Donald Glover Interview: "What the fuck is a Childish Gambino?"
–PrettyBoyRob
(twitter: @BauceSauce)
It’s 12:30 am on a Wednesday night, and you’re willfully engaged in a Social Media Time Suck. You’ve already logged into Facebook earlier, and masturbated…, errm, crept on your ex-gf’s new photos from her trip to the beach to visit her “bestie.”
So, you move to MySpace, but you forgot your password, and, after several failed attempts, your account gets locked.
The last and final move is to Twitter. Hoping to attract new followers, you check the trending topics in hopes of flexing your wit for the mindless masses. You scan the list, and mixed amongst the ubiquitous tags about Jo Bros, Beliebers, Korean Boy Band Fans and some variation of “Stuff Black People Do” you see it… Two words that catch your eye: “Childish Gambino”.
Much like when you see or hear anything related to “Chris Webby,” your first instinct is confusion.
“What the fuck is a Childish Gambino?” You ejaculate loudly.
Clicking on the WhatTheTrend.com Explanation available on your HootSuite Desktop Client reveals that Childish Gambino has just released a new music video for “Freaks and Geeks.” Still in the dark, you hit up the infinite wisdom of Google and voila… there it is:
Clicking it fills your vision with a beautifully-shot, one-take video of a guy in a dope-ass red hoodie who is energetic as fuck skipping around an abandoned warehouse, rapping his lyrics. It starts with general braggadocio, nothing special, but somehow you are drawn by his sincerity in his lines. Then you get hit with the first in-your-face punchline.
The beat is witches brew, but beware this shit is potent
e.e. cumming on her face, now that’s poetry in motion
As an English major and one who dabbles in amateur cumshots, you absolutely lose your shit, “This guy references e.e. cummings, the preeminent voice of 20th century poetry? Holy shit. Who does that?”
A choral “Oh Yeah” kicks in and the beat drops. Two lines later, you get subtle fashion word play.
You finally get to the end of the video and the guy looks familiar but, you are too engrossed with his magnetism, his style, his wordplay, his… dare I say it?… swag. He’s like ‘06 Lil Wayne, Kanye West, mc chris, XV and Drake all rolled into one. Yet, somehow, he has his own sound. You want to lump him in as another internet backpack rapper, but you can’t. The distinctiveness of his beat choice, his presence on a track and his wittiness has you hooked. You cannot stop listening.
You delve into his website and search YouTube with blinders on listening to Adele Remixes, New EP Leaks, his Culdesac album and his numerous mixtapes. After hours of voraciously consuming his catalog, it dawns on you… I know where I’ve seen this guy, and you are finally able to answer that question: “What The Fuck Is A Childish Gambino?”
Childish Gambino is actor/comedian/writer/sexual athlete/all-around phenom Donald Glover. You may be more familiar with him from his work as Troy on Community or as “the bro rape guy.” However, we now can include rapper to his already long list of accomplishments. With four mixtapes, one album released and another EP slated for March 8th, don’t think that he just woke up a month ago and said “What else can I be good at?”
Fun Fact: Childish Gambino was the name given to Donald Glover using this Wu-Tang Name Generator.
Just Another Celebrity Trying To Rap?
It’s easy for anyone to dismiss it at face value and say, “Another celebrity trying to be a rapper? WACK.”
Sure Ron Artest, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Kevin Federline, Spencer Pratt and Buzz Aldrin put the time in to create that stereotype. But that’s too much of a cop out in this case. If Donald Glover had never garnished fame off his Derrick Comedy skits, writing for 30 Rock, etc, he would still be in the same position. He gives a voice to those non-“rap cool” youth that love hip hop. Childish Gambino clearly fits into the recent paradigm shift of Smart/Educated Rap (J. Cole, Wale, etc.) that fans now demand.
What differentiates Gambino from other would-be novelty rap acts is his sincerity. Rocking a mic and performing is natural for him. It is obvious that he has listened to hip hop all of his life and has a love for the art. Music is such an expressive medium, that it allows artists to vent their frustrations, deal with their fears, emotions, etc. And for someone who has gone through a tubulent youth, music allows him to express the stress he feels from that upbringing, and the pressures of fame/stardom in a way that Stand-Up Comedy can’t.
Damn bloggers argue whether or not I’m serious
It’s Nas' Illmatic not Eddie Murphy’s Delirious
He has already toured and has a new “I Am Donald Tour” scheduled for this year. He plays with a live band; he makes his own beats; he is not selling out. He puts the work in to prove he is serious.
Much like how the Freaks and Geeks Music Video starts from far away and gradually gets closer to reveal more of Childish Gambino, his lyrics do the same. He invites listeners into his life and wants you to get to know him personally, and not base your opinion on who you think he is from his other pursuits.
Don’t read this as a defense of his work, because his music alone does that. This is more of a shortened biography for those who are unfamiliar with him. We appreciate the wittiness of his lines and salute Mr. Gambino.
From henceforth, when someone screams out in the middle of the campus quad: “What the fuck is a Childish Gambino?” You can simply reply “Hey hata, what’s hood? Let me dope you.”
Childish Gambino’s EP will be available at www.iamdonald.com on March 8th.; for the time being though, you can get familiar with the rest of his catalog on Rap Genius™
Recently, Mr. Gambino sat with the Rap Genius editors for a Q&A session, in which he revealed himself to be a mature, refined Gambino..
Childish Gambino Interview
RG: Are you now officially a 100% kosher rapper? Or are you headed back to acting? (Noo don’t go baaack!!!) If you could be an actor, rapper, or lawyer — and you’re not allowed to EVER switch, which would you pick??
CG: I’d be a stand up. You can do all that stuff in stand up….except lawyer I suppose. But I’m not really into law.
RG: In your song “Freaks & Geeks”, we scuffed up one of your lines and YOU fixed it.. (“I get sloppy drunk, I get whisky neat”) — other rappers who have spotted errors have been far more critical.. what has inspired your academic temperament?
CG: Hip Hop should be fun. And scary. Cause sometimes scary is fun. But mostly fun. So when it comes to my music, I wanna have as much fun as possible. So I guess groups like Pharcyde influenced me, cause they had fun.
RG: Are there any choice Childish Gambino lines that you would indulge us and explain (since you’re sure it’s far too complex and we’d never get it)?
CG: Um…..in the Adele remix I said:
“My eyes water when I see her’s: catalogue”
What I’m meaning is I can’t look at her in the eyes without wanting to break down AND “see her’s” sounds like “Sears” thus catalogue. I liked that one. But the more crazy ones I enjoy. I don’t spit those that much.
RG: In the liner notes to your album, you thanked yourself..
CG: I don’t call myself anything. I’ve spend most of my life being labeled and I’ve learned that really doesn’t help anyone. The best people START a genre because people don’t get it and have to name it. I’m not trying to start a genre. I just want to make fun, dope shit to me.
