Childish Gambino is attempting to become one of the few successful actor/rappers in history. It’s a difficult path, but if anyone can do it, it’s this man. Although Childish Gambino is starting to gain fame, he is better known by his real name: Donald Glover. Glover currently plays Troy Barnes on the hit comedy Community and has previously won an Emmy for his writing on 30 Rock. Although most of his work is in comedy, Glover takes his rapping career very seriously.
His comedic skills come out in his witty lyrics that have earned him a cult following outside the norms of the hip-hop world. Gambino is a unique member of the hip-hop world; often rapping over well-known indie bands like Grizzly Bear or Sleigh Bells. He tours with a live band to back him up, playing hard drums and guitar in one song and a somber violin in another; live instrumentation adds another layer to his performance.
Glover started his set a little sloppy, playing the hard-hitting emotional anthem, “Hero,” off of his first full album, Culdesac. He faltered on the lines toward the end of the last verse, but being the showman he is none but the most obsessed of all fans could have noticed.
After his small misstep he regained the crowds full attention by playing his breakout hit “Freaks and Geeks” – the title is itself an example of one of the many pop-culture references strewn throughout his verses. And when Adele’s melodious voice came over the speakers to signal Gambino’s sample, “Do Ya Like,” the crowd lost control.
Glover displayed his amazing charisma and showmanship between songs, joking with the crowd to bridge the gap between the hardcore songs and some of his more emotional songs. His 19-song playlist was perfectly created, mixing hardcore rap with some of his more introspective songs. His fervent fans – made up of a mixture of hipster girls, lax-bros and everything in between – never stopped cheering throughout the entire set, creating an amazing atmosphere in the sold out House of Blues.
Not many fell for the ruse when the words “Thank You” came up on a projector and Donald left the stage. The crowd happily played along though, spending the next two minutes chanting “Gam-Bi-No” until right on cue, Childish Gambino came back shirtless –giving the females in the crowd a good view – and ready to bang out four more songs.
Childish Gambino gave the crowd a good preview of his new album, Camp, released by Glassnote Records on Nov. 15th. Glover is really stepping up his rap game on this new album, delving more into the emotional issues of growing up in a foster home, not fitting in as a kid and of course his love for Asian women.
Donald was a showman throughout, giving a great concert. His live performances of his new songs proved to the crowd that he is still the rapper we fell in love with; he is still able to mix highly emotional verses and hard hitting bangers on the same album, and there will never be a lack of obscure pop-culture references and insanely clever lines. If for some reason you have yet to listen to Childish Gambino’s work, I suggest that you do so…immediately.
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