Gambino, Come Thru & Please Leave My Edges!
- pickletripper
- May 6, 2018
- 5 min read
Oh! Before we get into This is America music video. Childish Gambino can be added to the list of host for Saturday Night Live and he also was the musical guest. On May 5, 2018 he performed a new song, Saturday. He was surrounded by people drinking, play dominoes and dancing. Their shirts said, ‘Mimi’s 90th Birthday. Time sure does fly.’ WHO’S MIMI?!?! Maybe we’ll find out soon. I loved seeing his same ole crew. I don’t know her name but the piano player is ALWAYS SO FREAKING FLY!! And Ludwig Goransoon.
Can we unwrap This is America by my sweetheart, Childish Gambino?
First let’s just say that everything the Twitter account, GiphyPop did is the complete opposite of Gambino’s point of this video and song. And not be overly sensitive or defensive when it comes to my favorite artists ever, they’re trash for this thread.
The Childish Gambino #ThisIsAmerica GIF thread you need ⬇️ @donaldglover pic.twitter.com/s2jy2jEGsB — GIPHY Pop (@GiphyPop) May 6, 2018
No one loves Gifs of Gambino more than I however; no gifs that sum up the actual point of the song. Shall we begin?
Let’s start with Unc in the beginning playing the guitar. That could be a homage to Dave Chappelle or it could be something that Donald Glover does at family reunions. Sadly, I’m not apart of the family so I don’t know! I believe it could be to Dave Chappelle but first let’s back up some and talk about the acapella he has going. After we see Unc, we see Gambino doing this neck movement that reminds of the girl from that vine.
Or this one:
We seem him doing this very hip interpretive dance moves. He is mixing body rolls and krumping all into one; I’m into it. We’re moving across the room toward Unc playing the guitar. Then BOOM, Unc’s head is covered and Gambino is holding a gun to his like a Benghazi prisoner! Him holding the gun is pretty shocking. His Jim Crow stance is the part that did me in. Blao! Goes his gun and drops into another chorus! I believe this could be a tribute to the Chappelle Show because in the beginning of the Chappelle Show their is someone’s uncle playing the intro of the show. With Gambino packing so much black culture in this video, it makes sense to me. Chappelle is a brilliant comedian! He allegedly cancelled his show because white people were laughing at him and he couldn’t down with that. And this is another alleged reason why he’s not a fan of the Key & Peele Show. His name is Calvin Thell, btw.
He turns to a little black boy who takes the gun in a red towel and runs off like a Ball Boy. Giving a gun to a young black man… Then, looking like Black Jesus, forget Jeff from Black Lightning, Gambino breaks out into a barrage of popular dances in the Black community. I see a few of those African dances in there! You can see a few people dragging the body away, one guy runs across the screen behind Gambino while a few other people drive in back in a ’90s car as he raps, ‘Lookin’ what I’m whippin’, uh!”
It looks like chaos is ensuing behind him but just then the scene switches to a choir harmonizing the initial chorus. Here comes Gambino! The choir is singing Grandma told me get your money. He pops his head in like a black sitcom. He could’ve been Urkel, Rerun or JJ! It is adorable! He starts sliding toward the camera to stage right. Gambino looks like a kid heading to grandma’s house and dancing toward the middle of the living room. His smile quickly fades as he turns to catch, watch looks like an, AR15 and massacres the choir! Dylan Roof much?!?!
And here comes another boy, I’m not sure if it’s the same one, with another red towel to grab the gun. Gambino walks off like it’s nothing. As he’s walking, there is an empty cop car in the back and you see more people running toward where the shooting happened.
Now I’m seeing a trend. He shoots and people run toward shooting, could be protestors could be rioters.
Next scene, we’re staring at Bino’s glorious shoulders, OK, I’ll chill. And he’s dancing as we see people sprinting past him, where are they going?! The camera swivels around and here comes this kids in their uniform cheesin’ right along with Bino. Once again, pure chaos behind him. There are a lot of old cars, a cop car and people looking like they’re protesting & rioting. It sounds like he’s repeating a bunch of social media posts and tweets,
“Look what I’m whippin’, uh.”
Look how I’m geekin’, uh.”
“I’m so fitted”
“I’m so Gucci.”
“I’m so pretty.”
“I’mma get it.”
“This a celly, that’s tool.” This is most def referring to all the Black people who were brutalized, shot and killed for having a cell phone the police thought was a gun! Know the difference.
Now this one, it got me. He was pointing his hand, which looked like a gun. So, you just going take it?!?! LIKE THAT?!?! IN FRONT MY KIDS! Ok, I’mma chill, I promise. But, this is another thing some Black people have to do which is get it (whatever IT is) by any means necessary!
At this point, I see the cheesin’ while there’s chaos going on as something we, I, have to do everyday! I come into work after hearing blah,blah, blah someone was killed because of racism and working with white people, it’s exhausting. I gotta dance around all this chaos, daily!! I gotta cheese and pretend like it’s not happening – tiring. Once again, this is all my opinion but, it is strongly felt!
The camera pans over a few kids with their phones out watching all of this happen with masks over their mouths. Now we see a car burning on stage left with the kids in the uniform gathered around Bino in a circle dancing. I’m still SHOOK! Then, I see a guy on a white horse, bih, what is happening?!?!?
He keeps dancing in this circle, he holds his hand out one more time like a gun. The music stops, he looks exhausted, deep sighs and lights his spliff. Then the acapella starts up again and he’s walking up onto a old Chevy or Toyota like he’s in the Sober music video on top of the table in the diner. The camera zooms out, you see Unc back in the chair playing guitar with this sac over his head. Next up on scene is an IG looking model sitting on the hood of an old car – that’s random. If you look closely there is also someone sitting in the corner in a chair.
The last scene in the video has to be an homage to Jordan Peele’s Get Out! Bino is in a full on sprint with these people behind him. Now they could be behind him because when one of us run, we all run or they tryna get him!! I’m not sure. The lyrics up on on Rap Genius but I’ll wait a little while, I don’t trust it. It’s too new.
One more thing! He said “I’m on my Kodak, (Black)” I thought we the Black Women, or even, the Black Community have cancelled the rapper Kodak Black. However, he did use Kodak’s song in an episode of Atlanta.
Check out these top tweets about this music video:
Shook by how fast I caught this reference. I haven’t seen a Jim Crow picture in years. Donald Glover did not come to play with y’all today. #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/5Xq4tLSJ7P — Nichia (@nicky_furiosa) May 6, 2018
But real talk , @donaldglver know he look like the lost Isley Brother in this video. Donald Isley. #stillgenius #ThisIsAmerica — ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) May 6, 2018
New drawing of @donaldglover ✍🏾 Tell me what you think?! #DonaldGlover #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/o6fdXD2nnr — PreudhommeArt&Design (@preudhommeart) May 6, 2018
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