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]
Tru Dudes
Childish Gambino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I hydrate babes like Pedialyte
That I stay rock hard like a meteorite
But your homeboy here was an idiot right?
Well, ya thought wrong, I got flavor
I rock shows with the blue lightsaber
I hit dimes but also date eighters
I make moves, blow up like Al-Qaeda
Ya kicks okay like your name Wyatt
Care Bear Clockers, pink highlighters
Haters wanna snack my heat like firefighters
Boys out there think they just like me
Naw naw, y'all funny, y'all from UCB?
Y'all standin' in line, I'm in VIP
Y'all know shit 'bout me like TIP, hah!
[Hook]
Ooh, bum bumbumbum bum bumbumbum
[Verse 2: MC Chris]
Think your voice's funny man, that's kind of hilarious
I'm the rapper makin' noise when there's shadow in your area
I'm like a ? cause I'm a little aquaceous
I do it for the hotties with the bodies bodacious
I'm high pitched, might flip if ya diss my node
Think Chris ain't the shit, you can kiss my chode
Weak ass sales, not too early to boast
Seriously bro, hand over the security code
Because my rhymes so fresh, green grocers' gotta spray 'em
Fired all my lawyers cause I didn't wanna pay 'em
From the PM to the AM I'll slay 'em with the sawed-off
Make a little money and I'll smoke the marijuana
MC without Glover is Matubb without Wigs
Jam and peanut butter with the crust cut off for kids
One smokes Khan, the other smokes Mids
Let's mix it up a little like the DJ did
Bacardi and Coke, black and white cookie
Smokin' in the alley cause you know we're playin' hooky
We're up to no good, please don't tell our mamas
? cause we got this for Obama
[Hook]
[Verse 3]
Sick of the old yellow, money like bank tellers
The chicks that I'm with are thicker thank Nutella
Y'all need to switch quick and get with a slick fella
Cause I'm bout to go Rihanna like I'm an Umbrella
Come over to my place, we can cut like shears
And make some mistakes like Jamie Lynn Spears
I'm nasty? No. Forward? Yes
I'm hip to the game, you're a rook like chess
My money so long that they call it John Silver's
Your money so light that it float like pillows
Oopsy, killers, you can see
They close up shop when the clerks see me
I'm not Kanye, but my collar's popped
Cause the bro's like soda, I shit you not
This shit's bright orange, Fanta shade
You got the yellow face, that's my lemon aide
I'mma try to stay tight like girls that fuck hard
Stay in the Bay with green like Brett Farve
[Hook x3]
In "Tru Dudes," Childish Gambino and MC Chris are expressing their confidence and pride in their style and abilities. They challenge those who criticize them for wearing tight clothes and brag about their ability to attract women and rock shows. Gambino boasts about his unique fashion sense and unconventional taste in women, while MC Chris emphasizes his high-pitched voice and ability to make money. They both mock those who try to imitate their style or claim to be like them, asserting their superiority and uniqueness. Through their lyrics, Gambino and MC Chris promote the idea of staying true to oneself and being confident and unapologetic about one's style and abilities.
Interestingly, "Tru Dudes" was not originally written specifically for Childish Gambino and MC Chris. The song was originally titled "Ohh!" and was written by producer Dan Harmon for their NBC series Community. The show's cast, including Gambino, recorded a version of the song for the show's third season DVD, but it was never aired as part of an episode. MC Chris later recorded his own version of the song, which became "Tru Dudes" when Gambino added his own verses to the track.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it really that bad that my clothes is tight?
Is it truly such a negative thing for me to wear tight-fitting clothing?
That I hydrate babes like Pedialyte
Is it such a terrible thing for me to offer support and comfort to women?
That I stay rock hard like a meteorite
Is it such a bad thing for me to be strong and steadfast like an unyielding meteorite?
But your homeboy here was an idiot right?
Were you incorrect in your belief that a person you know was not intelligent?
Well, ya thought wrong, I got flavor
You are mistaken if you thought otherwise, I possess a unique and appealing style.
I rock shows with the blue lightsaber
I perform live concerts with a blue lightsaber, a reference to Star Wars.
I hit dimes but also date eighters
I have romantic relationships with women who are considered to be extremely attractive and also those who are not regarded as such.
I make moves, blow up like Al-Qaeda
I take action and expand my horizons like the militant extremist group Al-Qaeda.
I'm in kicks that you can't buy yet
I wear shoes that are not yet available for purchase.
Ya kicks okay like your name Wyatt
Your shoes are just average, much like a name like Wyatt.
Care Bear Clockers, pink highlighters
I wear shoes produced by a company called Care Bear Clockers, and use pink highlighters, likely for artistic purposes.
Haters wanna snack my heat like firefighters
People who dislike me desire my valued possessions, like firefighters crave snacks while on duty.
Boys out there think they just like me
There are boys who think they are similar to me in various ways.
Naw naw, y'all funny, y'all from UCB?
No, you are mistaken, that is amusing. Are you affiliated with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre?
Y'all standin' in line, I'm in VIP
While you wait in line, I occupy a special, exclusive area called the VIP section.
Y'all know shit 'bout me like TIP, hah!
You are not knowledgeable about me in the slightest, similar to how people may not know details about the rapper T.I.
Think your voice's funny man, that's kind of hilarious
It is humorous that you believe your voice to be comical or amusing.
I'm the rapper makin' noise when there's shadow in your area
I am the rapper who makes noise in dimly-lit locations or at unusual times of day/night.
I'm like a ? cause I'm a little aquaceous
I am similar to a question mark because I possess some traits of being watery, or having qualities of water.
I do it for the hotties with the bodies bodacious
I perform for women who are extremely attractive and well-proportioned.
I'm high pitched, might flip if ya diss my node
My voice takes on a higher pitch, and I may become angry if someone insults me or my vocal cords.
Think Chris ain't the shit, you can kiss my chode
If you believe I am not highly acclaimed, highly skilled or highly respected, you can perform the act of oral sex on my perineum.
Weak ass sales, not too early to boast
Sales are weak, but it is still not too early to express confidence in my work or myself.
Seriously bro, hand over the security code
Please provide the passcode for security purposes in a serious manner, friend.
Because my rhymes so fresh, green grocers' gotta spray 'em
My lyrics are so unique and new that grocery stores must apply a fine mist, often used for fruits and vegetables, to keep them fresh.
Fired all my lawyers cause I didn't wanna pay 'em
I terminated my legal representation because I did not wish to compensate them for their services.
From the PM to the AM I'll slay 'em with the sawed-off
From nighttime to the early morning hours, I will dominate and overpower others with a sawed-off shotgun, a firearm with a shortened barrel.
Make a little money and I'll smoke the marijuana
If I gain a small amount of money, I will purchase and partake in marijuana use.
MC without Glover is Matubb without Wigs
The rapper MC Chris without his collaborator Donald Glover is like the soccer player Mohammed Matubb without his trademark dreadlocks.
Jam and peanut butter with the crust cut off for kids
This phrase is similar to the term 'bread and butter', but instead refers to entertaining, staple things that are often enjoyed by children.
One smokes Khan, the other smokes Mids
One person smokes an expensive high-quality strain of marijuana called 'Khan', while the other indulges in a more affordable, lower-quality option referred to as 'Mids'.
Let's mix it up a little like the DJ did
Let's vary our routine or habits, emulate a disc jockey who alters the sounds of music.
Bacardi and Coke, black and white cookie
The drink Bacardi mixed with Coca-Cola, and a New York City delicacy consisting of two flavors of dough (chocolate and vanilla) in one cookie.
Smokin' in the alley cause you know we're playin' hooky
We are smoking marijuana in a back alley because we are skipping school or work.
We're up to no good, please don't tell our mamas
We are engaging in mischievous or potentially harmful activities, so please do not inform our mothers.
? cause we got this for Obama
There is a blank space here, but the idea conveyed is that they possess something that was intended for Barack Obama, the former president of the United States.
Sick of the old yellow, money like bank tellers
Tired of outdated things that are commonplace, such as yellow taxis. Money possessed is abundant and akin to that held by a bank teller.
The chicks that I'm with are thicker thank Nutella
The women I am associated with are curvy and attractive, with measurements exceeding that of the density of the hazelnut chocolate spread Nutella.
Y'all need to switch quick and get with a slick fella
You need to make a swift change and choose a suave, charming man to be with.
Cause I'm bout to go Rihanna like I'm an Umbrella
I am about to become as successful and well-known as the singer Rihanna, as highlighted in her hit song 'Umbrella'.
Come over to my place, we can cut like shears
Come to my home and we can engage in intimate acts, like scissors cutting through fabric.
And make some mistakes like Jamie Lynn Spears
We will make poor decisions similar to young celebrity Jamie Lynn Spears, known for some scandalous events in her life.
I'm nasty? No. Forward? Yes
I may be forward or brazen in my behavior, but not necessarily immoral or obscene.
I'm hip to the game, you're a rook like chess
I am in tune with trends and culture, while you are inexperienced and taking cues from the board game of chess.
My money so long that they call it John Silver's
I am very wealthy, to the point where my wealth is comparable to the length of the fictional pirate's missing leg in 'Treasure Island'.
Your money so light that it float like pillows
You have a small amount of money, to the extent that it appears to lift and float around easily like pillows of feathers.
Oopsy, killers, you can see
Whoops, murderers, you are visible and revealed in plain sight.
They close up shop when the clerks see me
Businesses in the area shut their doors when I am present, out of fear or for their own safety.
I'm not Kanye, but my collar's popped
I am not the rapper/designer Kanye West, but I do wear my shirt collar in a similar style.
Cause the bro's like soda, I shit you not
This phrase is likely in reference to the phrase 'bros before hos', meaning men prioritize their male friendships over romantic relationships with women. In this case, the rapper is saying that his male friends are as refreshing and essential as a cold beverage like soda.
This shit's bright orange, Fanta shade
This substance or item is a vivid orange color, reminiscent of the popular orange soft drink Fanta.
You got the yellow face, that's my lemon aide
You possess a yellow tint to your complexion, much like my lemonade which also has yellow coloring.
I'mma try to stay tight like girls that fuck hard
I will attempt to remain in optimal physical shape, like women who are highly active and sexually inclined.
Stay in the Bay with green like Brett Farve
I will remain in the Bay Area, and possess an abundance of financial resources like former football player Brett Favre.
[Hook]
A repeating hook melody that serves as the chorus of the song, and does not contain lyrics as such.
Contributed by John F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Korian Woods
Childish and MC flows so seamlessly!!!
goliiad
MC Chris kills it on this song
deshawn ward
Its because this mixtape was extremely hard to find for a long time
joshua schroeder
gambino living verily, mc chris living barely. both made a jelly jam.
Jawdeh
Nobody spells mc chris right.. Lowercase, no dots, REWIIIIND.
roy
<3
Snare Mori
okay