Childish Gambino Funks Up Expectations Going Into His New Album (Audio)

Childish Gambino (a/k/a Donald Glover) is a hard artist to pin down or put into any box. He acts, he does stand-up, he DJs, he writes and produces acclaimed shows—most recently evident in Atlanta. However, the breakthrough of Gambino, for many, came by way of music.

Thanks to the aforementioned show, Glover is having a banner 2016. After two very well-received (commercially and critically) albums, the Georgia native has announced Awaken My Love…, his third LP. Reportedly coming in less than one month (December 2), Donald presumably rolled out the title with the artwork (in the player).

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Then came first single “Me and Your Mama.” Possibly taking its name from Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson,” the song—like Big Boi and Andre 3000, basks in its Funk Rock inspirations. Parliament, Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone, and Lenny Kravitz appear to be the muses in this massive production of synthy guitars, raw screaming, and a man professing his vulnerable love—surrounded by reinforcing background vocals.

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Childish Gambino appears to be placed in music’s otherdom at times, likely due to his success in other mediums—or even his organic arrival on the scene. However, if you think he’s gonna start caring what Heads expect or want from him now, you’ve got it funked up.