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Childish Gambino inspires me because of everything he does and how he goes about it. Gambino has done everything he’s wanted to do, and strived in it. Starting off, he aspired to be an actor, so he made his own little show and started writing for another one, then he eventually got himself a role. He could’ve stopped there, he could’ve stayed an actor but he didnt. He felt that it was becoming a job, and he says he never wants his career to feel like a job, so he opts out and moves on. He becomes a director, filmmaker, music artist, and puts so much love into each and every one of those careers. I strive to be a lot of things, and sometimes it seems impossible, but Gambino is proof that its possible

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Donald Glover is an actor, director, comedian and musician, who performs under the name Childish Gambino. He irst started doing homemade sitcom/comedy shows with his friends, which landed him as a writer on the TV show 30 Rock, he moved starting acting in the show Community and doing his own stand up comedies. His best known work is as the star and creator of the TV comedy Atlanta, which earned him two Emmy Awards. In 2017, he became the first African American to win an Emmy for comedy directing. In his music career, he has released six albums and the hit songs “This Is America” and “Redbone,” as well as earned five Grammys. Glover's most recent projects are Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the album Bando Stone and the New World.

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Zombies

"All I see is zombies
Walking all around us
You can hear them coming (they come to take your life)
You can hear them breathing, breathing down your spine

All I see is zombies
Hear them screaming at her
They can smell your money
And they want your soul
Here they come behind you
Try to stay alive

We're coming out to get you
We're oh, so glad we met you
We're eating you for profit
There is no way to stop it

You will find there is no safe place to hide, hide
(That's right, that's right)"

To me, these lyrics (and the whole song itself) is talking about greed. Whether it be human greed or corporate greed, this song can be talking about both. The "zombies" signify the greed of people, breathing down your spine, waiting to bite. The song also flat out says "They can smell your money". The lyric that says "And they want your soul" to me means the same as "selling your soul" mainly it being people big in the music industry, like the contractors, trying to basically own everything you do, thus wanting your "soul". The song also says "we're eating you for profit" which is another tell at the music industry and their money cuts. And lastly, "there is no safe place to hide" which I think means that these greedy people are all around you, not just meaning big corporate enemies, but you friends or even family, waiting to make a profit out of you too.

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Time

"Runnin' after something
But I don't know what
Am I runnin' to?
Too afraid to stop
Hundred miles an hour (Can you feel it? In my blood, like)
With no seatbelt on
Time is everlasting
I can't wait that long (Ooh)"

This song in general is pretty vague, these lyrics can really mean anything. It could mean people looking for things in the wrong places. Too afraid to stop or slow down to see bigger pictures, and maybe they think its too late to do so. These lyrics resonate with me because I dream big. I dream to be so many things, that I don't know what I want to be. I feel like I'm growing too fast, like if the opportunities are flying right by me, and I don't even see them. With no seatbelt on, meaning I'll eventually crash, and might never be able to go again. I cant wait as long as I am, I'm procrastinating a lot not really trying to realize anything I dream of, and eventually... Im going to run out of time. But Gambino is an example of just that, he has done so many things, and excelled in them, which would give anyone hope for the future.

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Childish Gambino was born in Edwards AFB in California. In his music, he doesn't show California style rapping or mentions. That's because he was raised in Georgia instead. He claims his heritage to Atlanta, mentioning it in multiple songs. Although he has mentioned and shouted out ATL in songs, he doesn't really portray that in his rap. In my opinion, his music is more influenced by his careers, when he used to write and be a comedian is a mirror to his earlier music. Then when he started acting and directing, it became similar to his later music, being more pop and rnb, with meaningful lyrics and movie level composing

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Childish Gambino is a heavy activist for racism, gun violence, and really anything wrong in America. His art and imagery shows his life, and his activism in all of his albums. His early one “Because The Internet” is all centered around his life, his hardships, his love life, and music. Then “Awaken, My Love!” talking about his fears and desires in life and love. Then he goes on with his singles, for example: This is America. His most loudly interpreted activism song, talking all about racism, gun violence, and police brutality. Then another album, 3.15.20, with the track, “42.26” aka “Feels Like Summer” talking about how social media focuses on the life of celebrities and other miniscule things instead of the bigger, overwhelming problems such as climate change. Childish Gambino also has imagery in his album covers, always matching a certain vide that sets the tone or the album. For example: The AML album cover features a dark tone, colored with black and a dark blue. The main subject of the cover is a face frozen still, expressing an amalgamation of emotions, up for the listener to decide, signifying the big and confusing change this album brings

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Childish Gambino is an ever-changing, ever-evolving artist, so it would go without saying that he has had many influences throughout his career. One of his first influences were Eminem and Outkast, this show in all his albums, the punchlines and maybe odd lyrics of Eminem, and the soul inspired by Outkast’s rap. He has one unreleased song with Andre 3000 and multiple songs with Eminem. He is also inspires later on by old funk artists and bands like Sly & The Family Stone. He’s also inspired by electronic bands like LCD Soundsystem, where he derives a lot of his production. His most popular album so far is directly inspired by the band Funkadelic, even replicating their Maggot Brain album cover for his own album Awaken, My Love!. But by far the most influential person to Gambino has to be Ludwig Goransson, a producer, songwriter, and composer who he met back in his acting days. Ludwig has had an influence on every one of Gambino’s albums, whether it be directly being apart of it, or influencing Gambinos style or production, he even Co-produced and wrote every song on Awaken, My Love!

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Childish Gambino is an artist known for his musical diversity. His first studio album, Camp, wasn't all so different in terms of genre or style, his was just rapping, saying some inappropriate lyrics, telling of his life, talking about the black community, and such, but the instrumentals get kind of electronic, pop, and even gospel-like, which will become a future staple of his rap music. On to his sophomore album, Because The Internet, this is where you see him really lean into that electronic and pop style instrumental. He also ups the ante on his storytelling, and the album’s imagery, even making a screenplay for the album. He also creeps a teeny tiny bit into rnb, with songs like pink toes. Now to his most acclaimed and most popular album, Awaken, My Love!. This album takes a full left turn from his first 2 albums, creating a funky, rnb, soul, neo-psychedelic concept album, with weird imagery, art, and sounds.The albums tells a story about the deep emotions of love, anxiety, it’s about relationships, race, and parenthood, talking about a child, and wanting to protect it by telling them the dangers of the world, talking about that child being his pride, and also talking about the child's mother. That album was the breakthrough for him to be experimentally free with his music, leaning hard into electronic and neo-soul with Atavista and also being more pop and rock with Bando Stone and The New World.

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Childish gambino has a huge variety of music, making picking 5 to put at the top pretty hard, but heres mine:

5: III. Life: The Biggest Troll: I love the way this song starts and ends, the amazing pop and electronic-ish production and boom bap like drums mixed so well, along with his cadence. The only problem with it is the middle, its basically a lot of talking with the occasional kick, but other than that, I love it.

4: Feels Like Summer: I specifically like the undone version, 42.26, for how satisfyingly weird it sounds. People describe the song as summer itself, and I agree, the warm reverb and shaky and weird sounds on the original version is what made me love it.

3: Terrified: Its the song that kinda introduced me to his music. The thing I like about this song is the crazy but mellow and soft production. I love the mix of soul, funk and psyche throughout the whole song and album, which introduced me to funk.

2: Say Less: Its a rap song with 2 of my favorite artists ever exchanging bars like its nothing. Its not only them rapping together, but it seems like they produced together too, the first half sounding like early gambino albums and Atavista, then the second half being a soul sample like Kanye.

1: I. The Worst Guys: The song that secured my love for Gambino. This song, along with its extended inro Dial Up, it becomes a masterpiece for the ears, the beautifully dark and kind of aggressive production, the switches between Gambino and Chance, the tonal change of their voices, and the various flows of the song, makes the whole album worth listening to.

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Childish Gambino’s fashion style is commonly referred to as ‘Nostalgic” Gambino wears tailored suits with earthy tones of the 70s or lurid ones of the 80’s. He also wears a monochrome palette, often pairing them up,  wearing all black or all white. His fashion also consists of polo shirts, trousers, chains, bomber jackets, overshirts, sneakers, and such. For his imagery though, instead of clashing with colors, he also clashes with his environment. He wears crazy clothing in serious environments, and vice versa, as it lets both the environment, and himself, stand out to the viewer. An example is in his music video for This is America, all the chaos and goofiness around him, he keeps it simple, just grey sweatpants, to kind of outline everything that's happening around him, so the viewer can see how crazy it really is.

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Childish Gambino’s activism is vividly present in all of his different careers, with shows like Atlanta and songs like This Is America. Gambino uses his music to address systemic racism, gun violence, and police brutality. One of his most popular songs, This Is America, addresses all 3, starting off with gun violence, then systemic racism, and finally the law, all centered around America. Songs like “Outside” explaining his broken childhood, surrounded by people who hate him in places he hates, his mom having to work 2 jobs when his dad got fired, a gun being pulled to his moms face, and many other things. On social media he constantly talks about systemic racism, saying things like “I want to be so big, so white” the word “white” being a replacement for “free’ or “equal”. And things like “As a black person I constantly have to know what people are assuming about me.”. He also talks about how Hip-hop is changing, essentially being “whitewashed” away from young black people. He also says he’s been bullied by police several times during his tours. He believes white people have advantages, and he doesn't want to be white in skin, but white in experiences