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]
Yes
Childish Gambino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, my stuff big, man
Keep a girl's pussy bright red like a pig's tan
Four shots and watch me lean like a kick stand
I really need to change my name to, "Hey, I'm a big fan."
Cause that's all I hear when I'm outside
And my hoodie's never jealous of that tie-dye
Cheesy on the mic, like I'm laying on Jordan
Yes, I back bend these girls aerobic
And these hoes got a Spiderman like Tobey
Keep these girls wet, call them Lakers like Kobe
Got money trees, asking me, "Do you row me?"
Latin girls kiss my feet like they're superguh
Latin girls see your face and call you "Stupida."
Yes my name is Childish, so I guess I'm cheesy
Yes yes yes my wallet's cheesy
Throw your hood up, are you queasy?
Yes, I am the Juggernaut
Yes, my name is Elroy
Yes, my dick will make that ho tell, like a bell boy
And I get my tip, and my tip is in your girl
And I'm gonna bust a nut like I'm a Gallagher squirrel
It's the man of the hour
Better yet, the century, check the whiskey sour
Lookin' like I'm drinkin' piss
How's he fuckin' thinkin' this
Easy, I'm a mentalist, but I'm not on CBS
Uh, yes it's me Bambe
What is your daughter to do?
I've been doing this ever since Harry Potter was new
Boy! I don't play, I change games, I am too real
So my words stay hard like a blue pillExplain
I like pink, it always looks good on me
And I like pink, it always looks good on me
That second part I was talking about vagina, homie
Fuck the game at an early age, now there hymen on me
Yes, I am a magnet
Yes, I do attract it
Remember when these fake ass niggas called me faggot?
Cause I had glasses and a pink track jacket
Now those things are assets to help me get some asses
Now these nerdy hoes keep asking me to smash it
Bullies from middle school chatting on my Twitter status
Fuck you, you don't get shit from now on
Unless you got a demo tape, then I can lay some brown on
It's the B to the AMBI, colors like candy
Nigga, I'm the Army. I'm being all I can be
Yes I dress dandy. Get a clue, like the Clandy
I live hard, I never sleep in, like an Amby
This is for the niggas thinkin' different
While their friends are flippin' pigeons in they're stay po-pimpin'
He never lets the best go past him
My life says yes like it's having orgasms
The lyrics to Childish Gambino's song Yes are highly explicit and reference sexual acts and misogyny. The lyrics start with a boast about the singer's status, with lines like "Yes, I'm Mr. Big Stuff" and "Yes, I am the Juggernaut." The lyrics then move on to sexual references, such as keeping a girl's "pussy bright red like a pig's tan" and bragging about "back bend[ing] these girls aerobic." The lyrics also include a reference to the singer's name, "Childish," with lines like "Yes, my name is Childish, so I guess I'm cheesy" and "Yes yes yes my wallet's cheesy."
The song is filled with references to pop culture, such as "Remember when these fake ass niggas called me faggot?/Cause I had glasses and a pink track jacket/Now those things are assets to help me get some asses." This line references Childish Gambino's earlier days as a comedian and his struggle to be taken seriously as a rapper. The line "Boy! I don't play, I change games, I am too real/So my words stay hard like a blue pill" references the movie The Matrix and the idea of taking a pill to wake up and see the world for what it really is.
The lyrics to Yes are highly controversial and offensive to many. However, they also reveal a lot about Childish Gambino's persona and sense of humor. The song is an expression of his confidence and swagger, and it shows his tendency to reference pop culture and mix humor with his lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, I'm Mr. Big Stuff
I think I'm important and powerful
Yeah, my stuff big, man
I have a large penis
Keep a girl's pussy bright red like a pig's tan
I have sex with women until their genitals are sore and red
Four shots and watch me lean like a kick stand
I get drunk easily
I really need to change my name to, 'Hey, I'm a big fan.'
Cause that's all I hear when I'm outside
People recognize me and are excited to see me
And my hoodie's never jealous of that tie-dye
I don't care about fashion trends
Cheesy on the mic, like I'm laying on Jordan
My rapping style is simple and unoriginal
No homo for you niggas homophobic
I don't want to be labeled as gay or homosexual
Yes, I back bend these girls aerobic
I have sex with women in acrobatic positions
And these hoes got a Spiderman like Tobey
Keep these girls wet, call them Lakers like Kobe
Women are attracted to me and call me by the names of famous men
Got money trees, asking me, "Do you row me?"
I have a lot of money and women ask for my attention
Latin girls kiss my feet like they're superguh
Latin girls see your face and call you "Stupida."
Latina women find me attractive and ridicule other men
Yes my name is Childish, so I guess I'm cheesy
Yes yes yes my wallet's cheesy
Throw your hood up, are you queasy?
I embrace my immaturity and wealth, and I challenge anyone who disagrees with me
Yes, I am the Juggernaut
Yes, my name is Elroy
Yes, my dick will make that ho tell, like a bell boy
And I get my tip, and my tip is in your girl
And I'm gonna bust a nut like I'm a Gallagher squirrel
I am powerful, have a big penis, and have sex with a lot of women
It's the man of the hour
Better yet, the century, check the whiskey sour
Lookin' like I'm drinkin' piss
How's he fuckin' thinkin' this
Easy, I'm a mentalist, but I'm not on CBS
I am confident and successful, and I have a unique way of thinking
Uh, yes it's me Bambe
What is your daughter to do?
I've been doing this ever since Harry Potter was new
Boy! I don't play, I change games, I am too real
So my words stay hard like a blue pill
I have been famous for a long time and I am confident and successful
I like pink, it always looks good on me
And I like pink, it always looks good on me
That second part I was talking about vagina, homie
Fuck the game at an early age, now there hymen on me
I enjoy wearing the color pink and I have sex with a lot of women
Yes, I am a magnet
Yes, I do attract it
Remember when these fake ass niggas called me faggot?
Cause I had glasses and a pink track jacket
Now those things are assets to help me get some asses
Now these nerdy hoes keep asking me to smash it
Bullies from middle school chatting on my Twitter status
Fuck you, you don't get shit from now on
Unless you got a demo tape, then I can lay some brown on
I am attractive and successful, and I now have power over people who used to bully me
It's the B to the AMBI, colors like candy
Nigga, I'm the Army. I'm being all I can be
Yes I dress dandy. Get a clue, like the Clandy
I live hard, I never sleep in, like an Amby
I am confident and stylish, and I work hard
This is for the niggas thinkin' different
While their friends are flippin' pigeons in they're stay po-pimpin'
He never lets the best go past him
My life says yes like it's having orgasms
I am unique and successful, and I don't follow the norms of society
Contributed by Hudson E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@wildernesswolff9350
Only the true OG Gambino fans come listen to songs like this
@puga2969
This song sounds similar to "You See Me"
@hophie.2110
I used to think about this beat at night before I went to sleep when I first heard this mixtape. This beat is still one of my favorites he's spit over 🙏🏾
@TheBigfrankenberry
Still bumping this is 2024. Crazy to think this is where it started
@rheadyck9986
the beat is a chopped n screwed "a millie" by lil wayne lol
@spleenstv5938
the song that got me hooked was heartbeat
@PippaPasses
2015 here and I've never had a problem with Bino's voice
@elviswhite245
2016 here and can still say he has bars.
@aaronbrown300
2017 still killing it
@conncept_
2020 here and a new album just dropped still greatest of all time.