Childish Gambino In America

Donald Glover released a new song and music video “This Is America” under his musical moniker Childish Gambino on Saturday Night Live this weekend — and the four-minute, single-take music. Sep 7, 2018 - Childish Gambino kicked off his This Is America Tour in Atlanta on Thursday. The set featured the debut of two new songs, 'Algorhythm'. 9 Hidden Messages You Missed In Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' Video. Childish Gambino is one of the most multi-faceted artists of our generation. A writer, a musician, an actor, and a director, Donald Glover's endless hats have opened up meaningful discourse across many genres. His latest table-shaking pop culture moment comes in the form of the music video for 'This Is America'.

Wait. It's a different kind of bop. It turns into a gore-ish spectacle that juxtaposes homeland terrorism and riots in the backdrop of outwardly happy people doing the latest dance moves with impeccable quality.

Curiously, none of the dancing people, who are all in uniform, are seemingly touched by all the violence. They dance and dance, either willfully ignoring the violence around them or perhaps prayerfully ignoring the violence surrounding them. Or distracting from it.

Either way, whether you call this dancing cooning or surviving, it's a strategy for dealing with death. Plus the subject matter is super timely given Kanye West's recent tweets (or performance art, if you believe the latest theory). The video, directed by Hiro Murai and produced by Doomsday with Ibra Ake and Fam Rothstein of Wolf + Rothstein, is best watched several times so that you can see what's happening in the background.

The video became a trending topic several times over as fans unpacked its secrets. Many parents would also argue it is not safe for children to watch, so be mindful as you view it.

Here are five more things worth noticing about this video.

1. All the guns are handled with care. Every time someone is shot, the gun is taken away carefully and cradled. Meanwhile, the person shot is either left there or dragged away on the ground, not picked up. Also, the guy who collects the guns is dressed in a polo shirt and ironed khaki pants. Quite respectable.
2. SZA makes a cameo. Near the end, as Gambino dances on old cars, SZA sits on a car in a lovely dress, hair half up and half down. In a post shared to Instagram, she wears flip-flops. It would appear another song is a'coming.
3. Old cars. 'This is America' gives careful attention to the types of cars used in the video. Nothing is new or modern. All of the makes and models are mid- to early-'90s, if not '80s, cars. This speaks to the whole idea that a fair number of Americans aren't driving new whips; many people are pushing boxy cars that still have tape decks. Luxury vehicles often seen in rap videos are noticeably absent from this one.
4. There are references to killing terrorists and terrorists killing us. Both the Charleston Church Massacre and a man who is shot in the back of the head, which is covered in a cloth bag, speak to the variety of gun deaths that occurs on American soil or as the result of American politics.
5. The dancing. Gambino references at least 10 ultra-popular dances, both old ones and new ones. One of those dances was the Gwara Gwara, which originated in South Africa. What's remarkable is that the dancers nailed each performance, and you could interpret that in one or two or three ways. One, they are clueless and dancing. Two, they have a clue and dance to keep from crying. Three, they are jamming for the camera or for social media video and know their dancing is a distraction, a salve or an invisibility cloak. Keep in mind the dancers were not shot, nor were they chased by the police. Given Glover's droll sense of realistic humor on FX's Atlanta, it would not surprise me if all three interpretations are correct, because often that is life in America.

Donald Glover also stars as a young Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He is known for his ability to pack nuance — if you choose to see it, that is — into his performance art and writing.

Childish Gambino Video

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