From: Childish Gambino / To: The Culture

     Here he talks about the detriments of air pollution. One being the death of honey bees whom pollinate a number of vital fruit, vegetable, and nut crops. The other — rising global temperatures which has been a topic of concern for the last decade. Gambino is bridging the gap between environmental activism and pop culture. I applaud him in being able to spread awareness on important issues in a way that captures the attention of a large audience, all while keeping us remarkably entertained! If you’re reading this Donald, thank you for giving the culture what it needs.

     Childish Gambino is sending us all a message. He was fairly quiet in the music industry for months before hitting us with the tidal wave that is This is America. The music video shows Gambino shirtless and wildly dancing in the midst of devastating chaos. Things like a church choir being shot, cars aflame, and a hooded man riding a horse are used as artistic depictions America’s dark side. There is a point in the video that stood out to me the most. The music stops and Gambino loses his zeal as the grim reality finally hits him. Then, he takes out a blunt. With the lighter flick the music proceeds with background vocals and dance moves obviously inspired by James Brown and Michael Jackson.

     This pause in the video calls attention to self medication — a common vice that is often sensationalized in black media. The ode to two great musical legends, in that specific moment, tells us that prominent black men have been used as a tool to undermine the deafening issues that surround us. In order to reach the underlyings of the video, there needs to be much interpretation. At last, the rapper does leave us a hint. The final fading lyric says,  

“You just a black man in this world — You just a barcode, ayy — You just a black man in this world— Drivin’ expensive foreigns, ayy— You just a big dog, yea — I kenneled him in the backyard.”

     This video came at the height of American controversy and serves as a sphere of enlightenment to the current youth and culture.
     Right at the end of summer, September 1st, Childish Gambino drops another socially conscious bomb: Feels Like Summer. This one features over 60 animated celebrities doing mundane activities on a steamy summer day. The character depictions are rather entertaining, but the real intent lives in the lyrics. Gambino sings about environmental threats over a soothing melody. Some resonating lyrics are,

“Every day gets hotter than the one before — running out of water, its about to go down, go down —  Air that kill the bees that we depend upon — birds were made for singing,
wakin’ up to no sound.”

     This song is a rally for Mother Nature.. While Gambino surely used celebrity imagery to create buzz, he hopes the listener is brave enough to dive deeper into the message behind it all.