Big Grrrl Small World (sometimes stylized as Big GRRRL Small World)[5][6] is the second studio album by American rapper and singer Lizzo.[7] It was released on her own record label BGSW[8] on December 11, 2015.[9] The album received "generally favorable reviews" from critics.[10]
Production
As soon as her debut studio album Lizzobangers was released in 2013, Lizzo started writing new songs.[11] She made at least 25 demos that didn't end up on Big Grrrl Small World.[11] The oldest song on the album is "The Fade".[12]
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.[13] Inspired by the experience, she wrote "My Skin",[13] which she described as "the thesis statement of the album".[12] 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."[13]
The album was released on BGSW on December 11, 2015.[9] 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.[15]
Music videos
Music videos were created for "My Skin"[16] and "Humanize".[17]Paste placed the video for "My Skin" at number 8 on the "25 Best Music Videos of 2015" list.[18]
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".[10]
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."[20]
Hilary Saunders of Paste gave the album an 8.2 out of 10, praising Lizzo's "ability to rap and sing with equal tenacity."[23]
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]
Top ten lists
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]