Review:
Childish Gambino is back with his second studio album Because the Internet,
following up his first Camp
– an album that I really liked, but overall saw very mixed reactions. In
between, Gambino also released a good mixtape with a few great songs called Royalty.
Because the Internet is highly
ambitious musically, again showing off Donald Glover and Ludwig Goransson’s
producing ability (something that also really shined on Camp). This album
explores a lot of different sounds and rhythmic schemes to great effect. In
this way, it does not sound like anything else in hip hop right now (which is a
good thing). It is nice to see artists pushing the boundaries of the genre.
Thematically, Glover addresses
the phenomenon of the internet in today’s culture – something he seems to have
a somewhat negatively skewed perspective of, in that the internet allows for anonymous
negativity towards artistic output and ambition on message boards, blogs and so
on as well as proper online critical sites (this probably stemming from the harsh
reviews his music has received by some, like Pitchfork) – how everything is
very public and exploded by clicks-driven media (let us be honest, American
media has become abysmal, far beyond embarrassing, just mean spirited,
ill-informed, and completely uncaring – as if people ‘in the public’ are no
longer human beings afforded the same rights as the rest of us; it is shameful).
The album has a dark, angry feel and in many ways feels like a companion piece
to Yeezus
(a talented artist just fed up with the way the system works).
As a rapper, Glover is very
talented. He nimbly navigates his beats with varying tones and flow styles. His
voice at times sounds disinterested, as though what he is telling the listener
are truths that they should already know, and he is forced to repeat himself
over again because people are just not getting it, getting him. But, this is an
aesthetic choice, to match his whole persona that he has developed during the
year – that of a dejected, misunderstood artist. This choice is probably going
to rub some fans and critics the wrong way, but the talent is undeniable.
I have said this in many other
reviews of hip hop albums, but I like and respect the fact that Glover has
delivered an album that primarily revolves around his own voice. There are no
guest verses, with Chance The Rapper, Jhene Aiko, and Azealia Banks featuring
in more backing roles. Too often hip hop albums, both good and bad, are overcrowded.
Because the Internet does not
completely jump out at the listener with very catchy tracks like Camp did (the
singles are good – songs like Crawl, Worldstar, Sweatpants, and 3005 – but the deep
tracks are even better). However, it is one of the most ambitious and creative
hip hop albums of the year – one very much worth checking out. 4/5
Essential Tracks:
1) Life: The Biggest Troll (Andrew Auemheimer) – Produced by Donald Glover and Ludwig Goransson
2)
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