Glover, Jr was born at Edwards Air Force Base, California and raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia. His mother, Beverly (Smith, is a retired daycare provider, and his father, Donald, Sr, is a retired postal worker. His parents also served as DeKalb County foster parents for 14 years. He was raised a Jehovah's Witness. He was voted "Most Likely to Write for The Simpsons" in his High School yearbook. Glover, Jr graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in dramatic writing in 2006.
From 2006 to 2009, Glover, Jr was a writer for the NBC series 30 Rock where he also had occasional cameo appearances. He was presented the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Series at the February 2009 ceremony for his work on the third season. Glover, Jr's stage name, Childish Gambino, came from the Wu-Tang Clan's name generator. On June 5, 2008, he released an independent album, titled Sick Boi. Glover, Jr would then become a member of the sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy, along with Dominic Dierkes, Meggie McFadden, DC Pierson, and Dan Eckman. The group wrote and starred in a feature-length film, Mystery Team, released in theaters in 2009.
On September 17, 2009, Childish Gambino released the independent album Poindexter. A pair of mixtapes, titled I Am Just a Rapper and I Am Just A Rapper 2 were released, in close succession in 2010. Robert Scahill added his producing expertise helping with the majority of the tracks. The track listings for those mixtapes consist of the name of the song "he" raps, followed by the song he raps over. His second album, Culdesac, was set to be released on July 2, 2010, but a couple of last minute additions caused the album to be delayed for a day. The album was made available on July 3. Glover, Jr has stated in interviews that on Sick Boi and Poindexter he felt he had to hide behind gimmicks, such as pink hoodies, but with his subsequent projects, he has touched on more personal subject matter, including family, schoolyard bullying, troubled romantic relationships, suicidal thoughts and alcoholism. He has disowned his 2005 album, The Younger I Get, as the too-raw ramblings of what he calls a "decrepit."
Glover, Jr's stand-up special aired on Comedy Central on March 19, 2010. In May 2010, a fan suggested Glover, Jr for the role of Peter Parker in the then-upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man film, encouraging his supporters to retweet the hashtag "#donald4spiderman". The campaign, originally started to see how far social networking could carry a message, quickly gained a large following. The call for Glover to be allowed to audition for the role was supported by Spider-Man creator Stan Lee. Glover, Jr was not awarded an audition and the role instead went to Andrew Garfield. He would later reveal that he was never contacted by anyone from Sony Pictures for the role. Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis, who announced an African-American version of Spider-Man a year later, said he had conceived of the character before Glover, Jr's campaign went viral. Bendis gave credit to Glover for influencing the new hero's looks for Spider-man after seeing him dressed as Spider-Man on Community (a nod to the campaign), Bendis said, "I saw him in the costume and thought, 'I would like to read that book.'" Glover, Jr would later voice this incarnation of Spider-Man on the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series.
Glover, Jr received the Rising Comedy Star award at the Just for Laughs festival in July 2010. Glover, Jr was featured in Gap's 2010 Holiday ad campaign. He DJs and produces electronic music under the moniker "mcDJ" (pronounced "M-C-D-J"). His music is often made available for free download via his website.
On December 1, 2010, Glover, Jr released the first track off of his EP titled "Be Alone". He released the next track, "Freaks and Geeks", as well as a five-song track list, on February 11, 2011. On February 25, Glover, Jr released the dates for the IAMDONALD tour and also his very first music video for "Freaks and Geeks". The music video was shot by Dan Eckman, the director of the Derrick Comedy troupe. This song was later used in an Adidas commercial featuring Dwight Howard. On March 8, 2011 Glover, Jr released the EP via his official website.
On March 16, 2011, Glover, Jr hosted the mtvU Woodie Awards held live at South By Southwest. On March 24, 2011, Glover, Jr taped his one-hour comedy special Weirdo for Comedy Central; it aired on November 19.
Glover, Jr appeared at the 2011 Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 9 in the 'This Tent' as Childish Gambino and June 11 at 'The Comedy Theater' with Bill Bailey performing stand up. Comedy Central streamed the comedy live on their website.
On May 4, 2011, in an interview with TheHipHopUpdate, Gambino revealed that he was working on an LP, to be released in September. On July 25, 2011, Glover, Jr announced that his new album would be titled Camp. On October 8, during his Orlando, Florida concert, he announced Camp would be released on November 15, 2011. Glover, Jr worked with friend and film composer Ludwig Göransson on the debut album. On August 20, 2011, at the Los Angeles Rock The Bells concert, he gave an interview to AllHipHop.com, and he announced to the crowd that he had signed with Glassnote Records. On September 20, his first official single, "Bonfire", was released.
The IAMDONALD tour made 24 stops in 34 days, beginning with Ames, Iowa, on April 16, and finishing with Minneapolis on May 19. In between, this included stops at music venues in Las Vegas, Houston, Washington, and Atlanta. The tour was a one-man live show that consisted of rap, comedy, and video segments.
The Sign-Up Tour was Glover, Jr's next pre-album tour. He visited 11 cities over the course of 38 days in October and November 2011. Chidlish G made a website for the tour called Camp Gambino on November 19, four days after his album released. The tour featured special guest Danny Brown and made 20 stops during the course of 32 days along a dates in California in December. On March 14, 2012, several dates on the CAMP tour were postponed due to a fractured foot Childish suffered on March 10, while performing in Tampa, Florida. The tour began in Austin, Texas on April 5 and ended August 10 in Hollywood, California.
On January 11, 2012, Childish Gambino announced on his website that a new mixtape would be coming out soon. On April 2, he released a new song, "Eat Your Vegetables", through his website. On May 14, Funkmaster Flex premiered "Unnecessary," featuring Schoolboy Q. On May 16, Gambino released "We Ain't Them" through his website, produced by himself and frequent collaborator Ludwig. On May 22, Glover, Jr appeared on Das Racist's radio show "Chillin' Island" where he premiered a new song, "Tell Me," which featured Himanshu Suri, aka Heems from Das Racist. On May 26, Glover released "Black Faces", featuring Nipsey Hussle and produced by Boi-1da. On May 30, he released a third track, "Silk Pillow," featuring Beck and produced by both Glover, Jr and Beck. On June 25, he revealed that the mixtape was to be released on July 4, 2012. On June 26, Glover, Jr premiered another new track, on Sway in the Morning (on Shade 45), entitled "One Up," featuring his brother, Steve G. Lover. That same day, he stated that the mixtape would be titled Royalty despite previous statements that it would not be called that. On July 4, 2012, he released Royalty for free via digital download. On July 7, 2012, Gambino released the track, "Body," featuring Prodigy, which did not make the cut for the mixtape. On July 24, 2012, he released the music video for "Fire Fly" through his VEVO account on YouTube.
On August 21, 2012, BBC Radio 1 premiered Leona Lewis' new song, "Trouble" off her upcoming album Glassheart, which features Childish Gambino. The song was available for purchase via iTunes on October 7, and peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart the following week, making it his first UK top 10 single. On November 4, 2012 Ludwig Göransson said in an interview with Portable that he and Gambino were in his studio coming up with new ideas for the next album which was to be "bigger" and "with more people involved."
In 2013, Glover, Jr signed on to create a music-themed show for FX titled Atlanta in which he will star, write, and executive produce. Consequently, he decided to reduce his work for NBC, and only appears in the first five episodes of Community's 13-episode fifth season. Although many TV stations were interested in picking up his half-hour comedy, he ultimately picked FX due to their willingness to work around his touring schedule.
On October 6, 2013, he announced on Twitter that his second studio album was completed. He further announced this at Homecoming Week at Penn State University, stating âI got a new album coming out soon, so this is the last time weâre gonna play a lot of this shit.â On October 8, 2013, he announced its title as Because the Internet and revealed that it would be released in December 2013. On October 21, 2013, Glover, Jr released the first single "3005", and announced a release date for the album as December 10, 2013. On February 15, 2014, the rapper launched his Deep Web Tour in the UK. On February 27, Childish Gambino was scheduled to begin the United States portion of his tour with a gig at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. On June 6, 2014, RIAA certified Heartbeat Gold - making it Glover's first certification, and then on July 18, 2014, RIAA also certified 3005 Gold, making it Glover's second certification.
On October 2, 2014, he released a new mixtape titled STN MTN, and the next day he released an EP titled Kauai. The mixtape and the EP follow the story that was last told in Because The Internet and are meant to be a joint project instead of separate projects.
On October 10, 2014, Ubisoft revealed that they had collaborated with Glover, Jr to incorporate his song, "Crawl" into Far Cry 4.
On December 5, 2014 Glover, Jr was nominated for two Grammy Awards. He was a contender for Best Rap Album for Because The Internet (Glassnote Records) and Best Rap Performance for his single, â3005.â
On March 21, 2015 Glover, Jr won an mtvU Woodies Award for Best Video Woodie for the song "Sober" from the Kauai EP.
As of February 2016, Because the Internet has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping over 500,000 copies.
Glover's third album, Awaken, My Love!, spawned the single "Redbone", which peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually earned him his first Grammy Award. In 2018, Glover released "This Is America", which debuted at number-one on the Hot 100, and won four Grammy Awards, including for Song and Record of the Year.[13] Glover's fourth album, 3.15.20, was released in 2020.[14]
All Yall
Childish Gambino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know what it is I'mma stunt on the d-low
Watch me get it in, spin in the seat, black as can be
Rolling it up, giving a fuck, like I'm a slut
Bino that's my baby what he doin out at the club?
Fuck about your dress code, my dress code is I got a big bank roll
I think so, time to give these niggas something else
Smile on her face best believe she wearing nothing else
Watch the sun set that's a feeling that she never felt
We were born free, that's my God given
How a god living? Fantastic, fans spazz when they see ya man passing
I'm in the Aston Martin, unforgivable blackness beg your pardon
All my Jack Johnson nigga, all my shows sell tix like Boston nigga
Put this on at the cook out, let me see you shmoney
Old school on the XM got your Auntie singing Hola Hola Ay
Hit the dream too hard, I'm the new young god
This the new mixtape, but it's still the same game
How you gon be the don, when don half my name?
How you gon be the goat, when we are not the same?
I be feeling all this money but motherfuck the fame
It's the young Bino, I'm in your bae like Oakland
In my bed out of breath I never been this open
If you niggas can't hear me it's the weed I'm smoking
When I opened up the door I had the manager coughing like
The hotels charging you a maintenance fee
Gave that nigga 2 stacks and said I'm here all week
Let me roll OG, let me talk my shit
How you hotter than me?
You ain't got no hits
You just got a hot feature
Bare sole on the track so my feet hurt
Do some research, know my origin
I'm the new black, fuck oranges
Yeah, that's that nigga that yall love to hate
Redbone like golden gate
Childish yall know the name, getting hate from Charlemagnes
Last year things done changed, I was thinking bout killing y'all
I was working all night long, white bitches like King Kong
Getting money my theme song, do what ever I want
Fuck your clique do what I want, fuck your bitch do what I want
Here's some shit you niggas didn't know
Probably wrote your nigga verse
Probably wrote your nigga video
High as fuck on Arsenio
Chosen, now they show my my respect nigga
Frozen, Disney movie round his neck nigga
I told ya, I'm the best right now
From Atlanta where them niggas in your chest like "blow"
Royalty equal sign black philosophers
Became a top 5 cause nobody else was stopping us
They want me Hopsin but I'm popping and getting confident
God forbid we give him props for the job he did
Man it's not be some slobbering
I mean, fuck, do you want more?
I'm killing these niggas but still on tour
Fuck is y'all for?
This is for all of y'all
One day everyone's falling off
So right now we should all ball out
Life's too short to not all out
I don't know what I really need
But I'd rather be smoking weed
I don't know what I really need, yeah
But I'd rather be smoking weed
In the song "All Yall" by Childish Gambino, he talks about his love for money, living life to the fullest, and calling himself the "young Bino." He is confident and unapologetic about his lifestyle, not caring about dress codes and enjoying his wealth. Gambino seems to be calling out other rappers for not having any hits and relying solely on features to gain attention. He also boasts about the success of his shows, selling tickets like no one else.
In the second verse, Gambino asserts himself as the best in the game, referencing his past work and being compared to Hopsin. He believes he should be praised for his talent and hard work, but others seem to overlook it. The chorus suggests that life is too short to not enjoy oneself, which for him includes smoking weed. Gambino's lyrics are often complex and multilayered, and in "All Yall," he covers themes of power, wealth, and self-belief.
Line by Line Meaning
Now it's the B to the izzo
I have arrived and it's time to stand out from everyone else.
You know what it is I'mma stunt on the d-low
I'm going to show off my success and accomplishments in a low-key way.
Watch me get it in, spin in the seat, black as can be
Observe as I enjoy my success while remaining cool and collected.
Rolling it up, giving a fuck, like I'm a slut
I'm carefree and enjoying life to the fullest without any regrets.
Bino that's my baby what he doin out at the club?
Why is Bino, who I care deeply about, out at the club and potentially in danger?
Fuck about your dress code, my dress code is I got a big bank roll
I don't care about your fashion rules, my success and wealth speak for themselves.
I think so, time to give these niggas something else
I'm confident in my skills and ready to bring something new to the table.
Island in the summer best believe that shit ain't common wealth
Spending time on an island during the summer is a luxury that not everyone can afford.
Smile on her face best believe she wearing nothing else
She's happy and comfortable enough to not care about wearing anything besides a smile.
Watch the sun set that's a feeling that she never felt
Experiencing the beauty of a sunset is a new and exciting feeling for her.
We were born free, that's my God given
Our natural state is one of freedom and independence, given to us by a higher power.
How a god living? Fantastic, fans spazz when they see ya man passing
Living like a god is amazing, especially when fans react excitedly when seeing me.
I'm in the Aston Martin, unforgivable blackness beg your pardon
I'm driving an expensive, sleek car and unapologetically embracing my blackness.
All my Jack Johnson nigga, all my shows sell tix like Boston nigga
Everyone who attends my shows and listens to my music is welcome, and they consistently sell out.
Put this on at the cook out, let me see you shmoney
Play my music at a party and show off your dance moves to impress me.
Old school on the XM got your Auntie singing Hola Hola Ay
My older music is still enjoyed by many, including your aunt who will sing along.
Hit the dream too hard, I'm the new young god
I'm successful and constantly pushing myself to achieve greater things, making me a new type of godlike figure.
This the new mixtape, but it's still the same game
Although it's a new mixtape, my style and approach is still the same.
How you gon be the don, when don half my name?
You can't claim to be the best when you only have half of the skills and talent that I possess.
How you gon be the goat, when we are not the same?
You can't compare yourself to me when we come from different backgrounds and have different experiences.
I be feeling all this money but motherfuck the fame
Although I'm making a lot of money, I don't care about the fame and recognition that comes with it.
It's the young Bino, I'm in your bae like Oakland
I'm a young, successful artist and I'm taking over your significant other's attention similar to how Oakland is taking over the Bay Area.
In my bed out of breath I never been this open
After having sex, I feel vulnerable and open in a new way.
If you niggas can't hear me it's the weed I'm smoking
If you can't understand or appreciate my music, it's because you're not on my level due to the weed I smoke.
When I opened up the door I had the manager coughing like
When I revealed my success to my manager, it caught them off guard and left them speechless.
The hotels charging you a maintenance fee
Hotels are trying to charge customers extra unnecessary fees.
Gave that nigga 2 stacks and said I'm here all week
I gave the hotel employee a large tip in exchange for my entire stay.
Let me roll OG, let me talk my shit
Let me smoke a high-quality strain of weed while I boast and talk about my success.
How you hotter than me?
You can't compare yourself to me because I'm at the top of my game.
You ain't got no hits
You don't have any successful songs like I do.
You just got a hot feature
Your only claim to fame is being featured on someone else's song.
Bare sole on the track so my feet hurt
I've put everything I have into my music to the point where it's exhausting and painful.
Do some research, know my origin
Before criticizing or doubting me, do some research and understand where I came from and what I've accomplished.
I'm the new black, fuck oranges
I'm a new and fresh type of success, and I don't care about the old norms and traditions.
Yeah, that's that nigga that yall love to hate
People love to hate and criticize me despite my success.
Redbone like golden gate
My light-skinned appearance is similar to the color of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Childish yall know the name, getting hate from Charlemagnes
My name is Childish Gambino and I'm receiving criticism and hate from people like Charlemagne Tha God.
Last year things done changed, I was thinking bout killing y'all
Last year, I was struggling and feeling very angry and resentful towards my critics.
I was working all night long, white bitches like King Kong
I was working tirelessly and non-stop, receiving attention from white women similar to the attention King Kong receives.
Getting money my theme song, do what ever I want
I'm focused on making money and living the life I want with no regrets.
Fuck your clique do what I want, fuck your bitch do what I want
I don't care about your opinion or the people you associate with. I'll do whatever I want, including pursuing romantic interests that you may have.
Here's some shit you niggas didn't know
I'm about to reveal personal information that my critics don't know about me.
Probably wrote your nigga verse
I've probably ghostwritten lyrics for other artists you listen to and enjoy.
Probably wrote your nigga video
I've also probably written concepts and directed music videos for the artists you like.
High as fuck on Arsenio
I'm extremely high on weed while appearing on the Arsenio Hall Show.
Chosen, now they show my my respect nigga
I've been chosen and recognized for my talent and hard work, receiving respect from my critics and peers.
Frozen, Disney movie round his neck nigga
Like the character from Frozen, I'm icy and glamorous and have expensive jewelry around my neck.
I told ya, I'm the best right now
I've already told you, but it's worth repeating that I'm currently the best artist out there.
From Atlanta where them niggas in your chest like 'blow'
I'm from Atlanta where people are assertive and won't hesitate to confront you.
Royalty equal sign black philosophers
I compare myself and my peers to royalty, and we use our platform to discuss and analyze issues related to Black people.
Became a top 5 cause nobody else was stopping us
We've become a top 5 artist because no one else has been able to match our talent and success.
They want me Hopsin but I'm popping and getting confident
People want me to be like Hopsin, another rapper, but I have my own style and I'm confident in my success.
God forbid we give him props for the job he did
People are unwilling to give me credit and praise for the work I've done.
Man it's not be some slobbering
I'm not going to beg for people to appreciate me and give me credit.
I mean, fuck, do you want more?
What else do you want from me? I've already accomplished so much.
I'm killing these niggas but still on tour
Despite my success and popularity on tour, I'm still working hard and improving my craft.
This is for all of y'all
This message is directed towards all of my fans and critics alike.
One day everyone's falling off
Everyone has a limited time in the spotlight, and eventually they will lose their success and popularity.
So right now we should all ball out
While we're still on top, we should celebrate and enjoy our success to the fullest.
Life's too short to not all out
We only have one life, so we should make the most of it and enjoy every moment.
I don't know what I really need
I don't have all the answers when it comes to my life and what I need to be happy.
But I'd rather be smoking weed
Regardless of what I need, I do know that smoking weed brings me joy and relaxation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@charliegunn
One of the best songs from this mixtape
@sharksicklegaming8437
I love Bino's ability to flip styles. He can sound like any other rapper in the game while still remaining himself.
@HaloxCake
"How you gonna be the don when Don half my name"
@DLloydisDFG
WAY TOO ADVANCE!!!
@jr0dmusik
this beat is straight fire
@mrs.delaney407
It's a timbaland beat, of course it is ! Loll
@lz1860
timbo the KING! never fails
@IzzyGotSwagg2011
From what song Timbo is this?
@RnBReworked
@Issa Castle All Ya'll by Timbaland & Magoo. It's from the "Under Construction II" album, which is criminally-underrated.
@unknownuser_1
From Tim