Even if you wanted to ignore the news about rapper GloRilla allegedly not helping her family financially, it’s almost becoming impossible to do so. Her sister, Victoria Woods, is gleefully engaging in a smear campaign. Her claims? The rapper isn’t helping her family get out of the hood, despite her rise to fame and continued success.
Some of the claims include: their mom having to lend their dad $100; said mom needing almost $2,000 to cover her $2,400 rent; and Glo blocking their mother.
Glo is an outlier — she’s been open about growing up in poverty with her nine brothers and sisters. Air mattresses, sleeping in church pews, and living in a hotel with her father were all experiences from her upbringing. Despite the odds, the 26-year-old rapped her way out of poverty and into a life she probably couldn’t have imagined.
Many people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds dream of achieving the upward mobility that the rapper, also known as Gloria Woods, has attained. The Memphis-born artist, who began her rap career in 2018, blew up in 2022 after releasing her hit single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go).” Back-to-back hits followed, and an album that reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200, proving that Glo is more than a one-hit wonder and can build a sustainable career with her talent. And cash bigger checks.
When one person makes it, it’s assumed that everyone in the family does, too. You’re given the unsought title of savior and the oftentimes burdensome expectations that come with it. Victoria’s entitled rants are a primary example.
Right now, the online debate centers on whether Glo should “retire the rest of her family” because she made it. That’s an endless debate because it’s subjective—family values vary, and what’s good for Peter may not be good for Paul.
As someone who holds many socialist values, I do believe in sharing resources, community support, and deconstructing hyper-individualism. So, that would mean the redistribution of wealth to create more economic equality, especially amongst vulnerable groups. That said, I think Glo’s situation gives us the chance to have a different conversation, though: how upward social mobility can damage family relationships and why.
Upward social mobility is the movement to a higher socioeconomic position driven by factors such as career advancement, education, or greater access to resources. The term, which was coined in 1927, is often synonymous with the American Dream, although our current times reveal that “dream” is smoke and mirrors for most.
When one person jumps social classes, it can incite mixed responses from loved ones. While some are genuinely happy about your newfound success, there’s at least one person close by who’s jealous, resentful, or even worse: entitled. Insert Victoria Woods. When someone in your family defies the odds, it creates proximity to wealth, or the illusion that you, too, have made it. When that person doesn’t meet your expectations, be it giving them a monthly allowance, a job, connections, or anything else, they often retaliate by attacking you. In Glo’s case, Victoria is “exposing” her sister and exploiting their family feud over $2,500.
Seriously. $2,500.
In an interview with TMZ, Victoria was asked how much it would take for GloRilla to rectify the issue, and she said giving each family member $2,500 would suffice.
When someone close to us blows up, it can trigger feelings of inadequacy and cause insecurities to flare up. Grief is another byproduct, especially when your relationship shifts due to their new lifestyle, and you feel abandoned. These feelings aren’t inherently wrong, but causing harm because of how you feel is.
I can think of several examples of how upward social mobility can negatively affect family relationships, but I’ll use one that’s close to home. My mom was raised in a rural town in Nigeria and was the first in her family to move to the UK at the age of 17. After much toiling, hardship, tenacity, and perseverance, she was able to build a life we’re all so proud of. However, she is the eldest, with four younger brothers and a dad who depends on her success for their survival. As much as she tried to lift and climb, at many points she had to let go. Over the years, I witnessed my mom send money, fund business ideas, pay for education, and see no return on her investments. In the end, she learned you can’t help people who aren’t willing to help themselves. Despite her efforts to carry her siblings along, she was portrayed as the bad guy because her help had limits. GloRilla seems to be in the same boat.
The rapper defended herself after her sister’s online attacks, posting screenshots that appear to show her mom thanking her for all the help she provides. While we don’t know the details of the financial support Glo provides her family, it’s true that most people can’t be satisfied.
When upward social mobility goes wrong, it can feel like you’re being punished for being successful, especially when it causes alienation and fallouts with family. That’s why I think it’s critical to openly discuss expectations, establish and reinforce boundaries, and be willing to uphold them. Even if that means walking away from the people you love. Additionally, financial education is paramount because helping family members with no money management skills is like pouring the money you worked hard for into a black hole. As bishop B.I.G once said, “Mo money, mo problems.”
It takes grit to pull yourself from one social class into another, although time, place, and luck often play a role in it, too. Glo is entitled to decide how much help she wants to extend to her family, and employment is always an option for each of her able-bodied family members. That being said, I hope Victoria enjoys her brush with fame—and that fracturing her relationship with her sister was worth it.