I usually don’t get too caught up in pop culture hype. I thought that Beychella was fantastic, but it wasn’t something I kept going back to. This is not the case with Childish Gambino’s latest, “This is America.”
The song itself is good. Nice beat, catchy hook, and some decent, if not derivative, flow. What sets this work apart is the video, a brilliant work of art with harsh criticism. Many have already written about the symbolism and imagery in the video. You can check those pieces out (here).
What is crazy to me is that I can’t stop watching it. I’ve seen a few of my friends on Facebook saying the same thing. We all seem to have different reasons for that, but this phenomenon of not being able to look away is rarely associated with a music video.
Unfortunately, Donald Golver is reportedly retiring his music persona “Childish Gambino” after this latest album. Maybe he feels the character has reached his apex, or maybe he wants to focus on other endeavors, but for those of us who have liked Childish Gambino before, but have now fallen in love, it feels premature - not that Mr. Glover gives a flip about what I think. Mr. Gambino, come back!
There are some incredibly intense moments in the video, and much has been made of the shootings and the gun coddling, and those moments are certainly like a car crash (or a murder) happening right in front of you. Shocking, hard to watch, hard to look away. But the thing that keeps me watching is Donald Glover himself.
Donald Glover’s performance in the video is mesmerizing. From the quirky dancing to the messages being pulsed from his eyes, the man is the video, and his magnetism keeps our eyes glued to commentary we may not want to see, but need to see.
Kanye West thinks he does this. However, Kanye fails to deliver the message in any way that makes you have to watch. He’s petulant where Childish Gambino is focused. Kanye likes attention to be on him, and that’s a normal desire for a performer. After all, celebrity is made for those craving the public’s adoration. Childish Gambino seems to want the same thing. The entire video for “This is America” stars him, but his message comes across more clearly. We know (or at least feel) he has something worthwhile to say, and we should listen. Kanye comes across as the child throwing his sippy cup because he knows it upsets you. But what message is there in that except “you aren’t paying ME enough attention.”
The need to compare the two is because they have been pushed into the social commentary spotlight at the same moment (you could add Janelle Monae in there as well). Kanye with his Donald Trump support and MAGA hat, and Donald Glover with this video and his associated performance on Saturday Night live. It’s fantastic to see people with a big speaker using that to send out a message. It’s just sometimes important to make sure you’re not sending mixed signals.
In this way, Childish Gambino, and his video for “This is America” is crystal clear. We’re all still trying to figure out what the hell Kanye is doing.`
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