Indulge me for a few moments of broad brush stroke generalizations in order that I can make this point. My hypothesis is that indie-pop has its roots in a tradition of bookish types who probably wear cardigans and corduroy pants. Orange Juice, The Smiths, Bell & Sebastian are cornerstones to indie kids. Hip hop, on the other hand, has it’s roots in urban streets; graffiti; street parties and turntables. KRS-One, Melle Mel and Eric B are like godfathers.
Let me make my brush even broader for a moment; indie pop is middle class; hip-hop is working class (although, the phrase is somewhat of an anachronism since getting a job is a joke that just isn’t funny, anymore). Indie pop is introspective and deals with how one fits in, or more to the point doesn’t fit in the world. It’s about liking a girl or a boy who doesn’t know who you are despite them seeing you every day. Hip-hop is about reaching up and out of poverty; it’s about posturing. Indie pop is about having a cry that you’ll never quite fit in; hip-hop is about fighting the power and claiming you are the best. And also that “all th’ hoes want to be with you”.
It’s a convenient segregation that, some more eloquent than I would argue is designed to keep young black people in America devoid of normal ambitions. Systematically socially educating youth that the only way they can escape poverty is by some luck of physical talent – either be a rapper or good at basketball. In the UK, football.
Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is, it seems, part of a new breed to question these segregations. About questioning the expectations; or lack of them. About not being accepted by the predominantly black hip-hop fraternity.; but standing out as the only black kid at a Sufjan Stevens show – he tells us in Fire Fly.
Musically, this is an indie-pop record. With a rapper on it. But there’s no faux hipster irony here. This is how he really is.
Gambino knows, though, that rapping is more than just telling stories; it’s telling your stories – “I’m not tryin’ to come hard; I’m trying to come me … what’s the point of rapping if you can’t be yourself, huh?” he asks in All The Shine which is paced more like poetry. Orchestrated strings something like a Gilbert & Sullivan musical continue through the longing Letter Home.
The tenderness of a boy unsure opens Heartbeat suddenly drops a grime-y electro synth line as the drugs or alcohol induced confidence kicks in; “so we fuck till we cum to conclusions” is one of the better rap lyrics I’ve heard in a while. But it’s a love affair that’s not to be; “So we’re done?… I read his posts on your wall and I feel sick” / “Are we datin’? Are we fuckin’? Are we best friends? Are we something… between that? I wish we never fucked and I mean that.”
“White kids get to wear whatever hat they want; when it comes to black kids; it’s one size fits all” he observes in Hold You Down; “the black experience is black and serious; because being black my experience is no-one hearing us” – but y’know Ian Cohen at Pitchfork will call this bullshit because “Jay-Z and Beyonce could be seen at Grizzly Bear shows in 2009″. Really? Seriously? You white-middle classed fucking privileged asshole. You actually said that in your review? “This one kid said that was really bad / He said I wasn’t really black ‘cos I had a dad” .
Y’see, with Camp, Childish Gambino isn’t trying to be something he isn’t. He’s not prepared to fit into your or my or Ian fucking Cohen preconceptions of who or what he should be. He’s rapping from his experience. His stories. His observations. Just listen; you might learn something, if you’re smart enough to know you don’t already know it all. - review by Andrew Tidball
jackson
March 9, 2012
this albums for white people like you to feel comfortable with rap. and don’t play the race card against that pitchfork reviewer , that just makes you sound very ignorant.
Cheese on Toast
March 10, 2012
“white people like me” have been listening to rap since 1985 – hilarious that you don’t think that YOU “playing the race card” against this reviewer doesnt make YOU sound ignorant.
you seem to have missed the entire point; but hey, you probably already KNOW EVERYTHING
Simon Hoffmann
April 9, 2012
To say that it is an album for “white people…” to feel comfortable with rap is a statement that I don’t really agree with… I’ve listened to this album and his other cd’s quite a bit (albeit selected tracks rather than cover to cover), and while perhaps his references are more relate-able to me than your run-of-the-mill gangster/street rapper (e.g. when I wrote for 30 rock/i was under 25) I would actually argue that the constant mentions of his struggle as “the odd one out in the white indie kids world” actually are far more discomforting to me than chucking on some big L and indulging in gangster escapism….