Big Grrrl Small World

Big Grrrl Small World (sometimes stylized as Big GRRRL Small World)[6][7] is the second full-length studio album by American rapper and singer Lizzo.[8] It was released on her own record label BGSW[9] on December 11, 2015.[10] The album received "generally favorable reviews" from critics.[11]

Big Grrrl Small World
Digital ver.
Studio album by
Lizzo
ReleasedDecember 11, 2015 (2015-12-11)
Recorded2013-2015
Genre
Length43:30
LabelBGSW
Producer
Lizzo chronology
Lizzobangers
(2013)		 Big Grrrl Small World
(2015)		 Coconut Oil
(2016)
Singles from Big Grrrl Small World
  1. "Humanize"
    Released: October 13, 2015[3]
  2. "Ain't I"
    Released: October 27, 2015[4]
  3. "My Skin"
    Released: November 18, 2015[5]

Production

As soon as her debut studio album Lizzobangers was released in 2013, Lizzo started writing new songs.[12] She made at least 25 demos that didn't end up on Big Grrrl Small World.[12] The oldest song on the album is "The Fade".[13]

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.[14] Inspired by the experience, she wrote "My Skin",[14] which she described as "the thesis statement of the album".[13] 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."[14]

The recording of the album took place at Justin Vernon's April Base Studios in Fall Creek, Wisconsin.[15]

Release

The album was released on BGSW on December 11, 2015.[10]

In 2019, the album was removed from all streaming services and digital retailers, as Lizzo wanted her career to start with 2016's Coconut Oil EP and her signing with Atlantic Records.[16]

Music videos

Music videos were created for "My Skin"[17] and "Humanize".[18] Paste placed the video for "My Skin" at number 8 on the "25 Best Music Videos of 2015" list.[19]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY[20]
The Guardian[21]
NME4/5[22]
The Observer[23]
Paste8.2/10[2]
Pitchfork7.5/10[24]
Spin7/10[10]

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."[11]

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave the album 4 stars out of 5, 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."[21] Hilary Saunders of Paste gave the album an 8.2 out of 10, praising Lizzo's "ability to rap and sing with equal tenacity."[2] 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."[25]

Star Tribune placed the album at number 3 on the "Twin Cities Critics Tally 2015" list.[26] Spin placed it at number 17 on the "50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015" list.[1]

Track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Ain't I"
3:55
2."Betcha"Burton2:59
3."Ride"
3:50
4."Humanize"Burton3:30
5."Bother Me"Burton5:02
6."B.G.S.W."Stefon "Bionik" Taylor3:16
7."The Fade"Taskforce2:59
8."1 Deep"Burton3:26
9."The Realest"Burton3:54
10."En Love"Taylor3:24
11."My Skin"Taylor4:18
12."Jang a Lang"Taylor2:51
Total length:43:30

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
  1. "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015 (page 2 of 2)". Spin. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  2. Saunders, Hilary (December 15, 2015). "Lizzo: Big GRRRL Small World Review". Paste. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  3. "Humanize - Single by Lizzo". iTunes. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  4. "Ain't I - Single by Lizzo". iTunes. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  5. "My Skin - Single by Lizzo". iTunes. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  6. Minsker, Evan (October 13, 2015). "Lizzo Announces Big GRRRL Small World Featuring Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Shares "Humanize"". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  7. Day, Laurence (December 9, 2015). "Lizzo streams new record Big GRRRL Small World in full ahead of its release". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  8. Boller, Jay (October 13, 2015). "Twin Cities rap phenom Lizzo drops new single, album deets". City Pages. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  9. Day, Laurence (October 13, 2015). "Lizzo announces second record Big GRRRL Small World, shares lead cut "Humanize"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  10. Weiss, Dan (December 7, 2015). "Review: Lizzo Is Primed for WRRRLD Domination on 'Big GRRRL Small World'". Spin. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  11. "Big GRRRL Small World by Lizzo". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  12. Fox, Killian (January 10, 2016). "Lizzo: 'This time I tried to be more benevolent than belligerent'". The Observer. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  13. Carr, Maggie (February 24, 2016). "Lizzo Goes Glam And Gets Real In Our Fashion Editorial And Interview". Bust. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  14. Bennett, Kim Taylor (December 1, 2015). ""My Blackness Is My Largest Assumed 'Accessory'": Lizzo Breaks Down Her Video for "My Skin"". Vice. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  15. Goggins, Joe (December 9, 2015). "Lizzo: "I'm not this crazy, axe-wielding girl any more"". DIY. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  16. Fekadu, Mesfin (August 14, 2019). "Lizzo's 2-year-old song might still qualify at 2020 Grammys". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  17. Riemenschneider, Chris (December 7, 2015). "Lizzo to play Colbert's show Thursday after revealing her 'My Skin' video". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  18. Keaney, Quinn (February 19, 2019). "A 10-Song Introduction to the Infectious Power of Lizzo (page 9 of 10)". PopSugar. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  19. Saunders, Hilary (December 16, 2015). "The 25 Best Music Videos of 2015". Paste. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  20. Shawn, Emma (December 11, 2015). "Lizzo - Big GRRL Small World". DIY. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  21. Petridis, Alexis (December 17, 2015). "Lizzo: Big Grrrl, Small World review – hot-button hip-hop full of gleeful power". The Guardian. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  22. Ellen, Tom (December 2, 2015). "Lizzo – 'Big GRRRL Small World'". NME. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  23. Empire, Kitty (December 13, 2015). "Lizzo: Big Grrrl Small World review – feminist self-affirmation and braggadocio". The Observer. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  24. Asaph, Katherine St. (December 10, 2015). "Lizzo: Big GRRRL Small World". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  25. Swensson, Andrea (December 14, 2015). "Album of the Week: Lizzo, 'Big GRRRL Small World'". The Current. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  26. Riemenschneider, Chris (December 31, 2015). "Twin Cities Critics Tally 2015: Low's 'Ones and Sixes' is No. 1 album". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
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