Childish Gambino Releases New Music During Saturday Night Live Debut

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Paula Rogo May, 06, 2018

Childish Gambino is back with a bang!

Donald Glover’s musical alter-ego dropped two new songs, “Saturday” and “This Is America, both of which he performed during his double-bill debut on Saturday Night Live last night. He also released an artistic video for “This Is America” in the middle of the SNL broadcast.

Childish Gambino performs "This is America" in Studio 8H. #SNL pic.twitter.com/vQXxCageZw
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 6, 2018

The surreal music video shows a shirtless Childish Gambino dancing and walking his way through a warehouse. At different points in the video, he pulls out an assault rifle and shoots both a hooded man in a chair and a gospel choir). There is even a SZA sighting towards the end of the video.

Some are calling the visuals and lyrics an interpretation of the hectic times we live in. And fans are excited!

#ThisIsAmerica
Childish Gambino

Mesmerizing. Disturbing. Violent. Beautiful. Tragic. Materialistic. Melodic. Chaotic.pic.twitter.com/jET1KfgRvx
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 6, 2018

Summed up: The American fabric is selling distractions and superficial livelihoods, while in reality avoiding gross systematic issues that we ignore because it’s easier to live a lie than to confront the truth. #ThisIsAmerica Childish Gambino Donald Glover #PoliticsNation pic.twitter.com/rPuu5Ycsc4
— Tony (@ImKnotTheOne) May 6, 2018

Donald Glover is such a creative genius! Childish Gambino’s new music video is amazing, this boy got some mad dancing skills pic.twitter.com/KpBN5T73k7
— Penny 👣 (@Penuel_Mashele) May 6, 2018

Childish Gambino drops a song and video. He raps in that said song. He has Young Thug doing the adlibs. Hits the nae nae and shoot in the video and has SZA do a cameo. Damn Donald.
— Francky Wallace (@frxncktvrtle) May 6, 2018

In reference to the Childish Gambino video, yes I understood it; however, I found it sensationalistic. It is has become extremely normalized to depict Black trauma or death. In an effort, to turn some heads and be controversial, the video wasn’t controversial at all.

Here’s why
— Africana WomaNINJA (@ZalUIbaorimi) May 6, 2018

The new Childish Gambino track is gonna piss a lot of people off and that is a beautiful thing.
— Pearson Bolt 🏴 (@PearsonBolt) May 6, 2018

The new music is the first that Childish Gambino has dropped since the release of his Grammy-nominated album “Awaken, My Love!” late in 2016. He has said that the next Childish Gambino album he releases will be his last.