2022 has been a life-changing year for GloRilla, whose breakout single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” catapulted her to mainstream fame. Ahead of the year’s end, the rapper, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, sat with Billboard to reflect on her rags-to-riches story.
GloRilla, born Gloria Hallelujah, was the eighth of 10 kids. She says she was quiet as a child but eventually became a class clown who got into a lot of fights when she started school. She also went from singing in a gospel choir to rapping, which led to her current career.
“I really do like hood gospel,” she said of her sound and content. “I be speaking to the people, I be preaching.”
Glo recalled the day she went to the studio to switch a verse on “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” at the request of producer HitKidd. Upon completing the verse, she was surprised with the news that the video shoot was soon after. She called her friends and winged the entire thing, which ultimately went viral. She’s now signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group and nominated for a Grammy.
GloRilla credits social media for her rise and says she’s excited “about this area of music where women are dominating.” She says her parents are happy to see her succeed, always making a point to remind her how proud they are.
“My parents are, like, super proud of me, they call me every day,” she said. “They blow my phone up every day … to say the same thing. ‘I’m so proud of you.'”
As for her plans for the future, GloRilla is thinking big. “I see myself being a billionaire,” she said, “being a big inspiration to the music industry, creating a new wave, lane.”
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