No Jokes In The Culdesac
First things first, Childish Gambino has made his debut album, Culdesac, available for free listening/download on http://culdesac-album.com. Hit play for the first track, Difference.
Difference by Childish Gambino
That introduction, and your reaction to it, will define how much you love or hate this album. In that song Childish Gambino lays out his work ethic, his feelings on his own style and success, and some lines for his detractors: a subject that pops up frequently on this album. Starting with a piano, this track makes you comprehend that this experience and this artist are…different. The prominent use of actual instruments makes this a unique and more pleasing listen than what I’m used to ignoring from this genre. It’s got a raw energy underneath: actual fingers on instruments.
Before Culdesac, Gambino was rapping over indie songs by the likes of Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent, Sleigh Bells, Animal Collective, and many more on his mixtapes: I Am Just A Rapper and I Am Just A Rapper 2. Certain people’s negative reactions to this unique style, and Gambino’s defense of the style, is a subject revisited in Culdesac a number of times. From the track, You Know Me:
Screamin at me ‘When you gonna stick to the right business’/’And stop makin’ music for these white kidses’/I make music for these tight kids/Don’t be a fuckin’ asshole/One day you’ll have to wipe his
But the release of these mixtapes and all the positive feedback following is what inevitably led to the demand for Culdesac. Pushing Gambino to make it and release it in “fuck-a-label” fashion: for free. The method that seems to be working so much better than the business models of yore.
Culdesac is full of sounds and lyrics that are frequently emphasizing the cockiness of a successful, young, and ambitious Donald Glover donning the disguise of his alter ego, Childish Gambino. Who is Donald Glover? He is the bro-rapist.
To be fair, he is way past “Bro Rape”. In fact, I’m pretty sure he says that somewhere on this album. Donald Glover has gone from youtube fame, to comedic fame, to writing and acting, and now into a serious form of art. The transition has been difficult for some to understand, but this album is not joke raps. Glover addresses this in an interview with Newestra:
Yeah, it’s weird. I have a comedy background and I have a comedic view on life because that’s how I handle things. When I’m really scared I make jokes. When I’m really angry I make jokes. That’s how I handle things. Growing up I was scared a lot because my family had to deal with a lot of shit….I remember this one time my mom was held up at gun point and I started making jokes because it was how I dealt. I know my music is a reflection of that. Kanye uses his ego because he needed that when everybody was telling him he was shitty. I needed to be funny when everyone was calling me a weirdo. If people listen to this record they can take away whatever they want; but, it was not a conscious decision to make my stuff funny. Look at Lil Wayne, he is very funny! He has punch lines galore, like “my gun means business; the bitch should have a tie on.” But, because of his background people take him serious. I have a comedy background so people struggle to take me serious; and, I don’t want them to forget about my background but the stuff on Culdesac is more than that.
Culdesac is a complete passion project. Childish Gambino is an alter ego to Donald Glover and, so far, neither persona has an interest in signing with a label. From the same interview:
The internet has had an odd effect. I do this out of love, so I would consider signing but only if the right opportunity came along. I’ve had offers but I can still do it on my own, so it doesn’t make sense to invite others in.
Glover is also Troy Barnes on NBC’s Community, and previously was a writer on Tina Fey’s 30 Rock. Tina Fey, as it turns out, was a huge influence on Glover and gets quite the respect in the closing track. But I’ll get back to that last track at the end of this, because it’s probably the most important on the entire album.
What makes Childish Gambino stand out the most is the honesty seeping out of every line. He doesn’t hold back on deeper feelings and issues within himself, and he seems to still be getting a grasp on handling life where he has money and success at a young age.
Culdesac is one hell of a story to listen to until the end. Difference lays out what Childish Gambino is all about up front, then Hero takes off with an epic trumpeting orchestral chorus to emphasize the performer’s confidence and persona. The album moves into softer territory with I Got That Money and So Fly that put your mind into a club scene (or any other place with social activity and strobes in your eyes) with one girl on your mind the whole night. In I Got This Money, he is seducing a girl with the notion that he’s got one day off and he’s got all the money to make whatever they want happen; alluding to his work ethic and the fact that a girl can’t change that habit. It’s a much different song from the preceding tracks as it is a good club-thumping jam. It’s main difference is Gambino not rapping, but actually singing. The album then gets down to business with You Know Me and Let Me Dope You: Aggressive songs about working hard and dealing with the ones that try to bring him down. But just before those aggressive tracks is a song just under two minutes, I’m Alright, a song that sounds like a man calling his loved ones before heading into a battle that he’s unsure he will return from. Then, just like a fighter in the last rounds, Gambino’s throwing all his heart into every word in the songs Glory and Fuck It All. Songs that are about the struggles and sacrifices that come with success: leaving girlfriends, not being able to trust the intentions behind new relationships, insecurities about how long this wave of success will last, and lines for his parents who are proud and worried. But also evident are incredible confidence and dedication. Then, almost like a victory lap, I’m On It and These Girls (feat. Garfunkle & Oates) shifts things to a relaxed feeling of being on top of the world. The fight is over, perhaps.
The Last, the final song on Culdesac, is harsh reality. Childish Gambino chronicles the life of Donald Glover from high school up until now, and the lessons he took from it all. The song leaves you with the feelings of uncertainty. And he lays out one of the best verses on the whole album, his respect for a woman who truly gave him confidence:
And this next part sounds like nonsense/But I swear to God Tina Fey gave me confidence/Taught me everything that is good comes from honesty/Everybody’s got a voice/You just gotta follow it/ She on a role model shit/ From the day that I shook her hand/ I knew I’d never die a broke man
Gambino ends the song re-emphasizing that this passion is a serious thing. He’s a comedian by day, but when the lights go down he’s not messing around. Culdesac is the most important piece of work Donald Glover has done for himself and his fans so far. It will leave the listener inspired and exhausted, because each time you listen to it can’t be your last.
Download Culdesac for free at http://culdesac-album.com
3.5 out of 5
Childish Gambino
Culdesac
World Release: Saturday July 3, 2010
1. Difference
2. Hero
3. I Be On That
4. I Got This Money
5. So Fly
6. You Know Me
7. Let Me Dope You
8. Do Ya Like
9. I’m Alright
10. Glory
11. Fuck It All
12. I’m On It
13. Put It In My Video
14. These Girls ft. Garfunkel and Oates
15. The Last
