I had the opportunity to review the new Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover) album Because The Internet this week. I had high hopes for the album; I enjoy Donald Glover as a comedian and have seen some of his stand up shows.

I found the album to be quite entertaining. It utilizes very creative background music and sounds to give songs a distinct sound. Gambino’s flow is quite sick and sometimes he even interrupts it to further establish a point in the rhyme which is amusing. He gets very creative with his rhymes as well, especially in his song “3005”. One particularly amusing thing about this album is tracks 10 and 11. The two form a kind of anecdote: 10 is a song titled “Playing Around Before the Party Starts” which features voices in the background and a piano playing and 11 is titled “I. the party”.

One thing about Gambino is how he sets himself apart from other rappers by making his songs sound distinct from one another. “telegraph ave.” for instance has a distinct R&B feel throughout, while he raps in a very dark deep way in “II. no exit” and “I. flight of the navigator” has a compassionate and acoustic tone.

Gambino brings up thoughts about his own life several times in his songs. He laments on fame’s curses and glories, displays that he feels used by the people around him, and admits his uncertainty as a celebrity. Gambino also covers his relationships with the ladies, of course, and features songs that address some problems of the internet.

My only complaint with the album is that there are too many tracks that last less than 30 seconds which wreaks havoc with the narrative pace. Overall, I loved the album and think that Gambino is a talented artist.