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]
My Shine
Childish Gambino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all I ever wanted was to hear that sound
I stunt hard, I make it work, yeah
I make it work, yeah, I make it work, who
I live large, I make it work, yeah
I make it work, yeah
Sick Boi is the crew, fuck these niggas with a dirty dick
When these mothafuckas gonna understand I'm serious?
I'm hard in the paint, like I fuck her on her period
James Dean swag, leather jacket, white t-shirt
Rolled up sleeves, nigga lookin' like a greaser
Word is born, baby my dictionary's in labor
Listen to the Culdesac and know that was an ultimatum man
Why nobody wanna admit they like me just a little bit?
Won't be on the freshmen list, guess I'll just keep spittin' shit
Never be the rapper with $600 shades
No iced-out chain, Rod Lavers all day
I was hopin' they would see me just for me, dope rhymer
They do me like my first house, no co-signer
See you usin' qualifiers, you don't even know
"I guess he good for a rapper who on a TV show"
Even though, I was rappin' back when Lance had chemo, ho
Even flow, Pearl Jammin' niggas can't leave me alone
I keep a bone for these girls who liked me back when green was low
Feel me, though, DVR my thoughts and make your TiVo grow
Runnin' through the moment as the sun goes down (starlight, starlight)
And all I ever wanted was to hear that sound (all night, all night)
But it's all for you to prove it, keep on movin', keep on usin'
My shine, my shine, my shine
Oh-oh-oh, ooh, take me higher (higher)
Oh, ooh, take me higher (higher)
Gambeezy make it work somethin', let me check the syntax
Don't add an 'eezy to my name, 'cause it has never been that
Aladdin on you fuckers, prince of the game from street rat
Dudes fall off, too steep like tea bags
Steady movin', don't worry about where I'ma be
'Cause I'ma be on these tracks like indie girls on Amelie
Honesty, I'm rappin' 'bout everything I go through
Everything I'm sayin', I'm super sayin' like Goku
Fuck nerdcore, fuck backpack
Fuck rap cool, I make cool rap
I make music for wack blacks to blast back
In fact, I swear the track I lie on's my last track
Runnin' through the moment as the sun goes down (starlight, starlight)
And all I ever wanted was to hear that sound (all night, all night)
But it's all for you to prove it, keep on movin', keep on usin'
My shine, my shine, my shine, oh
Runnin' through the moment as the sun goes down (starlight, starlight)
And all I ever wanted was to hear that sound (all night, all night)
But it's all for you to prove it, keep on movin', keep on usin'
My shine, my shine, my shine, oh
The first two lines of the song "My Shine" by Childish Gambino set the tone for what the artist wants to achieve- chasing his dreams in the limited time available to him. He sings about his desire to make a mark in the music industry and hear his own sound, which is an expression of his unique creativity. He is determined to work hard and live the life of a superstar, which is not an easy feat for someone with humble beginnings. Gambino wants to be recognized for his talent and hard work despite being seen as an outsider by the industry.
The lyrics also reveal his frustration with being underestimated by his peers in the music industry. Gambino raps about his talent and hard work, and the fact that he has been a part of the industry for a long time, yet he is still not taken seriously. He also calls out the music industry for only recognizing a certain type of rapper and not giving him the attention he deserves. In the end, Gambino asserts that his shine is his alone and he will keep using it to prove himself.
Overall, the lyrics of the song express the artist's desire to chase his dreams, be recognized for his talent, and make a mark in the music industry while not conforming to its narrow definition of success.
Line by Line Meaning
Runnin' through the moment as the sun goes down
Trying to make the most of my time as the day comes to an end.
And all I ever wanted was to hear that sound
It's all about achieving my goals and being recognized for it.
I stunt hard, I make it work, yeah
I work hard to achieve my goals aggressively.
I make it work, yeah, I make it work, who
My hard work pays off, and I'm happy about it.
I live large, I make it work, yeah
I live life to the fullest, and I keep pushing to achieve more.
