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]
Fire Fly
Childish Gambino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Shawty, we got so high
Fire fly
Skateboardin' down at Washington Square
Lookin' for quarters
Maybe a afford a falafel for dinner, ugh
I'm so broke man
Scholarship apology
Facebook messages from college kids who hollerin'
Girls like, "We love you, we go to LSU
You gotta do a show so we can come and molest you"
This rap stuff is magic
I used to get called "Oreo" and "Faggot"
I used to get more laughs when I got laughed at
Oh, you got a mixtape? That's fantastic
But everybody thought it was jokes though
They half right, the joke is
I got flow so don't act like
You ain't sittin' there with your friends like, it can't be
I know Donald Glover, he weak man, he campy
I'm still knocked down, but I up the ante
Me and hip-hop, that black Sid and Nancy
Let 'em know
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
Fire fly
It's hard to make Hov the footsteps you followin'
Especially when your niggas look like Carlton
The pretty girls usin' skin so soft
Only be likin' black dudes with their hats broke off
Nigga you act too soft
Fuck you! I'm from the projects
My mom was just workin' to give me options
No live shows, 'cause I can't find sponsors
For the only black kid at a Sufjan concert
Yeah so, whatcha gonna do man?
You won't speak to the hood, man
If I was given one chance I think I could, man
These black kids want somethin' new, I swear it
Somethin' they wanna say but couldn't 'cause they embarrassed
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yous'a fake fuck like a fleshlight
Even dudes who like me straight lookin' at me crazy
Like, how the hell he drop a EP and meet Jay-Z?
Girls used to tell me I ain't cool enough
Now text me pics sayin', "You could tear this up"
I don't really like shades, big rims, or jewelry
But gettin' time of day from a model is new to me
Bein' me isn't as hard as it used to be
Now everyone sing the chorus man, you do it so beautifully
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
Fire fly
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
Childish Gambino's song "Fire Fly" is a candid and introspective piece that narrates the struggles of the artist as a young African-American trying to make it in the rap music industry. The song begins with Gambino commenting on how people only want to take pictures with him because of his fame and how the music industry only values artists who make hit songs. Gambino then speaks about his tough financial position and how he used to get bullied and laughed at when he started his rap career. He talks about his early struggles as an artist, trying to make his mixtape recognized and being called weak and campy.
As the song progresses, Gambino discusses how he is trying to create his own identity as an artist and distance himself from the expectations of others. He speaks about how hard it is to make it in the rap industry and follow in the footsteps of Jay-Z, especially when he doesn't have the typical "black" image that celebrities like him are assumed to have. Gambino explains how he makes music that speaks to the new generation of black kids, who want to say something but cannot do so because of their discomfort or shame.
Line by Line Meaning
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
People only see us as a source of entertainment, as something to snapshot and share on social media, but I've accepted it because I understand it. It's not like I can change anything about it anyway.
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
Music executives only want to capitalize on our sound, but again, I know that there's not much I can do about it. Might as well keep going and make the best of it.
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
Fire fly
If you have the same vision that I do, of a world where creativity and originality are valued and celebrated, then you know the feeling of being on fire, of being euphoric and unstoppable, like a firefly soaring through the night sky.
Skateboardin' down at Washington Square
Lookin' for quarters
Maybe a afford a falafel for dinner, ugh
I'm so broke man
I'm just a regular guy trying to make ends meet, even resorting to collecting spare change for food. Yep, I'm a broke college kid.
Scholarship apology
Facebook messages from college kids who hollerin'
Girls like, "We love you, we go to LSU
You gotta do a show so we can come and molest you"
I'm not perfect, and maybe I don't fit the typical rapper mold. But that doesn't matter, because fans are still reaching out to me with love and support, even if some of it is weird or uncomfortable.
This rap stuff is magic
I used to get called "Oreo" and "Faggot"
I used to get more laughs when I got laughed at
Oh, you got a mixtape? That's fantastic
But everybody thought it was jokes though
They half right, the joke is
I got flow so don't act like
You ain't sittin' there with your friends like, it can't be
I know Donald Glover, he weak man, he campy
I'm still knocked down, but I up the ante
Me and hip-hop, that black Sid and Nancy
Let 'em know
People used to see me as a joke, but that just fueled me to work harder and prove them wrong. To me, rap is something transformative and magical, and I'll keep pushing boundaries no matter what. And yeah, I'm still the same Donald Glover, but don't underestimate me or my abilities.
It's hard to make Hov the footsteps you followin'
Especially when your niggas look like Carlton
The pretty girls usin' skin so soft
Only be likin' black dudes with their hats broke off
Nigga you act too soft
Fuck you! I'm from the projects
My mom was just workin' to give me options
No live shows, 'cause I can't find sponsors
For the only black kid at a Sufjan concert
Yeah so, whatcha gonna do man?
