Listening to Childish Gambino's often-overlooked 2013 "Because the Internet" is an experience. In just 19 songs and audio bites, (some that barely last longer than a minute), Gambino tells a story — his story, our story — of despair, existential anguish, the cyclicality of life, and the experience of living in an era where we have created the Internet.
Gambino released a screenplay in conjunction with his album, appropriately titled "BTI." What we learn from it is that the main character in this narrative is simply called The Boy. A representation of the average person. Perhaps another iteration of his identity as it relates to being generic — just like everyone else. The Boy acts as an absurdist hero, on an adventure that is propelled when when his father dies. Intentionally or unintentionally, this closely mimics Albert Camus's absurd hero in "The Stranger," whose absurd adventure starts at the death of his mother. The Boy goes on an adventure that involves self-discovery, disappointment, nihilism, and the Internet. And this entire narrative exists within the lines of the songs themselves.
Gambino seems to separate and organize the songs into a play with five different acts. Many of the songs are labeled by roman numerals, meant to signify a story. At the end of each set of roman numerals, there are a few seconds at the end of the song where the listener can hear (what sounds like) a video camera turning off. Because of the Internet, we can no longer say we are totally private. Not only has the Internet desensitized us (as exemplified by "II. Worldstar," whose namesake is known for its violent content), but it has also erased all boundaries of privacy. Big Brother, Gambino claims, is watching. If not Big Brother, than anyone with a smartphone. This only happens because the Internet.
The album oscillates between the quieter, gentler melodies of "I. Flight of the Navigator," to the hellish and abrasive sounds of "Death by Numbers," to the otherworldly and distant singing of "II. Zealots of Stockholm [Free Information]." While each song has a unique and unprecedented sound, the one constant throughout the album is his lyricism. Spitting lines that emphasize his awareness of his mortality, such as "Heathen/It's a struggle just to keep breathing/Existential asthmatic." Going in for the pun, he also plays on the sound of some words in quick succession, "Now the thrill is gone, got no patience, cause I'm not a doctor/Girl why is you lying, girl why you Mufasa."
The amount of analysis of this album is enough to fill much more than 500 words. But, to fully grasp the breadth of the experience, it is necessary to listen to each word, each sound, and each instrumental of every song. A fraction of a second can contain information that shifts your perspective of the song's purpose.
If you do not listen closely, you might very well miss something significant.
