He felt trapped, and “Urn” seems to have contained the way out. The brand won over some and irked others, but it’s clear it became unsustainable for Glover after he seemed to undergo a public breakdown after leaving his role on Community. He kept rap at arm’s length by painting himself as a quirky outsider, superior to mainstream rappers by taking nothing seriously. Though this is a Lil Wayne-derived model, Glover was closer to other alt-rappers who appeal to listeners outside of hip-hop’s core audience (it’s not a stretch to say Camp primarily targeted white kids who found Glover through Derrick Comedy and Community). He approached hip-hop as something of a joke on that project and his other early Gambino releases, exaggerating the genre’s boasts with his comedians’ instinct for groan-worthy one-liners while also demonstrating ferocious technical skill. “I got a girl on my arm, dude, show respect / Something crazy and Asian, Virginia Tech” and “If I'm a f****t spell it right, I got way more than two G's” are among the many lines Glover raps on his debut retail album Camp that would absolutely not fly today. It bears reminding that if Twitter were as wartorn in 2011 as it is now, Donald Glover would be among the many public figures who would have been caught in the crossfire. The straightforward, natural neo-soul of “Urn” mapped Childish Gambino’s future, and in only 73 seconds to boot. There’s still no consensus on whether or not Because the Internet has had a lasting impact (to say that there is a discussion at all), but the album does feature a song that foresaw Glover’s eventual maturation as an artist. It’s his Roger Waters-making- The- Wall moment of rockstar panic, likewise resulting in solipsistic mythmaking and musical grandiosity. Glover infuses every single avenue he pursues here with a droll yet mildly alarmed earnestness, the sound of an erudite mind short-circuiting after being ensnared by its own cultivated web of pop culture. It’s a burnt-out rap opera (and accompanying screenplay), laced with bleary, smeary production and song-to-song tonal shifts from glittering radio singles to multi-part suites to hallucinogenic stylistic experiments. Because the Internet, Donald Glover’s second album as Childish Gambino, remains a weird record even after five years and a significant generational turnover in hip-hop.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |