Donald Trump isn’t the only Donald that has surprised us in 2016. Multi-talented Donald Glover has been the subject of praise for his recently created Atlanta, a new comedy-drama FX series about Atlanta’s rap scene. The series, which aired in September, has been received extremely well by critics. It currently has an impressive 100% Tomatometer Rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the critics consensus stating “Ambitious and refreshing, Atlanta offers a unique vehicle for star and series creator Donald Glover's eccentric brand of humor -- as well as a number of timely, trenchant observations.”
Glover has been involved in the television business since the young age of 23, when he first started writing for the NBC comedy series 30 Rock. About two years later, he starred as Troy Barnes in NBC’s Community. His knack for comedic writing also allowed him to have his own stand-up special on Comedy Central in 2011, titled Weirdo.
That same year, Glover released his first album under the moniker Childish Gambino titles Camp. Although he had created numerous mixtapes beginning in 2008, Camp solidified Glover’s role not just as a writer, actor, and comedian, but as a serious musician as well.
This month, Glover exhibited his talents again by following up his Atlanta series with a new album titled Awaken, My Love!. In the past week that the album has been out, it has received positive reviews from music critics despite the album taking an entirely different sound than his previous work. Pitchfork’s review stated that the album is “his hardest left turn yet, ditching rap wholesale in favor of funk worship, and the result is his most enjoyable project to date.” The album is soulful, ambient, and by far his best album to date. It contains an element of maturity that his previous albums didn’t have.
It’s important to ask, however, if the success of both Atlanta and Awaken, My Love! are signs of more great work to come or projects that have soaked up all his creative juices. Glover’s definitely at his highest, but is it his peak?
In recent news, we’ve seen exactly what happens to artists who spread themselves too thin. Last month, Kanye West, another multi-talented artist announced that he was canceling his Saint Pablo Tour and was admitted into a hospital for stress-related issues. We can only wonder if the same will be true with Glover. Sure, Kanye West is probably an extreme example, but there's only so much work that someone can handle. The fact that Glover has been able to be so successful this past year without going crazy is not only a testament to his skills as a writer and musician but also to his ability to multi-task.
