In a world of hip-hop moguls and businessmen that are also TV stars and turned presidents, no one best represents the multifaceted icon then Donald Glover. Getting his start as a member of the Derrick Comedy, Glover ventured into the world of sketch comedy before transitioning into film/television where he assumed the roles of writer, actor, and more recently executive producer. However, the name that has cultivated his celebrity is Childish Gambino, the monkier used when he is producing genre bending hip-hop/neo soul albums. However, just calling him a multi-talented individual would do a disservice to the sheer number and quality of projects undertaken by the 33 year old in recent years.
While a number of celebrities dabble outside of the initial medium that propelled them to fame, Glover is not bound to his initial classification or any one of them for that matter and it's the ability to avoid simplified classification that Donald Is able to be his truest form in all mediums. It's rather difficult to differentiate Donald the writer from Donald the performer because for him there are no boundaries in the world, there are simply edges of the medium that come together to display the same singular vision that Donald has of himself, a sporadic and thoughtful individual with an appreciation for all that art is.
His two most recent projects, the TV show Atlanta and his latest album "Awaken My Love" are the embodiment of this cohesive identity in the same bizarre fashion. Atlanta explores the intricacies and adventures of the southern hip-hop scene in the eponymous city with Glover as a down and out young man who becomes the manager of his up and coming rapper cousin. Awaken My Love is the follow up to Glover's 2013 hip hop album, "Because of Internet" and relinquishes the established alternative hip hop sound that propelled him into mainstream popularity to produce a Neo-Soul record more influenced by the likes of Marvin Gaye or James Brown.
In both of these endeavors, Glover rejects his preconceived notions in order to reaffirm his sense of identity. It makes practical sense that a successful rapper would embody a character displaying his own talents or that he would continue to create albums that capitalize on the popular success of his established hip-hop identity, however Glover isn't about fulfilling the expectations of others, he is about being true to who he is as a person, an experimentalist.
In the track, "The Last" from the Culdesac Mixtape, Glover raps the line, "People tell me I should spit under Donald Glover, but I try to keep my real name undercover, because if you hear my name, then you think it's jokes, and I can't go for that...", which can be seen as the embodiment of his creative work. He continually seeks to defy the expectations of critics who wish to classify him as one artist or another by attempting new roles, experimenting with unusual music styles, or even going behind the camera.
It's this universality combined with his work ethic that has allowed him to receive accolades from every medium he ventures into, including the upcoming Golden Globes where Atlanta is Projected to win Best Comedy.
The next phase of Donald Glover's career will not reflect his previous one. With upcoming roles in Star Wars: Han Solo movie and Spider-Man: Homecoming, plus the desire for tours and a second season of Atlanta, it's difficult to predict what will be next. But that is why he works. Glover doesn't want to limit himself because it is against who he is as an artist and as an individual. In an era where there are more artforms for experimentation than ever, should there be any surprise that there are those who can navigate them? Whether it is another album or creating an entirely show, or even outside this medium, we will only be able to classify Donald by how he chooses to present himself, rather than our own notions. So for now, the only word that can accurate describe him is, revolutionary.
