Childish Gambino’s first full length rap album “Camp” has proven to be everything one might expect from a man who created his stage name from an online “Wu-Tang Clan Name generator.”
Donald Glover, the man behind Childish Gambino, is best known for his role as Troy on the NBC comedy “Community,” but after his success with this album, that soon may change.
The album is a refreshing diversion from many of the monotonous and commercialized albums being produced in the rap industry today. Glover’s lyrics are unique and often speak against the labels he has received of not being “black” enough for the rap industry.
The album shows the various and often conflicting interests of Glover by interspersing a heaping dose of profanity with endless humorous cultural references, including allusions to Sufjan Stevens and Invader Zim.
When it comes to musicality, Glover again remains a step above the competition. The instrumentation used to build his beats provides an intriguing background for his raps and allows for a comfortable ease-of-listening.
Childish Gambino makes it clear throughout his album that he is taking his music career seriously and wants his listeners to do the same. And it seems that he has succeeded: On the day of its release, “Camp” unexpectedly shot up to number 2 on the iTunes album charts. Hopefully this is a sign that the rap industry is prepared to support refreshing, new sounds from original up-and-coming artists.
