Childish Gambino: "Put it in My Video"

Community is a new(ish) TV show. Chevy Chase is on Community. That’s really all that needs to be said, right? Obviously, it is awesome. So when I read that Donald Glover, who plays Troy on the show, had a mixtape out, I downloaded that shit right away. Subsequently, “I Am Just a Rapper,” (and “I Am Just a Rapper 2”) became my new favorite guilty pleasures.

Guilty, you see, because Glover is definitely influenced by “nerd rap” a la mc chris. The name “Childish Gambino” came from an online Wu-Tang Clan name generator, fer chrissakes. And his voice, man. His voice sounds like a Weird Al parody of Eminem. Super high, super fast, super geeky. He also raps over “indie” songs on these mixtapes, which is a risky move. My roommate can’t stand it. I, being a plebeian of the first order, kind of think he made “Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear less boring. But think abut it: dude’s got some catchy rhymes, and while he’s definitely influenced by Kanye and Lil’ Wayne, his lyricism also makes sense because Glover is a comedian and a writer. Some of his one liners are truly impressive.

Anyway, Cul de Sac is Gambino’s second full-length album, and “Put It In My Video” is Gambino doing what he does best: dropping slick pop culture references, bragging, and comparing himself to Weezy. There are puns galore alongside braggadocio about his prodigious lady lovin’ skills, all spat over a super uptempo version of “You are Everything” by the Stylistics. Check it out: the whole album is streaming for free on his website.

One of the comments on this track is “Ok…this song, sick as it is, would be so awesome set to a jammin dubstep bass-heavy beat.” So, there’s that. This song definitely has, like, a “European feel,” by which I mean I can definitely imagine British people taking poppers and doing that weird, aggressive drum n’ bass dance to it. For whatever that’s worth. I mean, the track is bursting with manic energy. It’s super catchy (like it won’t leave your head for days), and infinitely danceable (club drugs or no). Is it life changing? Probably not. But it’s definitely a lot of fun.