This summer, Milwaukee hosted several music events, such as the famous Summerfest, a SZA concert, and at the tail end of the summer, a Childish Gambino concert. Childish Gambino is a world-renowned performer with five studio albums and seventeen releases total. Childish Gambino also happens to be the alter-ego of American actor and songwriter Donald Glover. Donald Glover has had a lasting impact on recent generations as a critically acclaimed actor, musician, and writer. 

Donald Glover was born on September 18, 1983 in California. He spent his childhood growing up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He has two siblings, and his family fostered other children throughout his childhood. He graduated from DeKalb School of The Arts in 2002 and went on to study at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. During his time at NYU, Glover started a comedy sketch group, Derrick Comedy, with some of his fellow peers and began his career as a rap musician. He was hired in 2006 to work on Tina Fey’s sitcom, 30 Rock. He stayed on the show for three seasons, writing and making several on-screen appearances. 

Throughout his acting career, he has starred in and written a variety of well-loved movies and TV shows. Glover was cast as Troy Barnes in Community in 2009. Community followed the story of college students and staff at a community college. The same year, Derrick Comedy released their first feature film: Mystery Team. Throughout the years of 2010 to 2015, Glover performed a stand up comedy showcase called Comedy Central Presents; left the Community cast; and appeared in The Lazarus Effect and The Martian. In 2016, he began the production of his series, Atlanta, which is about an aspiring rap artist. The show was nominated twice for an Emmy, and Glover won two Emmys: one for acting and one for directing. He also appeared as Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and voiced Simba in The Lion King (2019). In 2023, he starred in a variety of other shows, and won an Emmy for writing after his production of Swarm. He is currently working on several upcoming projects, including: a prequel called Mufasa: The Lion King and Lando, a Star Wars spinoff. 

Alongside acting, Glover has been releasing music under the name of his alter-ego, Childish Gambino. Some of his first releases included the mixtapes Sick Boi (2008), Poindexter (2009), and Culdesac (2010), which were released during his last few years at NYU. In 2011, he released his first label debut album, Camp. Camp  held some of Gambino’s best work, including songs like “Heartbeat” and “Les” and won favorable notice. His second album, Because The Internet (2013), gained more traction than his debut. It was nominated for “Best Rap Album” at the grammys, and the album’s single “3005” was nominated alongside it. In between albums, he released mixtapes to showcase the evolution of his music style over the years. In his 2016 album, “Awaken, My Love!”, there is more funk, psychedelia, and soul in the sound of his music. “Awaken, My Love!” was nominated for best urban contemporary album, and best album. Its single, “Redbone” was awarded the Grammy for best traditional R&B performance. He debuted his single, “This is America” which spoke on gun violence and racism in the United States. This single won four Grammy Awards and topped the charts in several countries. His studio album, 3.15.20 (2020), was also critically acclaimed but ended up being reissued as Atavista in 2024. Finally, after announcing his 2024 tour, Gambino released his final album, Bando Storm and The New World, before announcing his retirement from his alter-ego of Childish Gambino.  

Donald Glover has had a lasting impact on recent generations, and he will continue to have one in years to come. Through his influential music, talent for acting, and well-developed comedic act, he will never be forgotten. Although Childish Gambino will be grieved, everyone can be confident that his and Donald Glover’s legacy will forever be remembered.

References

Bauer, Patricia. “Donald Glover.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica, n.d., www.britannica.com/biography/Donald-Glover.

“Childish Gambino.” Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd., n.d., www.sonymusic.co.uk/artist/childish-gambino/#:~:text=Childish%20Gambino%20is%20the%20alter,Solo%3A%20A%20Star%20Wars%20Story.