Childish Gambino, born Donald Glover, has a soft, shaky, and uniquely “Hollywood” ground that will make it slightly difficult for him to be a major player in the hip hop game. I only say “slightly” because his music, concerts and first album are a must for your record collection. The music, performance on stage is nothing short of a superstar. Granted, the man won't be the next Tupac, but he does deliver on the same level as Andre 3000. Whether that's complimentary or not is debatable; Glover got his rap name from a Wu Tang name generator and that fact alone sets him in his own category. It's almost as if the man is killing it in the hip hop world as some underlying joke about how it comes easy to wickedly smart people.


Camp is an eclectic hip hop sound that advances the genre in a way that it so badly needs. We have come to a point where hip hop artists are putting out albums that are fused with electronic dance music scene. What happened to going hard but keeping with the times? Sure – we can get Game's new album, but we all know that "red nation" samples a classic electronic track that we played to death, so let's talk about Camp. I want to do the album complete justice because it is amazing. Here is the Cliff's notes review for the album:


Childish went straight H.A.M. Buy the fucking album.


Extended review:


I will start with the one negative thing about the album that I found. Believe me, it is just one. We are running out of music that wants you to break a face with your fist. That is where the genre was birthed, and it's running out of punch. Childish brought it on this album and, in combination with advancing the music sounds of the genre without fusing it with samples of the electronic music industry sends him on a first class Virgin Galactic flight to a leader in the game. So what's the negative? On many occasions, Childish answers to the naysayers by stating he is being himself, not going hard to answer to anyone. Donald, I gotta tell you, don't tell me that shit, just be that shit.


The first track, "Outside," has a great sound, is heavy in vibe and brings us “The History of Donald.” The lyrics really hit home with how people can face closed-minded people who will constantly shut us down. I feel the pain of the album, and the talk of his father losing his job and how they wanted to get out of the hood. The talk of loosing a cousin, and trying to bring him back. The lyrics of this track hit home so well for me because of my own heavy past, and a successful current position. It's hard to capture the heartache of a lover of life in a situation like that and this track captures it with enthusiasm.


Skipping forward to "Bonfire," we start to see how hard Childish can go with this album. The heavy beat, the guitar riffs, the shouting fading in and out with the chanting is a manslaughter of heavy vibes. "Made a beat and then murdered it.” couldn't be any more fitting a sentiment for the track.


When we go to "All The Shine" next, we see how Childish can can speak from the heart. Sure, the lyrics are heavy ("like when you make out with your best friend's baby sis, you know, the one with short hair you use to babysit?") but the song captures many difficult interpersonal situations to fantastic effect. The song also comes with some justification, but I will let you find those words. He also speaks to the fact that he is in this unique category of wanting to go hard, but crack a joke every now and then. It's 2011, honestly for the educated; I feel that Childish is more realistic when it comes to music than, say, Drake. There is a larger meaning behind the fact that there was a trending topic #drakecrieswhen in the top 10 for at least a few hours. Sure, the hash tag was followed by Drake beating out Childish for the number one spot on iTunes. I honestly don't look at the charts anymore. I look for tracks like "All The Shine" followed by throwing a middle finger to the industry. I write reviews to get music. I bought Childish Gambino's album because of tracks like this, and "Heartbeat."


Those of us who were extremely attractive for at least a short period in our lives and might have had that one relationship where the sex was flat out amazing, but said relationship was extremely fucked up will definitely want to inhabit “Heartbeat.” In that track it's all about cheating, lying, breaking up and and making up, but having this undeniable sexual bond that makes your life fucked up. That is the track where if you have been there, you feel every line as it pours into your heart.


"Backpackers" is my least favorite track of the album. It is not a bad song, but the intro and the lyrics are HAM, and the beat between the chorus and the intro just had this slight disconnect. It's close to HAM – let's call it bacon and I've got high cholesterol, so I'll pass on this one.


There are many more great songs, but I want to go to the last track as my last coverage. "You See Me" goes so hard I get goosebumps, it went so hard in the Childish concert I caught in LA that I almost got into a fight with a girl for raging. "Not my fault, these ladies love me, she's an overachiever, all she want's to do is succeed (pronounced “suck seed.”)


I pray for more albums on this lyrical level and concerts from Childish Gambino in the future. If you haven't bought Camp album yet, you're living life on a lower level.
Artist:
www.iamdonald.com/
www.myspace.com/childishgambino
www.facebook.com/pages/Childish-Gambino/
www.twitter.com/donaldglover
Album:
Camp is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