I make it work, yeah
My hard work pays off, and I'm happy about it.
Childish Gambino, lame niggas never heard of it
I'm Childish Gambino, and people who don't know about me are irrelevant to me.
Sick Boi is the crew, fuck these niggas with a dirty dick
Sick Boi is the crew I belong to, and I don't care about those who haven't heard of us.
When these mothafuckas gonna understand I'm serious?
I'm passionate about my music, and people need to realize that.
I'm hard in the paint, like I fuck her on her period
I'm tough and not afraid to take risks, like doing something that others might think is disgusting.
James Dean swag, leather jacket, white t-shirt
My style is inspired by James Dean, with a leather jacket and white T-shirt.
Rolled up sleeves, nigga lookin' like a greaser
I roll up my sleeves like a greaser, making me look tough and cool.
Word is born, baby my dictionary's in labor
I'm really good with words and can come up with creative ways to express myself.
Listen to the Culdesac and know that was an ultimatum man
Listen to my album Culdesac, and you'll see how much potential I have as an artist.
Why nobody wanna admit they like me just a little bit?
People are afraid to admit that they like me because they don't want to seem uncool.
Won't be on the freshmen list, guess I'll just keep spittin' shit
I won't be on the popular music list for new artists, but I'll still keep making great music.
Never be the rapper with $600 shades
I'm not the type of rapper who wears fancy, expensive sunglasses.
No iced-out chain, Rod Lavers all day
I don't wear a flashy chain; I wear Rod Lavers sneakers all day.
I was hopin' they would see me just for me, dope rhymer
I hope people recognize me for my skills as a rapper and nothing else.
They do me like my first house, no co-signer
I succeed on my own, without anyone's help or support.
See you usin' qualifiers, you don't even know
You're not qualified to judge me, yet you still do it.
"I guess he good for a rapper who on a TV show"
People think that I'm only a good rapper because I'm on a TV show, which is not true.
Even though, I was rappin' back when Lance had chemo, ho
I've been rapping for a long time, even when Lance Armstrong was battling cancer.
Even flow, Pearl Jammin' niggas can't leave me alone
Even when I'm listening to music, people still try to bother me.
I keep a bone for these girls who liked me back when green was low
I still have a thing for the girls who liked me when I didn't have much money.
Feel me, though, DVR my thoughts and make your TiVo grow
Understand my perspective and record my thoughts to grow intellectually.
Gambeezy make it work somethin', let me check the syntax
I make things happen, let me analyze the situation before I do anything.
Don't add an 'eezy to my name, 'cause it has never been that
Don't give me a nickname that's not mine, because I don't want it.
Aladdin on you fuckers, prince of the game from street rat
I'm like Aladdin, coming out of nowhere to become the best in the game.
Dudes fall off, too steep like tea bags
Some rappers lose their popularity quickly, like tea bags steeped for too long.
Steady movin', don't worry about where I'ma be
I keep moving forward and don't worry about where I'll end up.
'Cause I'ma be on these tracks like indie girls on Amelie
I'll keep making music like independent girls watch the movie Amelie.
Honesty, I'm rappin' 'bout everything I go through
I'm honest about my life and experiences in my music.
Everything I'm sayin', I'm super sayin' like Goku
I'm saying things with great emphasis and power, like Goku in Dragon Ball Z.
Fuck nerdcore, fuck backpack
I don't care about the labels people attach to my music.
Fuck rap cool, I make cool rap
I don't care about being seen as cool; I just make great music.
I make music for wack blacks to blast back
I make music that anyone can relate to, especially people who might feel left out.
In fact, I swear the track I lie on's my last track
I put all my heart and soul into each song, like it could be my last.
But it's all for you to prove it, keep on movin', keep on usin'
I'm doing all of this for myself, and it's up to me to keep pushing to be better.
My shine, my shine, my shine, oh
My success and accomplishments are my own shining moments.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Donald Mckinley Glover II, Ludwig Emil Tomas Goransson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vishwanath Ji
on This Is America
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