Here at Marquette, we know of the NBC show “Community” mainly because of Danny Pudi, the Marquette alum who is one of the program’s main stars.
However, acute Pudi fans may notice in one of his most popular clips from the show that there is another person in the scene: actor Donald Glover, one of the most talented people you may never have heard of.
Before he became Troy Barnes on “Community,” Glover was a part of the popular sketch comedy group, Derrick Comedy. Many of their videos appeared on CollegeHumor, and several of their YouTube sketches have reached astronomical numbers. “Bro Rape,” a send-up of the infamous “Dateline: To Catch a Predator” segments, has over 8 million hits and is not even the group’s most watched video.
Despite all of those accomplishments, however, Glover’s greatest feat may actually be getting this scrawny and pasty kid to enjoy rap music.
Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the genre, but the songs that I do like tend to have two things in common: a ridiculously catchy beat and fun, creative lyrics. Enter Mr. Glover, or “Childish Gambino,” as he is known in the hip hop world.
Though none of his mixes are on iTunes, almost all of his material can be found either on his website or on YouTube. However you find the songs, you’re bound to come away happy.
His earlier material is not based off of any earlier beats or rhythms and is completely original. It’s also ear-blowingly magical. “Get Like Me” and “I’m a Winner” both have pounding beats that are impossible to get out of your head, and Glover has great lyrical flow, although his voice can get a bit nasal at times.
Where Glover shines, however, is in his mixes, which primarily feature indie artists. For instance, his song “Bitch, Look at Me Now” features the Grizzly Bear single, “Two Weeks”, easily in the running for one of my favorite songs of all time. Combine an awesome song with awesome lyrics, and you have something that is clearly really awesome.
His latest rap (below) is easily his finest, appearing on the Jamie XX remix of British soul singer Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” He only shows up for about a minute, but it’s one of the catchiest minutes of music I’ve heard in quite some time.
All of the signature Gambino elements are there — the nasally voice, the ridiculously catchy beat, the clever wordplay — but this time, there’s a new ingredient: heart. It’s that extra emotional kick, combined with Adele’s already soulful background cries, that makes his appearance on “Rolling in the Deep” Glover’s best rap, as well as one of his best works overall.
Glover has always been a funny and clever actor and comedian, but now that he’s seemingly delving into a more personal side of himself, we could be looking at a brand new breed of funny man.
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