Childish Gambino - "Sunrise"

Well, here goes my first post.

Childish Gambino is one of those polarizing types. The kind of rapper that hip hop heads undoubtedly have a strong opinion of. Especially since his first talent wasn't rapping, it was writing and acting, and mostly comedy to boot. These kinds of things don't exactly construct the archetypal personas that most rappers adhere to. Pitchfork's vitriol-filled (and in my opinion, extremely narrow-minded) review of his album doesn't hurt either.

I like Childish*. Sometimes he falls flat, or comes off as trying way too hard, but to me that's only a sign of his truly earnest investment in trying. Unlike so many rappers, his mantra doesn't stand on some version of "I don't give a fuck." He's exactly the opposite, caring too much...while still occasionally posturing like he doesn't. Okay, Childish Gambino can still be a bit contradictory.

As for the song? This is, plain and simple, a dope summer track. It's the right mix of hyped-up, sing-along, and angry. A song where no individual lyric stands out, this one is carried by his vocal cadence. The beat has hand-claps, which can be corny, but they work here. Hard to listen to without cracking just a little bit of a smile.

"I've seen the future, and the future goooo..."

Enjoy.

*I also like Community, but that's besides the point.