This Is America

Donald Glover: The Cultural Impact Of “This Is America”

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The year 2018 marked a turning point in Donald Glover’s career. A few years removed from Awaken! My Love, he was already into the second season of Atlanta and signed a deal with RCA Records months earlier. Even though the FX show appeared to be his main priority, he simultaneously emerged with a definitive song of the 2010s, “This Is America.”

Five years later, we learned that Donald Glover didn’t initially intend for “This Is America” to carry such a strong socio-political significance. It actually began as a diss song towards fellow actor-turned-rapper Drake. “To be completely honest, ‘This is America’ — that was all we had was that line,” the multi-hyphenate told GQ earlier this year. “It started as a Drake diss, to be honest, as like, a funny way of doing it. But then I was like, this sh*t sounds kind of hard, though. So I was like, let me play with it.”

We’ve certainly seen the Canadian rapper trade bars with formidable MCs (i.e., Meek Mill and Pusha T). It would’ve been predictable if Drake aired his grievances towards the Atlanta artist through a series of subliminal jabs. Instead, the stage design for his It’s All a Blur Tour included a scrolling text across the side of the stage. “The overrated and over-awarded hit song ‘This Is America’ was originally a Drake diss record,” it read.

In the wake of Drake’s response to Donald Glover, we’re looking back at the release of “This Is America” and its impact on its SNL debut in 2018.

Read More: Marlon Wayans Says He’s “Proud” Of Donald Glover For His “This Is America” Video

“This Is America”

Childish Gambino/Donald Glover attends Rihanna’s 4th Annual Diamond Ball at Cipriani Wall Street on September 13, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

As an MC, Childish Gambino proved to be a king of nerdcore since he emerged. Although his pre-Culdesac outings bore similarities to some of Drake’s earlier output, his ability to be humorous, self-aware, and lighthearted set the tone for his career. However, Childish Gambino felt like a nomad in Atlanta’s music scene at a time when artists like Young Thug and Future had already redefined the sound of trap music and began influencing another generation of artists, such as 21 Savage and Lil Baby. 

“This Is America” found Donald Glover successfully merging together sounds and textures that would otherwise feel out of place. The gospel influence extended to the choir’s inclusion, while the riveting 808s and warblings synths furthered the urgency of the lyrics. With assistance from artists like BlocBoy JB, Young Thug, Quavo, 21 Savage, and Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd, Donald Glover came through with a bursting banger that defined the year. 

Across the song, Glover details the concerns and anxieties that many Black Americans shared during the Trump era, from systemic racism to rampant gun violence and mass shootings – all of which remain unaddressed on a federal level. An infectious anthem that maintained a steady presence on radio, the politically-charged sentiment behind the song proved to be a pivotal moment in pop culture and a defining record in Glover’s catalog. 

Read More: The Chaos Of Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”

Music Video

Perhaps, a significant amount of dialogue surrounding the 2018 single had little to do with the actual song itself rather than the Hiro Murai-directed music video. Murai and Glover executed a vision that perfectly encapsulated the chaotic soundscape it accompanies. The moment the video opens, we see actor Calvin The Second (who many confused with Tracy Martin, the father of Trayvon Martin) strum on a guitar before panning to Gambino. By this time, he already began executing his flawlessly choreographed number before pulling out a gun and shooting Calvin in the head in an eerie Jim Crow pose. Calvin lays on the floor dead while a child hands Glover a handkerchief that he uses to wipe the gun and proceeds with his number. 

Later in the video, Glover uses an automatic firearm to gun down a church choir, referencing the 2015 Charleston church shooting that killed nine Black churchgoers. There’s plenty to unpack at that moment in particular, but perhaps, the most significant is the intersection between systemic racism and gun violence in the country. But in the midst of it all the chaos, he continues to dance, pulling inspiration from the South African gwara gwara to BlocBoy JB’s “Shoot” and the Stanky Leg. 

Five years after the song dropped, this scene speaks volumes about how we consume media. The same platforms where dance challenges are pervasive are where we often consume news. The same timelines that propel TikTok trends to the top of the Billboard charts also where videos exposing police brutality often pick up traction. 

Read More: Alex Tumay Is Responsible For Iconic Ad-Libs In Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”

Accolades

“This Is America” was an immediate critical darling, becoming a decorated anthem in Glover’s catalog. The 3x Platinum-certified hit, which also became the 31st song in history to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100, made Donald Glover one of the most exciting nominees at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. That evening, he went 4 for 4 in each category that he was nominated in, including Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best Music Video, Record Of The Year, and Song Of The Year. It marked the first time a rap song ever won in the latter two categories.

