixture of her bars and the melancholic beat feels compelled.
As a physique of labor, ‘Superb’ is uneven – there are a handful of licensed hits and a bunch of questionable additions that recommend higher high quality management was wanted right here. However, along with her simple power and delightful message of lady energy, it’s nonetheless value a hear, even when it doesn’t stay as much as the expectations that her attention-grabbing singles beforehand set.
Particulars
- Launch date: October 11, 2024
- Document label: CMG/Interscope
