Childish Gambino has released a new song, “This Is America.” It features background vocals from Young Thug, 21 Savage, Quavo, Rae Sremmurd’s Slim Jxmmi, and BlocBoy JB. Watch the accompanying music video below. Directed by “Atlanta” director Hiro Murai, the political and violent visual shows Glover dancing while chaotic scenes unfold. (SZA makes a cameo toward the end.) It marks Donald Glover’s first new material since his Grammy-nominated full-length “Awaken, My Love!” was released at the end of 2016.
The song debuted as Glover hosted “Saturday Night Live.” As the musical guest, he performed “This Is America” after being introduced by Daniel Kaluuya. He also debuted another new song, “Saturday,” with an introduction from Zoë Kravitz. Elsewhere in the episode, Glover gave a musical monologue and appeared in multiple sketches—including bits about Kanye, Migos, Lando Calrissian, and more.
Glover is set to head out on tour this fall with guests Rae Sremmurd and Vince Staples. He also has a new edition of his Pharos shows planned for New Zealand this November, where he is expected to perform new music. Glover has said that the next Childish Gambino album he releases will be the last under that moniker, explaining, “I think endings are good because they force things to get better.”
In the middle of his appearance as host and musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) dropped a video for a new song that veers between comedy, commentary and surrealism called “This Is America.” Filmed in a large warehouse, the video features a shirtless Glover dancing comically between scenes that alternate between humorous (his dancing and facial expressions) and disturbing (he pulls out an assault rifle and shoots both a hooded captive and, apparently, a gospel choir). In the video’s closing moments, SZA (or someone who looks an awful lot like her) makes an appearance, sitting on a car and looking briefly at the camera.
The song’s lyrics have a similar duality, shifting quickly from lighthearted (“I know you wanna party/ Party just for me/ Girl, you got me dancin’/ Dancin’ free”) to heavy (“This is America/ Police be trippin’ now/ Yeah, this is America/ Guns in my area”).
Shortly after the video dropped, he performed the song as his second musical spot on “SNL,” again shirtless but this time accompanied by an elaborate laser-ish lighting and several dancers wearing school uniforms; the song’s political implications were less obvious in that performance.
“This Is America” marks the first new music Gambino has dropped since the release of his Grammy-nominated album “Awaken, My Love!” late in 2016.
Glover recently left Glassnote Records for RCA and is expected to release a new album later this year. He will head out on tour in the fall with special guests Rae Sremmurd and Vince Staples; he is also performing at a new installment of his elaborate Pharos festival in New Zealand in November. Glover has said that the next Childish Gambino album he releases will be his last, explaining, “I think endings are good because they force things to get better.”
Glover fully embraced the opportunities of his double-bill “SNL” appearance, performing two songs as well as appearing in nearly every skit on the show, including one in which three members of a group styled on Migos are sitting in a therapy session.
Image copyright Childish Gambino/YouTube
Childish Gambino, AKA Donald Glover, has dropped a surprise new track called This is America.
The song appeared online during his performance as host on US sketch show Saturday Night Live.
Its video and lyrics switch between serious and funny, making comments on American life and current issues, including police violence, racism and gun crime.
The artist has said his next album will be his last under his stage name.
The Grammy winner also debuted another track called Saturday - his first new music since his 2016 album Awaken, My Love!
Image copyright Childish Gambino/YouTube
The video for This is America sees Bino dance erratically through a warehouse, interacting with scenes going on behind him - including a car on fire, a horse riding past and schoolchildren dancing.
At one point he shoots a man in the head.
The video is made to look like it's been filmed all in one shot.
Its director, Hiro Murai, has worked with Donald Glover before on his TV show Atlanta and other Childish Gambino music videos.
Image copyright Reuters
Donald Glover appeared on Satuday Night Live to promote his new film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, where he plays a young Lando Calrissian.
He recently gave an MTV Cribs-style tour of the Millennium Falcon from the film.
He's also starring as Simba in the upcoming Lion King remake, opposite Beyonce's Nala.
He recently released another piece of work packed with pop culture and current references - a fake script for his Deadpool animated series, which was cancelled.
Fans have been pretty positive about the surprise new music.
Skip Twitter post by @TonytheProphecy Childish gambino is who Kanye use to be to me back in the day... This is America — Tonytheprophecy (@TonytheProphecy) May 6, 2018 Report
Lots of people commented on his alter-ego - in his Saturday Night Live monologue, Donald Glover said: "We've got a great show for you tonight, Childish Gambino is here".
Skip Twitter post by @nlongman9 I’m watching Donald Glover on Saturday Night Live.
Childish Gambino just dropped a track.
Childish Gambino performs a DIFFERENT new song on SNL.
This guy just TOYS with the internet man. It’s his world and we’re just living in it. — nick (@nlongman9) May 6, 2018 Report
Others commented on how far he's come in the last few years.
Skip Twitter post by @CinematicEX In 2013 in ‘Because The Internet’ , Childish Gambino references Star Wars, Spider-Man, and Lion King. Now 5 years later He was in last year’s Spider-Man Homecoming, Solo: A Star Wars Story comes out at the end of this month and He plays Simba in Lion King next year. — chandler (@CinematicEX) May 4, 2018 Report
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Stay Woke! Childish Gambino is back with his first new music since 2016's Awaken, My Love!, 'This Is America'.
In a wild change of pace from the Funkadelic-inspired sound of his most recent release, the hard-hitting new track harkens back to Donald Glover's early form and finds him taking aim at police brutality and America's continued obsession with guns.
It arrived in the middle of his appearance on Saturday Night Live in the form of a well-choreographed, one-shot video, directed by Hiro Murai. Filmed in a large warehouse, the clip alternates between humorous, light-hearted scenes of a shirtless Glover dancing around with school kids and more graphic, chaotic scenes where he guns down a choir and shoots someone tied to a chair.
Fans of the Emmy Winning-series Atlanta will probably see similarities between the show and this video as one of the major themes of the series is Glover's take on being black in America. Check out the intense clip below.
Skip YouTube Video FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. YOUTUBE: Childish Gambino Youtube
Donald Glover pulled double duty on SNL, both hosting the show and performing as Childish Gambino. Shortly after the video dropped, he also performed the new song as his second musical spot of the night. Check it out below.
Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. TWITTER: SNL Tweet
In August, Gambino revealed he'd been working on new music in London and inked a new record deal with RCA.
And he's reportedly showing off more new music on tour. He's doing a co-headline run of US shows with Vince Staples through September and October. He's also bringing his immersive VR concert experience, Pharos, to New Zealand in November. So, there's outside hope he'll make a visit Down Under but nothing official announced yet.
The 34-year-old has said in the past that after one last album, he'll be retiring the Childish Gambino name. "I like endings and I think they’re important to progress... [they're] good because they force things to get better," he told press following his big win at the Grammys for Awaken, My Love!
We still don't know how Glover's got time for music around his on-screen commitments to his award-winning series Atlanta, playing Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and young Simba in the upcoming remake of The Lion King. But hey, since we're on the topic. About that rumoured Chance The Rapper collab...
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