Javaly....................A Critique of Childish Gambino

Why Childish Gambino Will Never Be Taken Seriously

by Matt Javaly

Because The Internet (2014), Donald Glover’s second studio album as Childish Gambino, starts with a pretty good leadoff track, “Crawl.” It’s got a dark and ominous production, and in the climate of a post-Yeezus hip-hop world, that’s a virtue. I listened to it several times, each time gathering more Childish quotes, but never being able to string them together. “Ya’ll b-string like a broke guitar,” “Gut niggas, so Kurt Vonne.” It felt like déjà vu against his other work: undeniable technical skills, but nothing delivered but hollow one-liners. Quick fow and clever rhymes, as it turns out, are only relevant when you’re actually saying something. Going back to Camp (2011) helps to see the lack of any discernible objective in his lines. He’s clearly read up on popular culture, but only so he can make tounge-in-cheek references like, “made the beat then murdered it – Casey Anthony!” (“Bonfre”). Now, hip-hop is no stranger to references of offensive nature, however: they must be used to SOME end. My favorite rap group, the Wu-Tang Clan, said all types of offensive shit on their debut album, hell - they even wrote a song “dedicated to niggas who do drive-by’s” (“Can It Be All So Simple”). However, they nested lines like that among a sentiment which, if not accessible, demanded respect in its own right. That song in particular is about the dreams they had in the past (“I want to have me a phat yacht”), dragged into the ugly and inescapable present (“mad lives is up for grabs”). “Bonfre,” Camp’s lead single, presents nothing but low-brow movie references and a rather distasteful comment about Princess Diana’s death. Childish simply refuses to see his coarse pop culture plugs as pertaining to any goal, and without that trait they fall fat. Another serious issue is his lack of a persona. His bars, rich with short witticisms, build no discrete character. For Christ’s sake, he wrote a song, “You See Me,” which I can only assume is about Asian women from its hook, “Asian girls everywhere.” Any sincerity is quickly thwarted by the frst verse: “she’s an overachiever cause all she do is succeed.” Now, I know what you’re thinking; but Matt, succeed and suck seed, that’s a dope double entendre*! And isn’t it? He managed to make a thesis for that song (and perhaps his entire rap career) out of a line like that. Now, I’m not trying to bash Donald Glover as a writer, because I’m almost done with season three of Communityand I fnd that shit to be hilarious. However, I fear that his comedic background is an integral weakness in his raps. In television comedy sketches, being funny and quick and clever is the agent. And although hip-hop can be funny, it’s not a requirement, and if you’re having trouble with the bare basics (like substance) you’re better off avoiding it altogether. Childish Gambino can swipe 1000 more one-liners from Twitter, and you can try using them as an entry point to rap music for your uninformed parents. But don’t expect him to be anything more than hip-hop’s class clown.