# New video (hip-hop) from Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2018, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811 "2018-05-08T11:57:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/21 "2018-05-08T15:19:46Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > For instance, there is no gunshot beat drop in the song at all (and there should be). There definitely should be. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/22 "2018-05-08T15:32:08Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The video is much better than just the song. In fact, the song was edited for timing in the video and some of the more dramatic moments were added for the video. For instance, there is no gunshot beat drop in the song at all (and there should be). Yep, well stated. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/23 "2018-05-08T15:40:40Z")
I thought the performance of the song on SNL this past weekend was fantastic ([link again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2P2qbr-_Ps)). I was really in to Gambino’s album \*Culdesac \*but haven’t been into his stuff since. I am big into _Atlanta_, tho. Anyway, the songs on SNL brought me back in and I think the video adds a lot to the song. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/24 "2018-05-08T16:04:26Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > That’s like… your opinion man. I think the song is absolutely fantastic - especially the immediate juxtaposition between the gospel and the rap part. And I am someone who wasn’t that big a fan of “Awaken My Love”. I know, me either. I thought that album really was trying too hard. I feel like this song nailed it. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/25 "2018-05-08T16:06:16Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I don’t know any of his stuff so it is lost on me. > > I quite like music (and art in general) to move me on it’s own merits rather than requiring any insider knowledge. I think this can… But it’s commenting on a specific bit of culture. You have to understand the culture its commenting on to really get it. Some of that is American pop culture right now. That’s not the only thing, but that’s the bit that seems to be the barrier for most people. If you don’t get the context, that’s OK, it’s not talking to you. There are other things that are interesting about the song. (I also like the gospel/hip hop juxtaposition for example) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/26 "2018-05-08T16:07:25Z")
[Here’s a decent list from Buzzfeed about a lot of the symbolism in the video.](https://www.buzzfeed.com/kevinsmith/childish-gambino-hidden-meaning-this-is-america?bfsource=bbf_enus&utm_term=.jm13L0A0y#.iuA3aL4LZ) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/27 "2018-05-08T16:31:57Z")
It’s a good video. I think the internet glomming on to it is a direct reaction to Kanye and his ‘slavery was a choice’ bullshit. Not that Glover did it to diss Kanye but that the people Kanye outraged with his idiocy are elevating this video in a “SEE?!!! This is how a hip hop genius should act, you crazy, stupid motherfucker!” Also, the Jim Crow stance while shooting the black guy really is friggin genius. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/28 "2018-05-08T16:33:06Z")
This is the type of genius Kanye wishes he was. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/29 "2018-05-08T16:40:32Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > This is the type of genius Kanye wishes he was. Sadly, Kanye is this kind of genius. He’s just also all kinds of fucked up. After he and TI did their most recent track together TI gave and interview where he was saying that Kanye is so removed from reality that while he was supporting Trump he hadn’t even heard about the travel ban. This was like a week ago. He just started watching the news in the last week. Kanye makes me sad. Like mid 90s Michael Jackson sad. But I think he is still capable of great art. His Famous music video is, I think, a very powerful reflection on America’s obsession with fame. > **[Where to Watch Music Videos | Vevo Originals](https://www.hq.vevo.com/watch)** > > Vevo is the world's leading music video network. Watch music videos on your favorite apps, streaming services, and devices, including YouTube, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Fire TV, and more. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/30 "2018-05-08T16:55:30Z")
I’m not into this genre enough to make any real critique of this song, but I will say that his performance on SNL was the first time since DVR was invented that I’ve watched the whole musical guest performance and not just skipped ahead to Weekend Update. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/31 "2018-05-08T17:00:59Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Sadly, Kanye is this kind of genius. He’s just also all kinds of fucked up. > After he and TI did their most recent track together TI gave and interview where he was saying that Kanye is so removed from reality that while he was supporting Trump he hadn’t even heard about the travel ban. This was like a week ago. He just started watching the news in the last week. > > Kanye makes me sad. Like mid 90s Michael Jackson sad. > > But I think he is still capable of great art. His Famous music video is, I think, a very powerful reflection on America’s obsession with fame. > > [https://www.vevo.com/watch/kanye-west/famous/USUV71601791](https://www.vevo.com/watch/kanye-west/famous/USUV71601791) Ta-Nehisi Coates made the same comparison between West and Jackson: > **[I’m Not Black, I’m Kanye](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/05/im-not-black-im-kanye/559763/)** > > Kanye West wants freedom—white freedom. