The Cut - It’s Glo Time

What happens after a video drops on the internet is in the hands of the lords of the algorithm. Whether it spawns a dance craze, lingers in limbo, or springs the dawn of a new rap superstar, the “For You” page has catapulted or throttled many a creator traversing the digital realm. The results are as thrilling as they are disorienting. GloRilla knows this feeling well. Her music video for “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” debuted on YouTube in April, and over the summer, fans quickly made it a viral hit, propelling the song, a collaboration with music producer Hitkidd, onto the top of year-end “Best Of” lists. Its bumpy, staccato spelling-bee chorus — “I’m F-R-E-E fuck nigga free / That mean I ain’t gotta worry ’bout no fuck nigga cheating” — just as swiftly made its way onto TikTok, where thousands flooded feeds with #FNFChallenge-tagged bouncy dance moves that might make purveyors of classic Memphis juke joints side-eye. Today, the YouTube video has amassed more than 58 million views, and the TikTok hashtag has more than 22.6 million — that is to say, it was a certifiable smash.

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