So much symbolism in #ThisIsAmerica 1. Guns are handled with care 2. The kids are following his every move 3. Travon Martins dad playing the guitar 4. Dance moves depicting americas shopping craze 5. The people recording on their phones. SO MUCH MAN!
— Mel_OD K. Howard (@MEL_OD) May 6, 2018
Me trying to decipher all the symbolism in #ThisIsAmerica . #ChildishGambino pic.twitter.com/hEssJ37TaO
— Crystal Offley (@BrooklynOffley) May 6, 2018
In the confronting video, guns are also treated as precious items, placed on a red cloth once they’ve been used.
“Placing the guns carefully on red cloths is such a subtle but glaring criticism of the fact that even after such atrocities we still value such deadly weapons over the lives of innocents,” another Twitter user pointed out.
Placing the guns carefully on red cloths is such a subtle but glaring criticism of the fact that even after such atrocities we still value such deadly weapons over the lives of innocents. @donaldglover #ChildishGambino #ThisIsAmerica #Dontcatchyouslippin pic.twitter.com/9IS0uF9Vly
— Mxchxxl (@xCANNIBEMEx) May 6, 2018
He is playing the role of the Jim Crow Minstrel, referencing rap artists of today. Look at how he stands when he shoots the guitarist, the crazy eyes, untrustworthy smile, down to the yellow shoes on his feet. GENIUS.#ThisIsAmerica #ChildishGambino pic.twitter.com/hAOrZ8lbWN
— oliveandalmond (@oliveandalmond) May 6, 2018
There are also comparisons between Glover’s movements and expressions and the Jim Crow character, an offensive representation of black people in America.
One person used the opportunity to take a dig at US President Donald Trump, writing “The only Donald we acknowledge. #ThisIsAmerica”
Don't catch you slipping y'all. The ending of the video though?! Even with all the beauty he may bring to the world through his art, he is still just a black man running for his life. #ThisIsAmerica
— Berthine (@TouchtheSky1911) May 6, 2018
The hashtag #ThisIsAmerica is trending on Twitter in the US and the video has been shared by celebs including Kanye West, Tim Minchin (who predicts kids will study the song in college), Josh Groban and Debra Messing to name just a few.
The song is Glover’s first single since 2017, when he released Terrified from his album Awaken, My Love!
“This Is America,” then, is a bit of a reset. Here, he uses the ambivalent reception of black art to represent the tightrope of being black. Built on the sharp contrast between jolly, syncretic melodies and menacing trap cadences, the song presents Childish Gambino as confident and cutting. “This is America!” he chants as the song swings between harmony and discord. Choice background vocals embellish both moods: cherubic hums and ecstatic screams for the singing sections; and manic ad-libs for the rap verses, often provided by other rappers (21 Savage, Young Thug, Quavo, Slim Jxmmi, and Blocboy JB). Glover’s voice bridges the two worlds, dropping to an austere deadpan for his rapping and ascending to a syrupy coo for his singing. “Don’t catch you slippin’ up,” Glover warns as he pulls off the balancing act with ease. In his past music, this versatility would have been a humblebrag; here it becomes conflict.
The video for “This Is America,” directed by Glover’s frequent collaborator Hiro Murai, turns this tension into satire. Bare-chested and sprightly, Glover trots through a warehouse dancing and gunning people down; seamlessly transitioning between these activities, his face is inscrutable, hidden behind a smile. The video and song use the candor of trap to ground the rapture of black joy, and thus the ambivalence of the United States’ relation to blackness. “Are we your blessing or your bane?” Glover seems to ask. It’s an urgent and worthwhile question.
The bulk of Childish Gambino’s work trafficks in iconoclasm, distinction from the rest of the rap pack; hearing him adopt such Atlantan sensibilities, backed mostly by Atlanta rappers, almost feels like revisionism. He is from Atlanta, but that connection has only recently migrated into his work and has often felt transactional, a trend that continues here. It’s hard not to wonder what he gains from this reclaiming of his hometown. “This Is America” works without such self-examination, but Glover’s stake in this conversation is noticeably absent. Glover powerfully invokes America’s testy relationship with blackness, but what about his own?
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