Donald Glover is known as the jack of all trades in the entertainment industry, and recently he has made quiet a big splash at last week’s 2017 Emmy Awards. If you do not recognize his name, you may know him as Troy Barnes from NBC’s “Community,” or the alternative Earnest in “Atlanta” or even as the insanely talented voice that sings “DAYLIGHT” in the beginning of “Redbone”. That is right everyone. Childish Gambino is Donald Glover! He can write, he can sing and rap, he can act and he can dance (watch his stripper performance in Magic Mike XXL). Honestly, where did this beautiful enigmatic man even come from?
Though his life is glamorous now, Glover did not have a normal childhood by any means. His parents often raised foster children, so he frequently saw kids come in and out of his home causing him to sometimes play the parental role. He tells a story in his stand up special “Weirdo,” about one of their foster kids actually going to the bathroom for real in a Home Depot display toilet. I promise he tells it far more humorously than I just did in his amazingly hilarious stand-up that is available on Netflix and Youtube. I highly recommend it!
He attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and soon after graduation he went to work as a writer for “30 Rock.” (Yet another reason why Tina Fey is the greatest woman in the world; she has the finest taste in blazers and in writers.) This gig sparked a huge upward spiral for Donald Glover’s career and eventually led to his major role as Troy in the hit comedy “Community.”
During his time at the “Community,” Glover produced his own mixtape under the name Childish Gambino. If you have ever wondered how he came up with such a hip name, be puzzled no more my beautiful readers. He used a name generator from the Wu-Tang Clan, and you can too!
I now go by “Amazing Assassin”.
In 2011, he dropped an album called “Camp,” but his biggest music break came in 2013 with his hits “3005” and “Sweatpants”. If these songs weren’t enough to absolutely slay you, Childish Gambino hit us with a new album called “Awaken, My Love!” in 2016, which has eleven absolute jams. Do not sleep on this! Most people know “Redbone” from the radio, commercials or even this summer’s thriller “Get Out.” But if you want to hear another sick song and one of my personal favorites, check out “Me and your Mama” off of his latest and greatest album. In “Awaken, My Love!” he weaves his personal issues with alcoholism, suicidal thoughts and the ins and outs of love into a beautiful master piece. While working on his last album, Glover was also working on his now Emmy-award-winning FX show, “Atlanta.” This hilarious and introspective show follows a college-dropout turned celebrity. At the 2017 Emmy Awards, Donald Glover won “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.” Making him the first black person to win in this particular directing category. Needless to say, I cried with the rest of the audience. We are so proud of you Donald!
“Atlanta” will return in 2018 along with a “Deadpool” TV series! He will also be voicing Simba in the 2019 CG-animated film “The Lion King.” Donald Glover is gorgeous, talented and brilliant. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for him! Until then, we will just have to watch him in “Spider-man: Homecoming,” in theaters now!