Artist of the Month: Donald Glover

Donald Glover is the new Will Smith.

Not only is he ridiculously talented, but we’re a big fan of his blog I am Donald. Instead of trying to sell himself, his blog contains style inspirations, and music videos from the likes of Adele.

His credits include being one third of the sketch comedy trio Derrick Comedy (known for both their web videos and feature film, Mystery Team), stand-up comedian, writer for 30 Rock, and as of last year, plays the character Troy from Community. That’s a pretty impressive resume for a middle class 27 year old from Greendale, but as he says himself in his song ‘I can’t do one thing, I’m just too good.’

Recently, Glover has been making waves as a rapper known as Childish Gambino. He credits Tina Fey as the force which really pushed him to be so vocal and speak with all of these voices, which gives us all just one more reason to respect that woman.

In 2008 he self produced and released his first mixtape ‘Sick Boi’ online for free, mirroring his start in comedy with Derrick Comedy’s web sketches. In 2009 he put out Poindexter, but it wasn’t until the album set I Am Just A Rapper and I Am Just A Rapper 2 in 2010 where he came into his own, featuring samples of songs found on most hipster’s iPods, including Grizzly Bear’s ‘Two Weeks’. Shortly afterwards he released yet another album, Culdesac.

With his respectable background in comedy one could assume his music would follow suit, but this isn’t comedy rap. This is legitimately good music.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise; a creative person is a creative person. The same way his brain works to create his comedy is the same way it’s going to work to create clever raps. I mean, the guy has a degree in Dramatic Writing from NYU, he knows how to put words together to achieve the desired effect. (Though I feel I should mention, Donald had his taste of writing comedy tracks as the man behind 30 Rock’s classic Hallowe’en song “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah”.)

But while his music is rooted in the independent world, he has said he’s open to signing to a major label if it allowed him to keep being himself. Combine this openness to the mainstream with the quality of his music, and it’s only a matter of time before Donald Glover is more of a household name than he already should be. But why 2011? If he’s been releasing music since 2008, why now?

Be Alone. It’s the first track off his new EP. It’s a good time to be discovering Childish Gambino, as it seems like Donald has finally found his sound; finally found what makes him unique in a scene full of photocopies.

In a recent interview on MTV News, Johnny Hockin discussed the new direction of hip-hop with rapper J. Cole, suggesting the current state of hip-hop is more about talent than it is about street cred:

“It’s a new day…the culture that the music is coming from is smarter now. You’re more likely to get incredible middle class rappers.”

Childish Gambino agrees with this trend, rapping ‘we used to have to act street but now you’ve got a choice’. His delivery is open and honest. He speaks openly about his life (“Picture me in sixth grade, overweight, overbite. Got my fake Adidas on, whiting out the fourth stripe”) as a window into his life, no gimmick.

Whether you’re a fan of Donald Glover for his comedy, his acting, or his music, you can’t deny this guy has talent. If things keep going well for him, 2011 may be the year of Childish Gambino.’