GloRilla - Glorious

By the time Glorious arrived in October 2024, GloRilla had already spent two years proving she could make a hit out of pure volume and attitude. "F.N.F. (Let's Go)," "Tomorrow 2," "Yeah Glo!," and the Megan Thee Stallion team-up "Wanna Be" had all done their work. What her debut album had to prove was whether the Memphis rapper with the biggest voice in the room could hold a full-length together. She could, and then some.

Fifteen tracks in forty-two minutes, and almost none of them waste a second. "TGIF" carries the summer, "Whatchu Kno About Me" puts her shoulder to shoulder with Sexyy Red over one of the year's meanest beats, and Megan returns for "How I Look" while Latto trades bars on "Procedure." The surprise is how much range sits underneath the bluster. "I Luv Her" gives T-Pain a hook to sing, Muni Long and Fridayy bring the R&B, and "Rain Down On Me" pulls Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, Kierra Sheard, and Chandler Moore into a full gospel showcase that lands as the album's emotional center. Timbaland, Jazze Pha, and Supah Mario all contribute production.

It debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, the biggest opening week for a female rap album of 2024, and earned an Outstanding Album nomination at the NAACP Image Awards, where GloRilla led all musicians with six nods. Not bad for a debut.

Pressed on opaque gold vinyl via CMG and Interscope. Loud, funny, and more soulful than the singles let on.