In case “This is America” is your first exposure to Donald Glover as Childish Gambino, here are 10 songs to help you catch up with his long, impressive hip-hop career.
Less than 24 hours after hosting one of the best Saturday Night Live episodes of the season, Donald Glover dropped “This is America,” the latest track and music video he created as his hip-hop alter ego Childish Gambino.
That song is fire, playing a lot like an Atlanta episode and proving he can add “sick dancer” to his long list of marketable talents.
In honor of Glover gracing us with new music, let’s take a look at his evolution as Childish Gambino from swag-rapper with a gift for clever rhymes to Grammy-nominated artist who has spent the last seven years making the Pitchfork writer who gave Camp a 1.6 look silly.
“Freaks and Geeks” (EP)
This was probably most folks’ — including my own — introduction to Glover as Childish Gambino. At this point in his career, he was mostly known for his comedy special and as Troy Barnes on Community. Then this song came along, rocking YouTube to the tune of over 27 million views. The entire video is Glover dancing around in a red hoodie rapping about why “Gambino is a mastermind,” which he has unequivocally proven to be the case.
“Lights Turned On” (EP)
This song is about sex. There isn’t much more to it than that, but that’s part of its charm. It’s Gambino at his swaggiest, rapping over a dope, fast-paced beat about his success and how he “talks a lot about the girl in my songs.” There’s even an interlude about two-thirds of the way through where he just repeats the words “I’m drunk” a few times in a row to hammer home just how fratty this song is. Again, the song is perfectly enjoyable; it’s just not the celebrated content Glover would put out later in his career.
“Bonfire” (Camp)
“Camp” was Glover’s first studio album, and the difference in production values between this album and earlier works like EP is astounding. “Bonfire” just goes hard from start to finish, with Gambino rapping over a hard beat that doesn’t quit, dropping ’90s and early 2000s pop culture bombs like, “These rappers are afraid of him, ’cause I’m a beast b***h Grrr, Invader Zim.” He also included the incredibly self-aware line, “Why does every black actor gotta rap some?” This song is in the same vein as the previous two, but it was a clear step up in production and lyrical ingenuity.
“Heartbeat” (Camp)
This was the first sign that there might be more to Glover as Gambino than just clever turns of phrase and brags about his sexual prowess. This song is purely about an ill-defined relationship where neither party appears to be sure how to proceed. Glover would later explore this theme in Atlanta through his character Earn’s relationship with Van (Zazie Beetz). The song ends with him screaming at this proverbial love interest, “Are we dating? Are we f*****g? Are we best friends? Are we something?” It’s a raw moment of honesty that would become more common in Glover’s music as he matured as an artist.
“We Ain’t Them” (Royalty)
Royalty was mostly a misfire of a mixtape for Glover, but it did produce one jam. The overall vibe of the song is less humble-braggyy and desperate for the silly joke or reference than most of Glover’s earlier music, including most of Camp. Not only does this song have the distinction of being the one time Glover acknowledged that 1.6-star Pitchfork review, but it also contains what has basically become Glover’s mission statement: “Trying to show the whole world what it is, and it ain’t a game.” This track (and Royalty in general) serves as a solid bridge between the relatively immature Camp and the artistically experimental Because the Internet.
“V. 3005” (Because the Internet)
Because the Internet was Glover’s final album before the Grammys took notice of him. It’s pretty out there, though it still contains songs like V. 3005 that would be at home on any Gambino album. It’s mostly about a girl who Glover wants to be with until the year 3005, but it also contains classic Gambino wordplay like, “Girl why is you lyin’? Girl why you Mufasa?” He also gets shockingly introspective, with lyrics like, “Sorry, I’m just scared of the future/’Til 3005, I got your back we can do this.” You can tell Glover is getting close to reaching his creative heights, even if this isn’t quite it.
“Sweatpants” feat. Problem (Because the Internet)
This one is pure, unadulterated older Gambino. Again, the production values on the song are undeniably high. But this is Glover at his most pre-Camp swaggy, as exemplified by the chorus that just repeats the phrase, “Don’t be mad ’cause I’m doing me better than you doing you.” The song does feature some of Glover’s more impressive verbal gymnastics, with quick verses like, “Bring a girlfriend man trouble when I see her/err-eh-err-eh onomatopoeia.” Even when he’s at his most Childish, Glover never lets you forget just how impressive his natural flow is.
“Pink Toes” feat. Jhene Aiko (Because the Internet)
This was probably the most interesting departure of Glover’s musical career up until this point. It was the rare song where Glover didn’t rap at all, instead of singing about “rainbows” and “sunshine” and sharing the spotlight with Aiko, whose verse compliments the lazy-beach-day atmosphere the song appears to be going for. There has been rampant speculation about the nature of Glover and Aiko’s relationship over the years, particularly because of Glover’s noted affinity for Asian women (he wrote a whole song about it). Whatever their status is, this song feels like the truest precursor to Awaken, My Love! from Glover’s previous musical output.
“Me And Your Mama” (Awaken, My Love!)
This is the album that got the Grammys to start taking notice of Glover’s musical acumen. It’s a stark departure from his previous work, featuring no rapping and, frankly, very little of Glover actually singing. This one is all about the production, and the title track on the album sets the mood for what’s to follow well by never giving the listener time to settle into a steady rhythm. It transitions from soft female vocals to Glover screaming about problems in his love life accompanied by a bunch of sounds that don’t sound like they should blend well together, but somehow seamlessly do.
“Redbone” (Awaken, My Love!)
“Redbone” is probably the best individual piece of music Glover has ever written. It’s pure funk, with a beat that feels like it was made to be that background music in a crowded restaurant that breaks through the loud conversation and gets everyone’s toes tapping.
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It’s the crowning achievement thus far of Glover’s evolution as an artist, and it rightfully opened the door for music critics to admit they like Childish Gambino. Of course, if This is America is any indication, Glover’s best musical accomplishments may still be yet to come.