Read More: Childish Gambino’s Manager Denies “This Is America” Rip-Off Rumors

Legacy

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 28: Recording artist Childish Gambino attends the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)

“This Is America” certainly didn’t go without criticism. Whether you feel like it’s aged poorly since its release or you share Drake’s sentiment towards the song, it’s hard to deny its place in the pop culture pantheon. However, it also showcased a more raw side of Donald Glover that we’ve yet to see in the past. Unfortunately, it might be a while until he delivers new music, but the conversations surrounding “This Is America” have not faded away.

The post Donald Glover: The Cultural Impact Of “This Is America” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Drake Blasts Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” On Tour, Calls It “Overrated”

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Drake’s “It’s All A Blur” tour with 21 S*vage just kicked off, and there’s no shortage of things to talk about. However, perhaps the spiciest and most potentially consequential part of the whole ordeal was him dissing Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” as part of his visuals. Moreover, it was fittingly during Drizzy’s performance of the track “Headlines,” where multiple headlines appear on a screen. “The Overrated And Over Awarded Hit Song ‘This Is America’ Was Originally A Drake Diss Record,” the screen read at one point. Of course, it’s entirely possible that this is all in good fun, but considering their history, it’s not particularly likely, either.

What’s more is that it’s kind of wild to think of Childish Gambino’s “This Is America,” a politically charged statement of a song, starting off as a Drake diss. Maybe that’s the point, as the 6 God isn’t one to engage in a lot of social topics in his music (which isn’t a bad thing, necessarily). Regardless of your interpretation of this shade, there’s a bit of conflicting evidence here as to whether there’s legitimate beef here. For example, photographers captured them at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscars party, so maybe they’re just having fun with the outlets that will go wild over this news.

Read More: Fan Throws A Phone At Drake On-Stage At First Show Of Tour

Drake’s Onstage Shade To “This Is America”

Furthermore, Donald Glover explained the origins of “This Is America” during a recent GQ interview. “The idea for the song started as a joke, to be completely honest,” Childish Gambino revealed. “‘This is America’- that was all we had, was, like, that line. And it started as a Drake diss, to be honest [laughs], as like, a funny way of, like, doing it. But then I was like, ‘This s**t sounds kind of hard, though,’ you know? So I was like, ‘Let me play with it.’ So we just had that for a long time.”

Meanwhile, the Canadian superstar actually appeared (albeit in animated and mute form) on Childish’s music video for “Feels Like Summer.” In addition, Glover used him as inspiration for the “Atlanta” episode “Champagne Papi,” titled not-so-subtly. In it, the character Vanessa goes to a party hosted by him, and he even responded to the episode: “This s**t is surreal, I’m too high for this.” Perhaps these two aren’t such enemies after all and are just playing around- and if they are their oppositions, well, let’s see how Glover reacts. For more news and the latest updates on Childish Gambino and Drake, come back to HNHH.

Read More: Danny Brown Admits Joining Childish Gambino On The Road Was “One Of The Worst Tours”

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The post Drake Blasts Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” On Tour, Calls It “Overrated” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Childish Gambino Explained How He Started With A ‘Drake Diss’ And Morphed It Into One Of His Biggest Hits

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The 2018 single “This Is America” is arguably Childish Gambino’s (aka Donald Glover) biggest song; It’s his only No. 1 single to date, but 2016’s “Redbone” is his most-streamed song with 1.3 billion Spotify plays (vs. about half a billion for “This Is America”), despite its lower Hot 100 peak at No. 12. Either way, it turns out the hit track stemmed from, as Glover put it, a “Drake diss.”

Glover discussed the single in a new video interview with GQ shared today (April 4), and while he said the initial version of the song took digs at Drake, it sounds like that was more of a creative exercise than it was an expression of any actual malice towards Drake. At 17:28 into the video above, Glover said:

“It started as a… the idea for the song started as a joke, to be completely honest. ‘This is America’: that was all we had, was, like, that line. And it started as a Drake diss, to be honest [laughs], as like, a funny way of, like, doing it. But then I was like, ‘This sh*t sounds kind of hard, though, you know?’ So I was like, ‘Let me play with it.’ So we just had that for a long time.”

Watch the interview above and revisit the classic “This Is America” video below.

Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” Lawsuit Dismissed

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A judge just dismissed a lawsuit concerning Childish Gambino’s acclaimed 2018 track, “This Is America.” Moreover, rapper Kidd Wes (real name Emelike Wesley Nwosuocha) filed suit in 2021. He claimed that the song infringed on his 2016 cut “Made In America.” According to documents obtained by Pitchfork, a judge in New York federal court dismissed the motion on Friday (March 24) with prejudice to leave to amend. Furthermore, Kidd Wes’ attorneys stated that he is considering an appeal. In addition, this news on Donald Glover’s previous hit comes after he made a musical return with the EP for his new series “Swarm.”

“Mr. Nwosuocha is understandably disappointed, and is considering an appeal of the decision,” attorneys Imran H. Ansari and La’Shawn N. Thomas stated to the music-based publication. “He stands by his music, creativity, and the independence of grassroots artists to create their own music, and receive credit where credit is due, without the fear of it being apportioned by another.” However, Judge Victor Marrero pointed out that Wes failed to register a compositional copyright in addition to that of his sound recording.

Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”

“Even if Nwosuocha had a copyright registration for the composition of Plaintiff’s Composition, however, dismissal would be warranted here because the elements of Plaintiff’s Composition purportedly infringed upon are insufficiently original to warrant protection, or because they are not substantially similar to the Challenged Composition,” the dismissal read. “More could be said on the ways these songs differ, but no more airtime is needed to resolve this case.” Regarding that last part, the judge referred to differences in lyrics and each song’s themes.

Also, many of Glover’s collaborators on the track also faced repercussions for their role in “This Is America.” In addition to the “Atlanta” series creator, the suit named co-writer Young Thug and producer Lüdwig Goransson. Various record and publishing companies were also codefendants in this lawsuit. Moreover, Pitchfork sought comment from Gambino’s camp, but no such statements have come as of writing this article. Regardless, return to HNHH for the latest on Donald Glover and his musical alter-ego, which is apparently coming back soon.

Kidd Wes’ “Made In America”

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Childish Gambino’s ‘This Is America’ Lawsuit Was Dismissed Over An ‘Entirely Different’ Song

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childish gambino
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Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) has officially had a lawsuit against his 2018 song, “This Is America,” dismissed. In 2021, Kidd Wes (real name Emelike Nwosuocha) sued Glover and claimed that the track was “practically identical” to his 2016 track, “Made In America.”

However, according to Billboard, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled yesterday (March 24) that there is no reasoning and tossed the lawsuit.

“A cursory comparison with the challenged composition reveals that the content of the choruses is entirely different and not substantially similar,” Marrero wrote. He claimed that Nwosuocha’s words were a “short, simple, self-aggrandizing proclamation” and Glover‘s were on “what America means and how it is perceived.”

“More could be said on the ways these songs differ, but no more airtime is needed to resolve this case,” he added.

Nwosuocha’s attorneys, Imran H. Ansari and La’Shawn N. Thomas, offered a statement to the publication about how their client felt about the ruling, citing that he was “understandably disappointed.”

“He stands by his music, creativity, and the independence of grassroots artists to create their own music, and receive credit where credit is due, without the fear of it being apportioned by another,” they shared.

His team has also noted that they aren’t ruling out appealing the decision, but only time will tell.

Childish Gambino Has Reportedly Been Hit With A Copyright Lawsuit For ‘This Is America’

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Childish Gambino‘s “This Is America” was one of the most talked about videos of 2018. It has over 772 million views to date and as most famous musicians would agree, a song is bound to get hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit once it becomes popular enough. “This Is America” is apparently no different. After previously facing plagiarism claims about his video, Childish Gambino is reportedly being sued over the song.

According to TMZ, Emelike Nwosuocha, who raps under the moniker Kidd West, is the source of the “This Is America” copyright lawsuit. Per the report, Nwosuocha uploaded his song “Made In America” to SoundCloud in 2016 before registering it with the US Copyright Office in May of 2017.

Nwosuocha is now claiming Childish Gambino ripped him off, saying the hook of “This Is America” is “unmistakably substantially similar, if not practically identical” to his own track. Gambino’s track features the lines, “This is America/ Guns in my area/ I got the strap/ I gotta carry ’em.” But Nwosuocha says Gambino’s lyrics are strikingly similar to his own, “Made in America/ Flex on the radio/ Made me a terrorist/ Pessimistic n***as/ You should just cherish this.”

As a result, Nwosuocha is reportedly suing Gambino, the co-writers of “This is America,” the record label, Roc Nation, and even Young Thug who is credited for singing the backup vocals on the track.

Listen to West’s “Made In America” and Gambino’s “This Is America” above.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.