As a huge fan of Community, I had no knowledge of the artist referred to as the Childish Gambino or that he moonlighted as the actor Donald Glover. Sometime in the fall of 2013, General Dopeness came to me and insisted I listen to this album by the black guy on community. I accepted his flash drive containing the album Camp and mixtape Cul De Sac, but did not rush home to my computer and upload them to my iTunes library. Instead I procrastinated; it would be at least two months before I’d listen to who the artist who would wow and amaze me as most rap ‘artist’ today seldom do.
My hesitation to indulge was not due to a lack of interest; it just wasn’t a priority. I was into to podcasts and indie bands at the time attempting to find the next best thing to indulge my eardrums. Little did I know the new next best thing was only a click away. You can have General Dopeness attest to this testament: when I finally got to listening to Camp and Cul De Sac, I did so continuously for five months, during which Because of the Internet dropped and only added to my obsession. I couldn’t get enough. Gambino rises to the helm of masterful storytelling with quick-witted rhymes of substance and creative wordplay. He uses the words nigga and bitch very loosely but not as a substitute for ignorance; Gambino can lyrical lap most tracks being played on the radio to date. However, I urge you to not wait by the car radio. To hear a Gambino song played on the radio is a rare occurrence. 3005 is thus far the only song I’ve heard from …Internet played on FM radio and to much belated disappointed at five months too late.
Soundscan numbers aside, the truth is always in the music. With lyrics that are as poignant as they are infectious; pulled from the heart and soul and delivered with the pain and anger of someone who has been quiet for too long, the Childish Gambino has transcended from rapper to Donald Glover finding his true self in music and thus enabling the freedom of his creative talents to flourish.