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/32 "2018-05-08T17:10:04Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Eh, the message is fine and everything, but all the explanations in the world don’t actually make it _good_. There’s nothing in the song that makes it compelling. There’s nothing that makes me want to listen to it more than once. The rhythm is unpleasant and jarring, and there’s nothing really singable about it. I will concede that it’s an impressive work of art with a lot of effort put into it, but as music goes I find it unlistenable. Eh, I actually quite like it. I don’t know much about trap, but this sounds pretty good to me. I actually would call the “This is America” repeating refrain the hook of the song, or at least one of the hooks. I find it strangely earwormy. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/33 "2018-05-08T17:23:30Z")
Hadn’t seen this thread and was completely unfamiliar with his music (I stopped listening to most new music in the 90s). But I kept seeing headlines about the video, so I finally watched. It has been a long time, if ever, that I sat back in silence after watching a music video and just _thought_. I visited the Museum of African American History and Culture a couple of weeks ago, and after spending some hours in the downstairs portion, I just _thought_, too. The motivation was basically the same. “I am well aware that this happened / is happening, but having it told and illustrated so well and in my face like that…wow.” I have no idea if I’ll be a Childish Gambino fan going forward. But this song/video deserves the attention it is receiving, in my opinion. And the Buzzfeed article referenced some things that I definitely missed. I’m not ready to go back and rewatch the video yet, but I will. ---
**Author:** ![Deser2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dfb087/32.png) [@Deser2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deser2)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/34 "2018-05-08T20:36:47Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > The rhythm is unpleasant and jarring, and there’s nothing really singable about it. I feel like this was a big part of his choice. Because the subject matter is (should be) jarring and unpleasant the beat needs to match that. Like others in this thread have stated - after watching this i just sat and thought for a little while which, when it comes to current music, is a very rare thing. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/35 "2018-05-08T21:30:13Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I thought the performance of the song on SNL this past weekend was fantastic ([link again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2P2qbr-_Ps)). I was really in to Gambino’s album \*Culdesac \*but haven’t been into his stuff since. I am big into _Atlanta_, tho. Anyway, the songs on SNL brought me back in and I think the video adds a lot to the song. The SNL version was the one I saw, and I thought it was a complete trip. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/36 "2018-05-08T21:49:39Z")
That is a seriously impressive bit of art, thanks for the pointer. I’m going to have to watch that one a bunch of times, there’s SO much going on! ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/37 "2018-05-08T21:59:35Z")
I’m so hyped by this video. This will either cement my cred or belie it, but I had no idea that Childish Gambino was Donald Glover when I saw the video. I just saw it as the smartest, coolest, grooviest piece of art I’ve seen in a dog’s age. After I watched the video a dozen times, I did the three minutes of research required to discover what an idiot I am. I always enjoyed Glover in his acting roles, but this (and some of his other music I’ve tripped across on YouTube) has sent me into full-on fandom. A comment I read on Twitter: “Donald Glover is actually doing what Kanye West thinks he’s doing.” ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/38 "2018-05-08T22:27:34Z")
I don’t keep up with new music, but was very struck by this. Probably the video and music together, rather than the music alone–but both are very impressive. I find images from both the video and the SNL performance recurring to my mind at various times. Glover is a great talent, without a doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/39 "2018-05-08T22:51:13Z")
So there is a lot of symbolism in the video. Was the movie solely about black culture or did it have a wider message about America as a whole? I guess that part confused me. There are lots of references to Dylan roof, Jim Crow, the confederacy, shucking and jiving, valuing guns over human life. I guess I’m confused as to whether the video is about America as a whole or more a story about being black in America. Also what did all the old cars represent? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/40 "2018-05-08T22:54:11Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > So there is a lot of symbolism in the video. Was the movie solely about black culture or did it have a wider message about America as a whole? I guess that part confused me. > > There are lots of references to Dylan roof, Jim Crow, the confederacy, shucking and jiving, valuing guns over human life. > > I guess I’m confused as to whether the video is about America as a whole or more a story about being black in America. > > Also what did all the old cars represent? I think yes and yes and yes and yes (e.g. it was about all of the above). As for the old cars, perhaps it was a twist on the genre’s typical reverence of half-million dollar supercars, instead showing the kinds of cars that many or most Americans (and black Americans in particular) drive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811.md?page=3)