Childish Gambino - Because The Internet

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Donald Glover has been a busy man.  At only 30 years old, he has achieved success in almost every artistic endeavor he has taken on.  Writing for the wildly successful “30 Rock”, playing college student Troy Barnes on NBC’s Community, all the while writing and recording under the stage name “Childish Gambino” (the name was supposedly the product of a Wu Tang Clan name generator). 

As rappers go, Glover dwells somewhere between Busdriver and a super self aware Drake.  His new album “Because the Internet” is as meta as it gets. with Admiral Akbar references, some of the best puns and punch lines put to beats, and with actual writing talent to back up his new found confident delivery.  Even when he sounds unsure, it doesn’t detract from the album, it almost adds the depth that Glover has become known for in most of his work.

There is something endearing about Glovers lyrics even at his most boastful moments.  Maybe its because he DOES legitimately get money, but never finds the need to strait up say “I get money” or “I f***ed some b****es”.  That kind of stereotypical self-assurance seems beneath him.  Instead he finds eloquent ways to say inelegant things. “More green than my whole foods, and I’m too fly, Jeff Goldblum” (which I’m assuming is a pretty cool way to say that one has money, smokes a lot of weed, and is cooler than most, by way of making a reference to a movie that came out when he was 3).  It is also hilarious.  In part because it is hard to imagine Glover as someone other than Troy from “Community”, but also because it does seem like he is several different people over the coarse of “Because the Internet”.  He has no problem expressing self-doubt and even a sense of self-loathing in his lyrics.  Somehow he bounces back from the depths of depression to archaic cultural references delivered by the second (which should be expected from a 30 rock writing alumni flexing his linguistic muscles).

I do get the distinct impression Glover is making fun of other rappers.  Not that he name drops in a negative way, or calls anyone out directly.  Instead he just does nearly every facet of the genre so well that it just seems like he is subconsciously letting everyone else in the rap world know that not only is he going to participate in their game, he is going play it better, and then make new rules.  Hopefully other players can learn them.

Ludwig Göransson (known for his work on Community, New Girl, and Happy Endings)  produced the album with Glover at the mansion of Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh in LA (which Glover would dub “The Temple”). Just today I’ve listened to the album two times in a row.  I wanted to catch the subtleties of the production and the syncopation of the vocals around the spacey, understated and sometimes sparse beats.

In addition to the album itself, On December 6, 2013, Glover released a 75 page screenplay designed to sync with the album. It was revealed on the website becausetheinter.net.  It is safe to say that Glover is serious about his musical career.  Having a laundry list of successes in several mediums, it is anyones guess what he will do next, seeing as he has bounced around from screenwriting, to stand up, to acting, and rapping.  If Donald Glover can continue to be as prolific as he has been over the past few years, we can continue to expect great things.

Listen to "The Worst Guys" By Childish Gambino

Buy "Because the Internet"