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 “I got a new album coming out soon, so this is the last time we’re gonna play a lot of this shit.” 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, “3005.”
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]
Eat Your Vegetables
Childish Gambino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
D-Money ho
All we do is tell them so
Why we look professional
And you look like a talent show
All we do is bank, royalty forever
Find a bad bitch, bring her home like a veteran
Make her waffles, with pecans
Been saying that we roll with the illest
Like roaches in the kitchen, go and watch a nigga kill it
I'm a P-I-M-P, why we spelling
Cause there's K-I-Ds around
DeKalb County, where you at
If you with me, holla back
ATL done got them here
Bankhead Row turned Hollowell
Percocet's for my kinfolk
My girl look like Miss Info
Y'all been slow, I been told
Y'all Kinkos, copy ho
No I ain't drunk, I just text badly
Running through paper like a pep rally
When I'm in your city better get rowdy
I spit Downy, no shit 'bout me
Stone Mountain Georgia, got something for ya
Killing bars, I'm a lawyer
Baby drinking Goya, girl put your shades on
Man I die for my hood, Trayvon!
[Hook]
D-Money, get em, get em, get em
D-Money, get em, get em, get em
D-Money, get em, get em, get em
D-Money, get em, get em, get em
[Verse 2]
He talk shit, he better not
Rap game, my wet spot
I fucked y'all, you fucked up
Like white girls with dreadlocks
So dread not, I rowboat
These hoes know, no photos
My girl ball like Lobo
Then she blow my Casey
And Jojos, where the fuck my money at
In the hood like I'm fixing a Pontiac
On deck with a gang of black Kennedies
Eight goons and they all got felonies
Still getting money like white folks
Still got quotes like Geico
I don't know French, that's my fruit
Never not funny like fat jokes
(Like when someone is like, "what happened to Chris?"
And you turn around and there's a fat guy that kind of looks like Chris
And you like, "oh shit" and laughing and shit)
And I'm back in this bitch
And I'm black and I'm rich
And I'm cashing it in for some fashion and sin
For some matching with them, yeah
Got a stank ho with me
Driving around and I run the whole city
Everybody know she got ten gold biddies
But nobody cares like it's J-Cole/Diggy
Jordon Diddy on my stereo
High on shrooms like Mario
Salvia, shamanic drugs
Fuck my life, they on to us
I'm fly as fuck
[Hook]
[Verse 3]
Fuck y'all, I come hard
Like Spongebob, my friends stars
Like Friendster, nobody gonna remember you
Whack dudes, they like you
But only for a day or two
They hated you
From now on, like D-Money
Like faze on, I hate on that
Lame song they play on, that play on
I can't take, royalty
On my shit, on my dick
I can't wait
Toe to toe, I bang shit
Homophobes on gay shit
You don't know the hoes I hang with
My bungalow's like Vegas
Had a couple million but I put them in her stomach
She like, "oh my god, I'm coming"
I kiss her neck and she love it
Yeah we got a safe word, so we never use it
And I'm hiding all these bruises in a shirt I got from Houston
Got her using the acoustics
In my cruiser's new Isuzu
And who knew I'd be on Hulu with two dudes I used to Google
I'm frugal with time, every girl's a dime
When your bank account's mine
[Hook]
The song Eat Your Vegetables by Childish Gambino is a rap anthem that discusses the rapper's individual success and his disdain for those who don't share his work ethic. In the first verse, Gambino (also known as Donald Glover), raps about his success in the rap industry and how he chooses to spend his time. He talks about making money, getting women, and indulging in his favorite foods. Gambino characterizes himself as someone who is always on the grind, making his money and living life to the fullest. He contrasts this attitude with those who he feels don't take their careers seriously, referring to them as "a talent show." In the chorus, he repeats the mantra "D-Money, get 'em" a few times, furthering the idea that he is always on the hunt for success.
The second verse builds on Gambino's ego by discussing his ability to take down other rappers. He talks about his sexual exploits and brags about how other rappers are jealous of him. Gambino also mentions that he doesn't take any flack from anyone, alluding to his readiness to throw down with those who cross him. The final verse combines all these themes, with Gambino talking about how he is always hustling, always trying to make money and achieve success. He pulls no punches in attacking those who he feels aren't up to his level, making it clear that he is the best.
