Childish Gambino

Early life

Donald McKinley Glover Jr. was born at Edwards Air Force Base in Edwards, California, on September 25, 1983; he grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where his father was stationed. His mother, Beverly, is a retired daycare provider and his father, Donald Glover Sr., was a postal worker. His parents were foster parents for 14 years. Glover was raised as a Jehovah's Witness but is no longer religious. His younger brother, Stephen, later became a writer and producer who collaborates with him. He has a sister named Brianne. In December 2018, Glover disclosed that his father had died.

Early career

Glover's stage name, Childish Gambino, which he used to start his musical career, comes from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator. In June 2008, he released the independent mixtape Sick Boi. In September 2009, he released his second mixtape Poindexter. A pair of mixtapes titled I Am Just a Rapper and I Am Just A Rapper 2, were released in close succession in 2010, and Culdesac, his third mixtape, was released in July of that year. In March 2010, Glover performed a 30-minute set on the stand-up showcase program Comedy Central Presents.

2024–present: Name change, Atavista, Bando Stone & the New World soundtrack

In April 2024, during a radio stream by Glover's production company GILGA, Glover revealed plans to re-release 3.15.20 as a "finished" album called Atavista, as well as announcing the existence of a new album. Glover said the latter would be the final Childish Gambino album and would act as a soundtrack to an upcoming film called Bando Stone & the New World. Later in the month, Glover previewed a track featuring a Kanye West verse on his Gilga Radio show.

Influences

In an interview with The Guardian, Glover stated, "I'm influenced by LCD Soundsystem as much as Ghostface Killah. A lot of the rap shows I saw as a kid were boring, but if you went to a Rage Against the Machine show or a Justice show, the kids were losing their minds. Kids just want to go nuts, Odd Future know that. People want to experience something physical." He also cites hip-hop duo Outkast and trio Migos, and funk band Funkadelic as being influences.

3005

"3005" is a song by American rapper Childish Gambino, released on October 22, 2013 as the first official single from his second studio album Because the Internet. It peaked at number eight on the UK R&B Chart and number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Background

On October 22, 2013, Gambino released "3005" to SoundCloud, revealing it as the first single from his second studio album Because the Internet. The following day it was released for digital download on iTunes. The song was produced by Gambino himself, along with Stefan Ponce and Ludwig Göransson.

Composition

Childish Gambino said that he wrote the song early in the morning, as he does with all the songs he considers his best songs. He spoke on the track's significance saying, "Everybody's like, 'It's a love song.' It's kind of an existential thing. I'm just really scared of being alone. When I was little, there was a big dog down the street. I was really scared of it. But when I was with my sister, when I knew I had to protect her, I wasn't afraid of the dog as much because somebody was there. I had a purpose...I kind of feel lost. I kind of lost that, I feel." The song features "deprecating, punchline-packed bars" by Gambino, backed by "his, Stefan Ponce and Ludwig Göransson‘s quirky, futuristic synth boardwork" and a heavy bass. The song has...

Critical reception

"3005" was met with critical acclaim from music critics, many of whom considered it to be Gambino's best song. Billboard gave the song a positive review saying, "The elastic '3005' essentially offers a collage of influences by some of modern hip-hop's biggest talent, evoking the braggadocio of Big Sean on the verses and flicking off a hook that would sound at home on Drake's Nothing Was the Same. Like Drizzy, Gambino tries to navigate through his bars before stopping on a dime to silkily croon, 'I'll be right by your side, 'til 3005'." Franklin Soults, writing for The Boston Globe named "3005" Because the Internet's "essential track". David Drake of Complex stated that "3005" is a hit record, with a huge, dreamily transcendent hook.

Music video

On November 15, 2013, the song's lyric video was premiered on Vevo. The video depicts Gambino webcamming with porn star Abella Anderson as they flirt back and forth with each other, with Gambino typing the song's lyrics. Eventually, Anderson strips down to her string bikini as the video ends. Anderson had previously made a cameo appearance in Gambino's Clapping for the Wrong Reasons short film.

Redbone

"Redbone" is a song recorded by American singer Donald Glover, with the stage name of Childish Gambino. It was released on November 17, 2016, and serves as the second single from his third studio album "Awaken, My Love!" The song received three Grammy Award nominations including Record of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, eventually winning the award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

In 2021, it was ranked No. 383 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Background

Following the release of "Me and Your Mama", Gambino released the song on November 17, 2016, premiering on Annie Mac's Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, with the DJ describing it as "oozing with soul".

Recording and production

"Redbone" was written by Donald Glover and produced by Ludwig Göransson. In an interview with Triple J, Glover explained:

Critical reception

"Redbone" was critically acclaimed upon release, resulting in its inclusion in several publications’ year-end best songs lists. Critics primarily praised the track as a faithful homage to P-Funk and 1970s R&B, as well as for Glover's vocals. In a positive review, Pitchfork’s Sheldon Pearce called the track "a full-blown funk slow jam" which "parses love, lust, reconciliation, generations of black soul, and wokeness". Slant Magazine, which ranked the song as the Best Single of 2017, described it as "a creepin’ tribute to the pre-quiet-storm R&B characterized by the Delfonics and the Floaters" and highlighted the "Thundercat-worthy popping bassline" and "insistent glockenspiel diddling strike", with author Jonathan Wroble noting the song's...