Donald Glover is a writer, actor, comedian and director best known for his work on the sitcom Community and his original series Atlanta which is a homage to his hometown. Glover’s talents expand throughout the entertainment industry beyond TV and film under his moniker, Childish Gambino, a Grammy-winning, multi-hyphenate musician and producer.
Gambino’s discography begins in the early 2000s. The early mixtapes reflected him culturally and showcase his desire to create on his terms. His versatility as an artist is reflected in the various genres that inspire him, including hip-hop, R&B, funk and indie electro-pop. Exemplifying this are his biggest hits “3005,” the psychedelic soul of “Redbone,” and the blistering raps within “This Is America.” His latest album, Bando Stone and The New World, illustrates the heights of Gambino’s sonic exploration.
The album exhibits his willingness to try new things as a musician while staying true to who he is. However, this project is a goodbye to the Childish Gambino moniker since it is no longer fulfilling, he told the New York Times. Each track differs in instrumentation and tone showing the real-time shift of Gambino and the different options of art and life that he wants to explore. He also introduces a theme inspired by his life as Donald Glover, fatherhood and faith, which can be heard on the first track, “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7Y.”
The song begins with his son, Legend, who is also featured on the tenth track, “Can You Feel Me,” asking, “Are we gonna die?” and Gambino responds, “Not tonight.” This resembles one of the themes which is, being confident in facing the unknown which is reflected at the end of the song as well. Jessica Allain says, “I need you to listen to me right now, are you listening? Nobody cares.” The sentence explains the notion of facing the fear of the unknown and to do what one likes to do since nobody cares.
The album continues and makes a switch from EDM to a pop-rock feel with the second track, “Lithonia.” The difference in genres and intentional lack of cohesion between these tracks, which continues between the rest of the songs on the album, shows the confusion one might feel regarding career and life choices. This also reminds the audience of Glover’s feelings regarding retiring his moniker.
The album also demonstrates his confidence in what he is choosing which is resembled in the track, “Talk My Sh*t (feat. Amaarae & Flo Milli).” The hip-hop-inspired track is the unapologetic version of Gambino. He flaunts what he has done and his success within the lyrics, “I did it myself, a million bajillion, I made every penny.” The album continues to show every version of Gambino to give each version a goodbye. That includes pop-rock, hip-hop, and R&B-inspired sides of Gambino on the tracks, “Running Around (feat. Foushee),” and “A Place Where Love Goes.”
Bando Stone and The New World, resembles Gambino — he didn’t hesitate to exhibit each version of the moniker as the album is inspired by an array of genres the musician has explored over the years. The project was an exceptional way to retire the moniker, he reminded the audience of who exactly Childish Gambino was and the possibilities of what to expect next from Glover.
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