It is safe to say that Kanye West's embrace of the "Make America Great Again" crowd has rubbed many fans the wrong way. But for many, Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, is filling a void with his latest single and video "This Is America."
Dropping during Glover's hosting stint on Saturday Night Live, the video for "This Is America" has stirred up debates about what message Gambino is trying to convey. It's been almost two years since the Atlanta musician's Grammy-nominated album Awaken, My Love.
However, the 34-year-old's latest single is a far departure from his 2016 musical efforts. The pulsating rhythm complementing the powerful lyrics of "This is America," which was produced by his longtime collaborator Ludwig Göransson, shows that the best is yet to come from Gambino.
The "This is America" video, which premiered Saturday, was directed by Atlanta director and frequent Gambino collaborator Hiro Murai. Over the past few years, the "Redbone" musician has risen as one of rap's greatest creative minds — and the video is proof of that where singer SZA and rapper Young Thug make appearances.
From a dope dance sequence with kids that was seemingly inspired by a popular South African style of dance to the chaos throughout the video from Gambino shooting innocent black people — fans are perplexed by the meaning and motifs presented by the visual.
Twitter was set ablaze by the new release. People began to meticulously dissect every frame and making timely comparisons to Kanye West's recent controversial stances in both music and the press.
this feels like a visual representation of black twitter trending topics: Black joy and black terror coexisting, always. #ThisIsAmerica
pic.twitter.com/30KQR1Ne1S— janelle madikizela monae (@plumandmustard) May 6, 2018
#ThisIsAmerica
Childish GambinoMesmerizing. Disturbing. Violent. Beautiful. Tragic. Materialistic. Melodic. Chaotic.pic.twitter.com/jET1KfgRvx
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 6, 2018
“Black man, Black man… get your money… Black man, Black man… get your money… Black man, Black man.. get your money… Black man, Black man… GET DOWN”
SHOOK. #ThisIsAmerica
#ChildishGambino— Julia Carter (@thejuliacarter) May 6, 2018
#ThisIsAmerica It’s like Kanye was supposed to be our musical Anakin Skywalker,but now Childish Gambino/Luke Skywalker (The New Hope) has filled the seat meant for the ‘father’. THE IRONY… pic.twitter.com/OBShYaY6tH
— ????????⚡️ (@CeeAkachi) May 6, 2018
Shook by how fast I caught this reference. I haven’t seen a Jim Crow picture in years. Donald Glover did not come to play with y’all today. #ThisIsAmerica
pic.twitter.com/5Xq4tLSJ7P— Nichia (@nicky_furiosa) May 6, 2018
Childish Gambino is what Kanye aspires to be but fails to attain. #ThisIsAmerica
— ✊????Black Aziz aNANsi✊???? (@Freeyourmindkid) May 6, 2018
Summed up: The American fabric is selling distractions and superficial livelihoods, while in reality avoiding gross systematic issues that we ignore because it’s easier to live a lie than to confront the truth. #ThisIsAmerica Childish Gambino Donald Glover #PoliticsNation
pic.twitter.com/rPuu5Ycsc4— Tony (@ImKnotTheOne) May 6, 2018
Childish Gambino/Donald Glover is a more talented individual than Kanye West. Enjoy that hot-take this Sunday afternoon
— Kelechi (@kelechiahaneku) May 6, 2018
Donald Glover/Childish Gambino literally addressed years of major issues in America that don’t like to be discussed because ‘it’s offensive’ or ‘not a big deal’ in a matter of minutes. The video may be graphic but doesn’t compare to what really happens everyday. #ThisIsAmerica
— j a d a (@jjadarenee) May 6, 2018
We may have to wait till 2019 to get a new album from the super busy actor and musician. Until then, here's the full video for "This is America" below:
