Biography
Childish Gambino serves as the creative persona of versatile American performer Donald Glover, recognized equally for performances in the television series Community and the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Atlanta plus the motion picture Solo: A Star Wars Story. Under the Childish Gambino name, Glover honed his eccentric hip-hop approach on the 2013 breakthrough album Because the Internet, then pivoted decisively into R&B-infused funk that earned a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2017 with the single "Redbone." His 2018 protest track "This Is America" entered at the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, propelled by a widely circulated video confronting gun violence and racial injustice. Those accomplishments sparked an intense period of output that produced the eclectic, psychedelic 3.15.20 album in 2020. The project appeared in modestly revised form as Atavista in 2024, coinciding with the final Childish Gambino release, Bando Stone in the New World.
During his time at NYU, Glover participated in the sketch troupe Derrick Comedy, whose work drew the notice of Tina Fey and resulted in his 2006 hiring as a writer for 30 Rock. He departed that position three years afterward to relocate to Los Angeles, where he quickly secured a role on the sitcom Community. The previous year he had issued his debut mixtape, Sick Boi, under the Childish Gambino alias generated by an online Wu-Tang Clan name tool. His follow-up mixtape Poindexter arrived on September 19, 2009, the same date Community debuted on NBC. Although those early tapes established his intellectual and occasionally whimsical rap delivery, subsequent releases aimed to broaden his audience while engaging weightier themes.
I Am Just a Rapper and I Am Just a Rapper 2 arrived in rapid succession early in 2010, followed shortly by the mixtape Culdesac, which highlighted Glover’s soulful vocal abilities. Throughout this period he continued starring on Community, built a thriving stand-up career, and created electronic music as mcDJ. All prior material had been self-released until his 2011 signing with Glassnote Records, which brought his first proper album, Camp, that same year. Still prolific, Glover mounted a tour extending into 2012 before unveiling the mixtape Royalty, signaling his emergence as a more substantive rapper and incorporating contributions from Beck, ScHoolboy Q, and Das Racist’s Heems.
After appearing on recordings by Kilo Kish, Chance the Rapper, Young Dro, and Kenna, Glover scaled back his Community involvement to prioritize music and additional ventures, notably a production arrangement with TBS. He exited the series entirely in 2013, the same year he delivered his second album Because the Internet. The project included guest spots from Chance the Rapper, Jhené Aiko, and Azealia Banks, secured a Top Ten chart entry, achieved gold status, and earned a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. Maintaining momentum, Glover issued the 2015 mixtape STN MTN, referencing his Georgia upbringing in Stone Mountain, alongside the EP Kauai, both of which reflected further sonic exploration, with the latter emphasizing singing.
Glover next developed and starred in Atlanta, a critically embraced comedic drama centered on the city of the same name. The series premiered in September 2016 and achieved immediate viewership success. He directed several episodes and later received an Emmy for those efforts, while the show also brought him a Golden Globe for Best Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Best Actor award.
Toward the end of 2016 Glover previewed fresh material at a California festival. The initial preview of his evolving sound came via "Me and Your Mama," crafted with longtime collaborator Ludwig Göransson and rooted in unconventional late-’60s and early-’70s psychedelic funk and soul reminiscent of Sly & the Family Stone and Funkadelic. Released in late 2017, the widely praised "Awaken, My Love!" reached the Top Five on the Billboard 200, with Glover abandoning his signature rapping to explore varied vocal textures. Its soulful single "Redbone" also charted near the Hot 100 and added another Grammy to his credits.
Returning briefly to acting, Glover appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017 and portrayed Lando Calrissian in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. While promoting the film he hosted Saturday Night Live, performing as Childish Gambino and unveiling the trap-oriented track "This Is America," whose provocative video and pointed lyrics drove rapid virality. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2018 and ultimately collected four Grammys: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Music Video, and Best Rap/Sung Performance. That year Glover balanced season two of Atlanta, his Lando role, the July Summer Pack EP, and a September tour launch. He subsequently filmed Guava Island in Cuba with Rihanna, incorporating new Childish Gambino music that surfaced in April 2019.
Remaining active, Glover featured on a 21 Savage cut, headlined Coachella, and voiced a character in the Lion King remake. Concurrently he developed another Childish Gambino album over two years with production assistance from DJ Dahi and musical input from Göransson plus collaborators including Ariana Grande and Kadhja Bonet. The resulting 3.15.20, a disorienting fusion of funk, soul, psychedelia, and cosmic motifs carrying social-justice undertones and showcasing Glover’s adaptable voice, leaked briefly online on March 15 before its official release a week later. In July 2021 he contributed a cover of Brittany Howard’s "Stay High" to her remix album Jaime Reimagined. Glover continued writing, performing, and producing for Atlanta’s final season as well as Swarm and Mr. & Mrs. Smith while preparing his musical return. That return began with a mid-May 2024 reissue of 3.15.20 featuring a reordered track list, fresh mix, and additional guests. Simultaneously he revealed the concluding Childish Gambino tour and album Bando Stone in the New World, conceived as a soundtrack to a film of the same title and featuring Jorja Smith, Yeat, Amaarae, Flo Milli, Fousheé, Chlöe, Khruangbin, and Glover’s son Legend. The record blends familiar Gambino textures with excursions into pop-punk, bro country, indie pop, and folky 1970s soul.
During his time at NYU, Glover participated in the sketch troupe Derrick Comedy, whose work drew the notice of Tina Fey and resulted in his 2006 hiring as a writer for 30 Rock. He departed that position three years afterward to relocate to Los Angeles, where he quickly secured a role on the sitcom Community. The previous year he had issued his debut mixtape, Sick Boi, under the Childish Gambino alias generated by an online Wu-Tang Clan name tool. His follow-up mixtape Poindexter arrived on September 19, 2009, the same date Community debuted on NBC. Although those early tapes established his intellectual and occasionally whimsical rap delivery, subsequent releases aimed to broaden his audience while engaging weightier themes.
I Am Just a Rapper and I Am Just a Rapper 2 arrived in rapid succession early in 2010, followed shortly by the mixtape Culdesac, which highlighted Glover’s soulful vocal abilities. Throughout this period he continued starring on Community, built a thriving stand-up career, and created electronic music as mcDJ. All prior material had been self-released until his 2011 signing with Glassnote Records, which brought his first proper album, Camp, that same year. Still prolific, Glover mounted a tour extending into 2012 before unveiling the mixtape Royalty, signaling his emergence as a more substantive rapper and incorporating contributions from Beck, ScHoolboy Q, and Das Racist’s Heems.
After appearing on recordings by Kilo Kish, Chance the Rapper, Young Dro, and Kenna, Glover scaled back his Community involvement to prioritize music and additional ventures, notably a production arrangement with TBS. He exited the series entirely in 2013, the same year he delivered his second album Because the Internet. The project included guest spots from Chance the Rapper, Jhené Aiko, and Azealia Banks, secured a Top Ten chart entry, achieved gold status, and earned a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. Maintaining momentum, Glover issued the 2015 mixtape STN MTN, referencing his Georgia upbringing in Stone Mountain, alongside the EP Kauai, both of which reflected further sonic exploration, with the latter emphasizing singing.
Glover next developed and starred in Atlanta, a critically embraced comedic drama centered on the city of the same name. The series premiered in September 2016 and achieved immediate viewership success. He directed several episodes and later received an Emmy for those efforts, while the show also brought him a Golden Globe for Best Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Best Actor award.
Toward the end of 2016 Glover previewed fresh material at a California festival. The initial preview of his evolving sound came via "Me and Your Mama," crafted with longtime collaborator Ludwig Göransson and rooted in unconventional late-’60s and early-’70s psychedelic funk and soul reminiscent of Sly & the Family Stone and Funkadelic. Released in late 2017, the widely praised "Awaken, My Love!" reached the Top Five on the Billboard 200, with Glover abandoning his signature rapping to explore varied vocal textures. Its soulful single "Redbone" also charted near the Hot 100 and added another Grammy to his credits.
Returning briefly to acting, Glover appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017 and portrayed Lando Calrissian in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. While promoting the film he hosted Saturday Night Live, performing as Childish Gambino and unveiling the trap-oriented track "This Is America," whose provocative video and pointed lyrics drove rapid virality. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2018 and ultimately collected four Grammys: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Music Video, and Best Rap/Sung Performance. That year Glover balanced season two of Atlanta, his Lando role, the July Summer Pack EP, and a September tour launch. He subsequently filmed Guava Island in Cuba with Rihanna, incorporating new Childish Gambino music that surfaced in April 2019.
Remaining active, Glover featured on a 21 Savage cut, headlined Coachella, and voiced a character in the Lion King remake. Concurrently he developed another Childish Gambino album over two years with production assistance from DJ Dahi and musical input from Göransson plus collaborators including Ariana Grande and Kadhja Bonet. The resulting 3.15.20, a disorienting fusion of funk, soul, psychedelia, and cosmic motifs carrying social-justice undertones and showcasing Glover’s adaptable voice, leaked briefly online on March 15 before its official release a week later. In July 2021 he contributed a cover of Brittany Howard’s "Stay High" to her remix album Jaime Reimagined. Glover continued writing, performing, and producing for Atlanta’s final season as well as Swarm and Mr. & Mrs. Smith while preparing his musical return. That return began with a mid-May 2024 reissue of 3.15.20 featuring a reordered track list, fresh mix, and additional guests. Simultaneously he revealed the concluding Childish Gambino tour and album Bando Stone in the New World, conceived as a soundtrack to a film of the same title and featuring Jorja Smith, Yeat, Amaarae, Flo Milli, Fousheé, Chlöe, Khruangbin, and Glover’s son Legend. The record blends familiar Gambino textures with excursions into pop-punk, bro country, indie pop, and folky 1970s soul.
Albums
Bando Stone and The New World
2024
Atavista
2024
Swarm
2023
Summer Pack
2018
"Awaken, My Love!"
2016
Kauai
2014
Because the Internet
2013
Heartbeat (Remix Bundle)
2012
Camp
2011
Singles
