CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy is shocked and impressed by Childish Gambino’s latest representation of what he sees America as being. For more on that, watch FX’s Atlanta, seasons one and two now complete.
Childish Gambino – “This Is America”
Donald’s dancing, the backup dancers’ dancing, the choir’s singing, the dissonant bass tones, and the jubilant verse giving way to the ominous chorus and the wisdom of its ad-libbed cautions; don’t catch you slippin! Glover has essentially declared himself Yeezy for the post-Donald era here, and his fantasy is shocking.
Erykah Badu – “On and On”
“The man that knows something knows that he knows nothing at all / Does it seem colder in your summertime and hotter in your fall / If we were made in his image then call us by our names / Most intellects don’t believe in God but they fear us just the same.”
Kendrick Lamar – “Mortal Man”
“The voice of Mandela, hope my flows they propel it / Let these words be your Earth and moon you consume every message / As I lead this army make room for mistakes and depression / I been wrote off before, I got abandonment issues / I hold grudges like bad judges, don’t let me resent you.”
Chance the Rapper – “Paranoia”
The 16-year-old said it best: “I’ve been riding around with my blunt on my lips / With the sun in my eyes and my gun on my hip / Paranoia on my mind, got my mind on the fritz / But a lot of n****s dyin’, so my nine with the shits.”
