Donald Glover, also very well known as Childish Gambino, has had a bit of fun in every type of entertainment industry, whether it be music, tv, or movies. He’s noted for being a rapper, musician, actor, producer, and stand-up comedian to many. He has won many awards for all of his accomplishments, seeing that he is multi talented.
Music
Glover has made a name for himself in the music industry, especially with the stage name Childish Gambino. The name came from Wu-Tang Clan’s name generator and has stuck since his first project came out in 2008. He began releasing music in the form of self produced mixtapes, where he releases seven mixtapes until he was finally signed by Glassnotes Records in 2011, releasing his first official album, Camp. Camp managed to land number two on the U.S. Hip Hop/ R&B as well as U.S. Rap charts. Glover’s sophomore album, Because the Internet is his most successful by far.
Featuring appearances by Chance the Rapper, Jhené Aiko, and Azealia Banks, this project sored Gambino a Top Ten debut chart placement, a gold record, and a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards. His most recent album, Awaken, My Love! came out in 2016 and marked a journey away from rap. Consisting of tracks being sung rather than rapped, its fusion of psychedelic soul, funk and R&B influences was considered a bold departure from the predominantly hip hop style of his prior work.
Television and Film
Glover got his start performing with the sketch group Derrick Comedy, which led to him being hired by TIna Fey in 2006 to write for 30 Rick. Three years later he left that job to move to Los Angeles and was soon cast on the sitcom Community. He decided to leave the show for good in 2013 to focus more on his music and other products. In 2016, Glover signed with FX for his show Atlanta, where he created all 10 episodes, wrote four of them and even directed two.He also acts in the show as the main protagonist, Earnest Marks.
Atlanta follows an up-and-coming rapper, Alfred “Paper Boi” in Atlanta, GA. Alfred, his cousin Earn and friend Darius go through various hoops towards success in the music industry. While the show itself is both entertaining and funny, it manages to cleverly weave in social commentary every episode. Topics vary from social media, racism, stereotyping, drugs, violence, and prostitution.
Creating a show with parallel tracks of humor and message is no small feat. The main characters of “Atlanta” manage to continue their own humorous tropes while also growing in depth. Glover utilizes the type of humor that’s only effective if you’re aware of the problems in the world around you. The character Earn is currently Glover’s biggest role, and certainly one of the most popular.
Awards
Ever since the start of his career, Glover has been busy receiving all types of awards. Nominations began in 2007 where he and the rest of the cast of 30 Rock were nominated for two Writers Guilds of America (WGA) Awards. The show won for Comedy Series the next three years in a row. In 2017 he won the same WGA award for his own show, Atlanta.
In acting credits, Glover was nominated for Best Actor in a Show – that show being Atlanta – at the MTV Movie & TV awards. Actually, Atlanta has been nominated for a plethora of awards, many of which are for episode based imagery, quality, and writing. He won Best Actor in a Comedy Series at the Critics Choice Television Awards in 2016. He won both Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Director for a Comedy Series at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards. Topping off his screen awards, Glover also nabbed a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy.
Music award nominations and wins are in no shortage, but Glover’s standout nominations were at the 2015 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance (3005), and Best Rap Album (Because the Internet).
The End Of Gambino
After nearly a decade of creating powerful music under the name of Childish Gambino, Glover has decided to put more efforts and time into producing, writing, and acting. Glover wants to continue to extend the limits of his popular show Atlanta as well as any other projects he has in mind. Glover has revealed just why he’s chosen to shut down his hip-hop alter ego. Apparently, Childish Gambino is neither “punk” enough for him, nor “necessary,” likening it to a film franchise that’s no longer edgy or interesting and probably should get the axe. What does Glover consider to be punk, you ask? Well, in addition to Atlanta, which enters its second season in 2018, roles in Disney’s Han Solo anthology film, Jon Favreau’s live-action remake of The Lion King, and an animated Deadpool series on FXX.