Written by: Oliver Heffron

Ascending star GloRilla makes her case as the next great Memphis MC on her debut EP Anyways, Life’s Great. The 9-track EP via CMG/Interscope Records shows off GloRilla’s dynamic flow as she absolutely bullies southern trap beats with infectious charisma and witty punchlines. The project also displays her lyrical range by slowing down the pace to let the ascending Tennessee artist share compelling stories about her journey to the top and the vision guiding her on where to go from here.  

Coming in the wake of GloRilla’s massive breakout single “F.N.F.,” Anyways, Life’s Great builds out from the track’s infectious, freestyling-in-the-backseat energy with tracks like the unrelenting “Unh Unh,” the lethal “PHATNALL,” and the stripped back “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B.

On “Blessed,” GloRilla holds down a minimal piano beat before CMG label boss Yo Gotti pulls up for a verse, while “Nut Quick” delivers a barrage of hilarious one-liners faster than a comedian with an impeccable flow–getting its name from the standout bar: “He could’ve been my favorite sneaky link, but he just nut quick.” 

The project displays GloRilla’s ability to create club-ready bangers and weave narratives that make her audience feel like they’re along for the ride. The project’s bookend tracks lyrically switch it up to share personal details of her sudden blow-up and how it’s changed her life. The opener, “No More Love,” details how her sudden success revealed the true character of the people around her, while the closer, “Out Loud Thinking,” earns its name with a stream of revealing thoughts, starting with the insightful: “When they treat you like the strongest, it make you the weakest.”

As the recent, long overdue rise of female rappers breathes new life into the rap genre, GloRilla’s unapologetic, braggadocious and independent energy stands out as vital and distinct. On “No More Love,” she describes how she sees her role as a female rap artist: ‘And that’s just real shit, you know what I’m sayin’? / Like, I’m the voice for the females, you know what I’m sayin’? The females that probably don’t wanna speak up and say that shit on a track, like / I’m a say that shit though.”

With the genre of rap seeming to stretch itself farther and farther into other genres and commercial spaces with each year into the 2020s, GloRilla exemplifies how a commanding presence and infectious charisma are still the most surefire way to become a great rapper. She’s a throwback MC who centralizes her commanding flow and charismatic lyricism instead of melodies or oversaturated beats. GloRilla’s new EP is the perfect project to play when you need to hype yourself up or find yourself “hanging out the window” with your “ratchet-ass friends.”