"Glory" (CD Single)

Review

Common Sense Media says

Rapper cuts cleaner-than-usual track honoring new daughter.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that "Glory" is a fairly clean song, especially by Jay-Z standards. Filled largely with lyrics about how much he loves his new baby girl, the song steers clear of profanity (aside from one use of the word "s--t") and explicit allusions to substance use or violence. That said, a couple references to a previous miscarriage and mention of his father's alcoholism make the track a bit too mature for younger tweens.

  • Positive messages3
    Positive messages about inspiring a child to avoid making the same mistakes her parents (and grandparents) did.
     
  • Positive role models3
    The song is about being a loving parent who supports his or her child.
     
  • Violence1
    Reference to miscarriage. Mention of dying of liver failure.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language2
    One use of the word "s--t."
  • Consumerism0
    Mention of London's fashionable shopping street Savile Row.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking2
    A couple of lines about alcoholism: "Your grand pop died of liquor failure, then he died of liver failure."
     
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What's the story?

"GLORY" is the new single from Jay-Z that's dedicated to arguably one of the most famous babies in the world: Blue Ivy Carter, the rapper's infant daughter with his wife, R&B star Beyonce. As befits a song about a baby, Jay-Z keeps this track clean, using no profanity, other than one word ("s--t"), and no super-graphic references to describe his overwhelming feelings of love for his new daughter: "The most amazing feeling I feel / Words can’t describe what I’m feeling for real / Baby, I paint the sky blue / My greatest creation was you, you, you, glory."
 

Is it any good?

 

This track has a celebratory yet mellow vibe that finds a somewhat subdued Jay-Z expressing feelings of awe about his new daughter. Delivering his rhymes in a slow but powerful style, Jay-Z leaves no doubt about his conviction.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how life may change for superstars Jay-Z and Beyonce now that a baby has entered their lives. Does having a child make celebrities more relatable? More popular?

  • Do you think Jay-Z will make less graphic music now that he is a father? Why or why not?

This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Kid, 11 years old
January 29, 2012
AGE
13
 
What about his daughter?
Half-and-half with this song. Half, aww, this is so sweet, he really loves his daughter, and half, why did he say all the things he did? The fact that a song, dedicated to Blue-Ivy, swears, is just a bit...odd, I guess. How is his sweet little girl going to be able to listen to it? When she's about 12, perhaps. I'm not so sure.
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This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Artist:Jay-Z
Type:Single
Release date:January 9, 2012
Genre:Rap
Parental advisory:No
Edited version available:No
This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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