Designer: Jenny Kang (Business/Interactive Media) and Colleen Curtis (Design)
Cover Story
From Outsider to Icon
The Endless Evolution of Donald Glover
Spring 2018
34
Troy Barnes. mcDJ. Earn Marks. Childish Gambino. The man behind all of these characters and monikers is Donald Glover, and it’s near impossible to avoid his influence these days. Born and raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia just outside of Atlanta, the young Glover was characterized by constant isolation and disapproval from his peers, attributed to his black skin and “white” interests. Now, Glover is an industry icon. His success spans across music, comedy, and film; his artistry is truly boundless.
The beginning of Glover’s career can be traced back to 2005, when he released his first mixtape as a disc jockey under the name mcDJ. Glover released over one hundred tracks across several mixtapes and EPs as mcDJ, mostly consisting of experimental, electro-infused funky beats with some occasional subpar “rapping” — tacky oneliners that would make Lil Wayne cringe. Glover was an RA at New York University at the time, which is where he met fellow members of Derrick Comedy, forming one of the original
YouTube sketch comedy groups. His raunchy writing and exaggerated expressions were noticed by Tina Fey, and in 2006 he was invited to write for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, starring Fey herself, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and other comedic geniuses. Never one to be pigeonholed, Glover was far from satisfied with this taste of success. In 2008, mcDJ was replaced by Childish Gambino, a name he got from an online WuTang name generator. His debut Sick Boi is more significant symbolically than sonically