Line by Line Meaning
D-Money ho
Referring to himself, emphasizing his nickname
All we do is tell them so
Stating that his crew excels and is successful
Why we look professional
Asking why he and his group look like they are at the top of their game, questioning others who do not have the same appearance
And you look like a talent show
Comparing other people's appearance and ability to a talent show while his group looks professional and put together
All we do is bank, royalty forever
Stating that his group always has money and will always be successful
Find a bad bitch, bring her home like a veteran
Talking about how he and his crew are experienced at finding and bringing attractive women back home
Make her waffles, with pecans
Adding a specific detail to his story of bringing women home, implying that he is generous and maybe more romantic than people expect
I'm eating, one free hand
Eating waffles with one hand, emphasizing his multitasking skills and making it seem effortless
Been saying that we roll with the illest
Claiming that his group is associated with the best or most skilled people
Like roaches in the kitchen, go and watch a nigga kill it
Using a metaphor about roaches to say that he and his group are so good that people watch them just like they watch roaches in action
I'm a P-I-M-P, why we spelling
Spelling out his title to emphasize the word's importance and potentially mocking others who don't think it's a big deal
Cause there's K-I-Ds around
Changing the spelling of 'Pimp' to censor his language because there are children present
DeKalb County, where you at
Asking where everyone from DeKalb County, Georgia is located
If you with me, holla back
Calling on people who agree with his message to respond and support him
ATL done got them here
Saying that Atlanta has brought his group to success and made them famous
Bankhead Row turned Hollowell
Showing how a neighborhood changed due to gentrification, possibly referencing the changes in his own life and success
Percocet's for my kinfolk
Referencing the common drug use in his community and potentially highlighting the struggles that people face
My girl look like Miss Info
Describing his partner's appearance, implying that she is very attractive
Y'all been slow, I been told
Saying that others have been slow to recognize his success and talent, implying that he has been aware of it for a long time
Y'all Kinkos, copy ho
Calling out other people for copying his success or imitating his style
No I ain't drunk, I just text badly
Explaining why his text messages might not be clear or well-written
Running through paper like a pep rally
Spending his money extravagantly and having fun with it
When I'm in your city better get rowdy
Warning people that he is coming to their city and expects them to be excited and responsive
I spit Downy, no shit 'bout me
Using a metaphor comparing his rapping to soft and gentle laundry detergent, implying that his style is soothing and calming
Stone Mountain Georgia, got something for ya
Mentioning his hometown and getting people excited for what he has to offer
Killing bars, I'm a lawyer
Saying that he is extremely skilled at rapping and that he could also be successful as a lawyer
Baby drinking Goya, girl put your shades on
Potentially referencing a sexual encounter and telling the girl to put her shades on to hide her identity
Man I die for my hood, Trayvon!
Referencing the death of Trayvon Martin and saying that he would be willing to die for his community or people he cares about
D-Money, get em, get em, get em
Repeating his nickname and telling his crew to go get someone or something
He talk shit, he better not
Saying that if someone is going to talk badly about him or his group, they better be prepared for the consequences
Rap game, my wet spot
Using a metaphor to say that he is always on top in the rap world
I fucked y'all, you fucked up
Saying that he has come out ahead while others have made mistakes or bad decisions
Like white girls with dreadlocks
Comparing a group of people to white girls with dreadlocks to imply that they stick out or are odd
So dread not, I rowboat
Playing off the term 'dread' and saying that people should not worry, they should just enjoy the ride and let him take control
These hoes know, no photos
Saying that the women he is with know to keep things discreet and private, and that he does not want any photographs taken
My girl ball like Lobo
Saying that his partner is as good at basketball as Rebecca Lobo, implying that she is extremely skilled
Then she blow my Casey
Using a sexual reference to describe a specific act
And Jojos, where the fuck my money at
Asking where his money is, potentially implying that someone owes him something
In the hood like I'm fixing a Pontiac
Using a metaphor to describe how he is comfortable and at home in the hood
On deck with a gang of black Kennedies
Saying that he is with a group of people who are all leaders and important, like the Kennedies
Eight goons and they all got felonies
Implying that he is with a group of intimidating and potentially dangerous people
Still getting money like white folks
Saying that he and his crew are still making money at the same level as white people, despite the discrimination and racism they face
Still got quotes like Geico
Using a reference to a famous commercial to say that people still recognize and quote his lines
I don't know French, that's my fruit
Admitting that he does not know French, but that his partner's body is like his 'fruit' or obsession
Never not funny like fat jokes
Saying that he is always funny and can make jokes about anything
(Like when someone is like, "what happened to Chris?"
Beginning to tell a story that may be a joke or reference to a previous conversation
And you turn around and there's a fat guy that kind of looks like Chris
Continuing the joke or story by describing a specific scenario
And you like, "oh shit" and laughing and shit)
Concluding the joke or story and emphasizing that it is funny
And I'm back in this bitch
Saying that he is back and ready to take over
And I'm black and I'm rich
Emphasizing that he is both black and wealthy
And I'm cashing it in for some fashion and sin
Saying that he is spending his money on material things and potentially referring to indulging in sin or vice
For some matching with them, yeah
Expressing a desire to match or coordinate his appearance with others
Got a stank ho with me
Referring to a woman who may have a poor reputation or hygiene
Driving around and I run the whole city
Saying that he is in control of the city and has power over it
Everybody know she got ten gold biddies
Describing a woman's physical features, potentially referencing her breast implants
But nobody cares like it's J-Cole/Diggy
Saying that people are not as interested in or impressed by gold biddies as they are by J-Cole and Diggy, who are more respected artists
Jordon Diddy on my stereo
Describing what he is listening to, implying that he has a high-end stereo or sound system
High on shrooms like Mario
Using a video game reference to describe his state of being on hallucinogenic mushrooms
Salvia, shamanic drugs
Referencing other types of hallucinogenic drugs
Fuck my life, they on to us
Expressing frustration or concern that people are catching on to what he and his crew are doing
I'm fly as fuck
Saying that he looks and feels amazing
Contributed by Carter G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bridgette
One of his best songs! That Donkey Kong Country sample will always be 🔥
david mckesey
Such a genius beat
Chemist productions
Thank you 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Rowley Ryan
@Chemist productionsdid you for real make this beat?
jiri4s
@Chemist productions legend
sakura!
@Chemist productions yoo i just looked it up and you did make this bro this beat is fire you hella talented
Jordan Elizalde
Gambino really the only rapper where he can rap, have a conversation, then jump back on the track effortlessly
CizreK
lil dicky?
Professor Utonium
Aesop Rock?
God 4.
79 dislikes are the kids who only like meat