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]
I'm So Focused
Childish Gambino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's Childish Gambino, y'all know who it is, how it is and what it do
Mr. Jens Lekman on the track, ladies and gentlemen
For those of you wondering for whom the sample is
Alright. Let's do this. Uh-huh
[Verse 1: Childish Gambino]
I'm the sickest Nigga ever, go and tell your ma!
Niggas hold onto Cliffs, like Phylicia Rashad!
Cause I'm always on the edge, but I don't fall off!
I's a boy in the hoodie and a hat to match!
And the shit bright orange like a pumpkin patch!
And they call me Guy Ritchie cause I work with snatch!
And I'm rich, and a guy. Whatch'all think of that?
And the cops stay on me cause I'm young and black!
And the boy stay crazy like a pound of crack!
And I'm all that jazz like my name was scat!
College dudes like me too love my name Borat!
And I like my girls thick like chocolate, fat like my wallet
I'm tellin' y'all the truth, like a prophet
And if Gambino on the track, you should copy it
And all y'all Niggas totin' guns need to stop it
[Hook]
I'm so focused. Yeah
I'm so focused. Yeah. (We don't play around like that. Listen.)
We ain't scared a you! Tell them other muthafucka we prepared for you! Ungh!
We ain't scared a you! Tell them other mutha f- we prepared for you! Ungh!
[Verse 2: Truff Syrum]
Before you even know how long this song lasts
You'll be reelin' and feelin' so flabbergasted
Like a fast pass that you can't catch, I'll leave you blasted
Lambasted, like I doused you in acid
I could be takin' some comedy and I'm makin' that tradic
Like I spin, cause I hocus, I focus, I'm flippin' it back and now it's magic
And the beat go from cool, like plan is to janet, to dammit!
Cuties cute in to inspect my go-go gadget
Why? Cause I spit in split time. It's a sign of a double wear prada I'm reachin'
I'm teachin' 'em for a while that you can't deny I'm alive
So existential, my rhymes are quinessential
I'm an educated black and that's a fact. I'm presidential
One riff, and I'm siftin' through N-s lies
Got a gift to keep my eyes on the prize, you best move to the side
Cause I'm goin' for the gold, I'm a stone solider
Gambino told you Jokers that I'm so, so, so foc- I'm so FO-cusssssssed
[Hook]
[Verse 3: Childish Gambino]
I'm all grown up, but I'm still Childish
It's crazy to think that all them days is behind us
I remember when n-s tried to stop us
Now them same n-s on my dick and try for profit
This is what I asked for. It comes with the territory
This isn't a cry for help, ain't no pinnochio story
I'm in it just for the glory - I'm in this to win it, babe
Sorry that I came home late
In "I'm So Focused", Childish Gambino and Truff Syrum deliver a steady flow of rhyme and rhythm that speaks about their lives and their vision. In the first verse, we see Childish Gambino discussing his status and how he is perceived in society. Gambino describes himself as the "sickest Nigga ever", asserting his confidence and skill. He also mentions how he is "always on the edge", which could refer to the intense pressure he faces as a celebrity. Gambino then goes on to describe himself physically, mentioning his hoodie, hat, and pumpkin patch-coloured outfit. He talks about the cops' scrutiny and compares himself to Guy Ritchie. Through all that, he insists on his truth-telling nature and urges people to copy his tracks instead of holding guns.
In the second verse, Truff Syrum brings his energy to the track. He kicks off with a series of poetic lines that are meant to captivate the listener. He speaks about the transitions that people go through while listening to music and how he can manipulate that. Truff Syrum also boasts his creativity and rhyming skills, comparing himself to a fictional character with a fancy gadget. He reminds the listeners that he's educated and presidential, riffing through lies and going for gold. The verse concludes with both artists repeating the song's central theme, insisting that they are so focused and ready for whatever comes their way.
Line by Line Meaning
It's Childish Gambino, y'all know who it is, how it is and what it do
Childish Gambino introduces himself and assumes his audience knows him and his style.
Mr. Jens Lekman on the track, ladies and gentlemen
Acknowledges the music producer, who goes by the name Jens Lekman.
For those of you wondering for whom the sample is
Referring to the excerpt of music that has been used in the song and acknowledges the curiosity of people regarding it.
I'm the sickest Nigga ever, go and tell your ma!
Childish Gambino brags about his skills and claims to be the best.
And I got a little liquor like a St. Bernard!
A comparison between Childish Gambino's alcohol capacity and that of a St Bernard's emergency cask.
Niggas hold onto Cliffs, like Phylicia Rashad!
People hold onto the edge of a cliff like Phylicia Rashad.
Cause I'm always on the edge, but I don't fall off!
Childish Gambino states that he takes risks in life without facing any harm.
I's a boy in the hoodie and a hat to match!
Childish Gambino describes his outfit.
And the shit bright orange like a pumpkin patch!
Comparing the color of Childish Gambino's outfit to the orange pumpkins.
And they call me Guy Ritchie cause I work with snatch!
Comparing himself to British filmmaker, Guy Ritchie.
And I'm rich, and a guy. Whatch'all think of that?
Childish Gambino mentions that he is wealthy and relates it to his gender, asking for his audience's opinion.
And the cops stay on me cause I'm young and black!
Childish Gambino addresses the issue of racial profiling by the police.
And the boy stay crazy like a pound of crack!
Describing his craziness using a simile.
And I'm all that jazz like my name was scat!
