Some of you may know him as Troy from Community, Earnest Marks from Atlanta, his musical alter ego Childish Gambino, or that stripper who really didn’t seem like a stripper in Magic Mike XXL. In a few weeks, he’ll be adding young Lando Calrissian to his list of names as he costars in Solo.
For the sake of transparency, I’m not all that crazy for Solo. There’s only one Han Solo for me, and he’s most likely crashing flying airplanes right now. What I am crazy for is Donald as Lando. I’m a sucker for the capes and muttonchops.
We all know that Donald Glover is immensely talented—he won multiple Emmy awards for his work on Atlanta and Grammy Awards for his music. However, after his hosting stint on SNL and the release of his prolific video for “This is America,” it isn’t his role as Lando that had us talking about Childish Gambino.
Live from New York…
I love SNL, but even I know that it is a rare occurrence for them to have an entire show where every single sketch earns comedy gold. That’s what made Donald Glover’s episode amazing. Whether it was a couple’s dirty talk taking a twisted turn, a hip hop therapy session, or a Barbie marketing pitch meeting that got a little too real, it was the 100 emoji, plus fire emoji, and the “hallelujah” hands emoji rolled into one.
The “Lando’s Summit” made us all wonder why there weren’t many black people in a galaxy far away, while “Courtroom” answered the question, “What are Jurassic Park’s terms and conditions, and can they hold up in a court of law?” However, the title of best sketch goes to “A Kayne Place,” which satirized our obsession with Kanye West’s breakdown/Kris Jenner’s publicity stunt/Kanye being Kanye. Watch for the laughs, stay for the “poopity-scoop.”
Who loved this sketch more than anyone?
?????? https://t.co/KmvxIwKkU6
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 6, 2018
This guy and his emojis.
This is America
Chances are you’ve contributed one of the over 70 million views of Childish Gambino’s “This is America.” There’s also a greater chance you’ve seen it multiple times. If you haven’t, do yourself a favor and stop whatever you’re doing—even if it’s reading this post—and watch it twice, three, or even a million times. This video warrants that much of your undivided attention.
From the allusions of Jim Crow and slavery to the startling violence, “This is America” examines the complex and more than often alarming nature of our country. In the video, Childish Gambino walks—and in some case, dances—through an America that many of us struggle or even refuse to comprehend: a reverence for guns juxtaposed against an insipid reaction to gun violence and loss of human life, especially black lives. It exposes our short attention spans and how easily we’re distracted from the public traumas that occur too close to home.
It’s raw, disturbing, and necessary to watch.
