Big Grrrl Small World

''Big Grrrl Small World'' (sometimes stylized as ''Big GRRRL Small World'') is the second studio album by American rapper Lizzo. It was released on her own record label BGSW on December 11, 2015. The album received "generally favorable reviews" from critics.

Production

As soon as her debut studio album ''Lizzobangers'' was released in 2013, Lizzo started writing new songs. She made at least 25 demos that didn't end up on ''Big Grrrl Small World''. The oldest song on the album is "The Fade".

In 2014, Lizzo participated in StyleLikeU's ''What's Underneath'' project, where she removed her clothes as she talked about her relationships with her body. Inspired by the experience, she wrote "My Skin", which she described as "the thesis statement of the album". In a 2015 interview with ''Vice'', she said: "You can wake up and change many things about your appearance, but the inevitability of waking up in your skin is what unifies us."

The recording of the album took place at Justin Vernon's April Base Studios in Fall Creek, Wisconsin.

Release

The album was released on BGSW on December 11, 2015. In 2019, the album was removed from all streaming services and digital retailers, to aid in Lizzo's campaign for Best New Artist at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Music videos

Music videos were created for "My Skin" and "Humanize". '' Paste'' placed the video for "My Skin" at number 8 on the "25 Best Music Videos of 2015" list.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79, based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Alexis Petridis of ''The Guardian'' gave the album four stars out of five, saying, "the album's tracks display a marked tendency to end up in an entirely different place from where they started, helped by the fact that Lizzo is as strong a vocalist as she is a rapper."

Hilary Saunders of '' Paste'' gave the album an 8.2 out of 10, praising Lizzo's "ability to rap and sing with equal tenacity."

Andrea Swensson of ''The Current'' wrote: "There's an old feminist adage that says that the personal is political, and Lizzo seems to understand this concept intrinsically."

Top ten lists

''Star Tribune'' placed the album at number 3 on the "Twin Cities Critics Tally 2015" list. '' Spin'' placed it at number 17 on the "50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015" list.

Track listing

All tracks written by Melissa "Lizzo" Jefferson.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the 2015 CD edition's liner notes.

* Lizzo – vocals, flute
* BJ Burton – production (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9), executive production, vocals, vocoder, guitar, synthesizer, drum programming
* Sam Spiegel – production (1)
* Jake Troth – production (1)
* Lazerbeak – production (3), drum programming
* Stefon "Bionik" Taylor – production (6, 10, 11, 12), turntables, guitar, synthesizer, drum programming
* Taskforce – production (7), drum programming
* Sophia Eris – vocals
* Claire Monesterio – vocals
* Quinn Wilson – vocals
* Eric Mayson – vocals, piano, synthesizer
* Justin Vernon – vocoder, synthesizer
* Francis Starlite – synthesizer, drum programming
* Ryan Olson – synthesizer
* Nelson Devereaux – saxophone
* Ben Lester – pedal steel guitar
* James Buckley – upright bass, bass guitar
* Joey Van Phillips – drums
* Huntley Miller – mastering

References

External links

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2015 albums
Lizzo albums
Albums produced by BJ Burton
Albums produced by Lazerbeak
Albums produced by Sam Spiegel (musician)
Hip-hop albums by American artists