Using a metaphor to describe himself as a unique entity, comparing it with the art of jazz scatting.
College dudes like me too love my name Borat!
Childish Gambino refers to his popularity among college students who relate to his sense of humor and compares it with the film, Borat.
And I like my girls thick like chocolate, fat like my wallet
Explaining his preference for women with a certain physique.
I'm tellin' y'all the truth, like a prophet
Claiming to speak nothing but the truth, putting himself in the shoes of a prophet.
And if Gambino on the track, you should copy it
Encouraging people to repeat his music.
And all y'all Niggas totin' guns need to stop it
Childish Gambino discourages the use of guns.
Before you even know how long this song lasts
Setting up the expectation for the listeners with regards to the length of the song.
You'll be reelin' and feelin' so flabbergasted
Using a metaphor to describe the profound impression the song will have on the listeners.
Like a fast pass that you can't catch, I'll leave you blasted Lambasted, like I doused you in acid
Childish Gambino is describing the shock that the listeners will have on hearing his music using a mix of metaphors.
I could be takin' some comedy and I'm makin' that tragic
Childish Gambino describes his ability to blend tragedy and comedy to make his music more compelling.
Like I spin, cause I hocus, I focus, I'm flippin' it back and now it's magic
Using a magic reference to describe his ability to flip tragic elements of his music to create something magical.
And the beat go from cool, like plan is to janet, to dammit!
Childish Gambino is describing the evolution of the beat in his song, from being cool to aggressive.
Cuties cute in to inspect my go-go gadget
Childish Gambino is referring to people curious about his music.
Why? Cause I spit in split time. It's a sign of a double wear prada I'm reachin'
Using a metaphor to describe his ability to rap with great speed and dexterity.
I'm teachin' 'em for a while that you can't deny I'm alive So existential, my rhymes are quinessential
Childish Gambino describes his rapping style and his unique place in music.
I'm an educated black and that's a fact. I'm presidential
Referring to his educational background and comparing himself to the US President.
One riff, and I'm siftin' through N-s lies Got a gift to keep my eyes on the prize, you best move to the side Cause I'm goin' for the gold, I'm a stone solider
Childish Gambino talks about his determination and perseverance to achieve success in the music industry.
I'm all grown up, but I'm still Childish It's crazy to think that all them days is behind us
Acknowledging his growth as a person while still retaining his child-like charm.
I remember when n-s tried to stop us Now, them same n-s on my d**k and try for profit
Childish Gambino talks about the people who tried to stop him in the past and reflect on their changed standings now.
This is what I asked for. It comes with the territory
Reflecting on his success and the obstacles he had to overcome to reach the top.
This isn't a cry for help, ain't no pinnochio story I'm in it just for the glory - I'm in this to win it, babe
Asserting that he is successful by his hard work and in no way is seeking any undue sympathies or acknowledgment.
Sorry that I came home late
Ending the song with an apologetic note about time management.
Contributed by Juliana O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@spikxx2616
1)Intro : Childish Gambino]
مقدمة: Childish Gambino]
2)It's Childish Gambino, y'all know who it is, how it is and what it do
إنها Childish Gambino ، تعلمون جميعًا من هي وكيف هي وماذا تفعل
3)Mr. Jens Lekman on the track, ladies and gentlemen
السيد جينس لكمان على المضمار ، سيداتي وسادتي
4)For those of you wondering for whom the sample is
لأولئك منكم الذين يتساءلون لمن تكون العينة
5)Alright. Let's do this. Uh-huh
حسنا. هيا بنا نقوم بذلك. اه
6)Verse 1: Childish Gambino]
المقطع 1: Childish Gambino]
7)I'm the sickest Nigga ever, go and tell your ma!
And I got a little liquor like a St. Bernard!
أنا أكثر نيغا مريضة على الإطلاق ، اذهب وأخبر والدتك!
وحصلت على القليل من الخمور مثل سانت برنارد!
8)Niggas hold onto Cliffs, like Phylicia Rashad!
Niggas تمسك بالمنحدرات ، مثل Phylicia Rashad!
9)Cause I'm always on the edge, but I don't fall off!
لأنني دائمًا على حافة الهاوية ، لكنني لا أسقط!
10)I's a boy in the hoodie and a hat to match!
إنه فتى يرتدي هوديي وقبعة تناسبه!
11)And the shit bright orange like a pumpkin patch!
والبرتقالي اللامع مثل رقعة اليقطين!
12)And they call me Guy Ritchie cause I work with snatch!
وهم يدعونني جاي ريتشي لأنني أعمل مع الخطف!
13)And I'm rich, and a guy. Whatch'all think of that?
وأنا غني ورجل. ما رأيك في ذلك؟
14)And the cops stay on me cause I'm young and black!
وأنا غني ورجل. ما رأيك في ذلك؟
@123451234alex
I need an instrumental to this so badly lol
@idontevennoe2129
Listening to this in 2016 makes me want to do a Poindexter Reloaded
@UnstoppableJae
nah i agree with you...his flow is insane...so focused
@camaricutz
This song is too good.
@sexyIndian24
favorite Gambino song <3
@whatdidyouexpectyouidiot
how about now
@titomac27
is it just me or is Truff's flow just ridiculous lol
@PookieLaroo
I’m all grown up, but I’m still childish
@d.l6341
Still fire in 2017
@whatdidyouexpectyouidiot
ikr!!!!!