I know it's tough to try and live up to the legacy of Jay-Z, especially when I don't even fit in with the hip-hop crowd. But that doesn't mean I'm not tough or hardworking, and it definitely doesn't mean that people like me don't deserve a chance to make it in the music industry. My mom worked hard to give me those opportunities, and I'm gonna use them to the best of my abilities no matter what.
These black kids want somethin' new, I swear it
Somethin' they wanna say but couldn't 'cause they embarrassed
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yous'a fake fuck like a fleshlight
I know that there are kids out there who are just like me, who want something fresh and relevant that speaks to their experiences. I'm just making the kind of music that I wish I had when I was growing up. And now, after all the hard work and obstacles, I'm soaring high like a burning kite, while others who doubted me turn out to be just fake and phony.
Even dudes who like me straight lookin' at me crazy
Like, how the hell he drop a EP and meet Jay-Z?
Girls used to tell me I ain't cool enough
Now text me pics sayin', "You could tear this up"
I don't really like shades, big rims, or jewelry
But gettin' time of day from a model is new to me
Bein' me isn't as hard as it used to be
Now everyone sing the chorus man, you do it so beautifully
Even people who didn't think I was cool before are now looking at me with newfound respect and admiration, because I've accomplished so much and proved everyone wrong. And while I never cared much for material things or superficial status symbols, it's still pretty cool to have models hitting me up. Being myself isn't as hard as it used to be, and now I'm just enjoying the ride with everyone who's singing along with me.
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
Once again, people only seem to see us as something to capture for their Instagram feeds. But I'm not gonna let it get to me anymore, I'm just gonna go with the flow and say okay.
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
It's just the same old story in the music industry, people only care about hits and chart success. But I'm not gonna let that deter me, I'm just gonna keep doing what I do best and saying okay.
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
Once again, if you share my vision of a world where creativity and originality are celebrated, then you know the feeling of being on fire and euphoric. Because that's what happens when we come together and create something amazing.
Fire fly
And that's why I'm like a firefly, lighting up the world with my unique talents and energy.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ludwig Emil Tomas Goransson, Donald Mckinley Glover
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@uncookedpotato2879
LYRICS
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
Fire fly
Skateboardin' down at Washington Square
Lookin' for quarters
Maybe a afford a falafel for dinner, ugh
I'm so broke man
Scholarship apology
Facebook messages from college kids who hollerin'
Girls like, "We love you, we go to LSU
You gotta do a show so we can come and molest you"
This rap stuff is magic
I used to get called "Oreo" and "Faggot"
I used to get more laughs when I got laughed at
Oh, you got a mixtape? That's fantastic
But everybody thought it was jokes though
They half right, the joke is
I got flow so don't act like
You ain't sittin' there with your friends like, it can't be
I know Donald Glover, he weak man, he campy
I'm still knocked down, but I up the ante
Me and hip-hop, that black Sid and Nancy
Let 'em know
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
Fire fly
It's hard to make Hov the footsteps you followin'
Especially when your niggas look like Carlton
The pretty girls usin' skin so soft
Only be likin' black dudes with their hats broke off
Nigga you act too soft
Fuck you! I'm from the projects
My mom was just workin' to give me options
No live shows, 'cause I can't find sponsors
For the only black kid at a Sufjan concert
Yeah so, whatcha gonna do man?
You won't speak to the hood, man
If I was given one chance I think I could, man
These black kids want somethin' new, I swear it
Somethin' they wanna say but couldn't 'cause they embarrassed
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yous'a fake fuck like a fleshlight
Even dudes who like me straight lookin' at me crazy
Like, how the hell he drop a EP and meet Jay-Z?
Girls used to tell me I ain't cool enough
Now text me pics sayin', "You could tear this up"
I don't really like shades, big rims, or jewelry
But gettin' time of day from a model is new to me
Bein' me isn't as hard as it used to be
Now everyone sing the chorus man, you do it so beautifully
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
Fire fly
Now when they see us on the streets
All they wanna do is take pics
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And when they hear us on the beat
All they wanna do is make hits
And I'm like, okay (yeah, okay)
And if you're feelin' how I'm feelin'
How the world should be, perfectly
Fire like I'm third degree, and suddenly
Shawty, we got so high
@Pimbolammy
"you's a fake fuck like a fleshlight" bino's lyrics are so on point
@ThisisPotatohere
Nope.
@iang4133
They be on fleek.
@VitalGamex
pimbolammy Ur gassing it lmfao.
@clapadamclap
pimbolammy word! his line in Sweatpants "your girl drink my daycare", legit...
@DaniellasFallout
Shit when i read this, he said it
@Sakura8421
Comedian.
Voice Actor.
Actor.
Rapper / Artist
He's been through a lot, and he's still amazing.
@Camermanwasnothere
Comedy Writer
@Poisonoushobo
He's also written and produced
@VOD713
Snoogles what a Talent