Hello, Childish Gambino Just Dropped The Music Video Of The Year

Late Saturday night, just as he was wrapping up his hosting gig on Saturday Night Live, Childish Gambino dropped a music video for his new single ‘This Is America’.

To say the video politically charged is an understatement: ‘This Is America’ is a confronting look at gun violence, police brutality, and the fractured social state in the US right now.

In just four minutes, and with help from frequent Atlanta director and longtime collaborator Hiro Murai, Gambino manages to highlight the 2015 Charleston mass shooting, the Black Lives Matter movement, and America’s gun epidemic.

And while all this is happening in the background, Donald Glover struts, high-steps and dances his way in front of it all — a pointed reminder that society chooses to ignore what’s really going on behind in front of our eyes.

If you haven’t seen it already, watch it right now:

The video has drawn praise from artists and punters alike:

I can’t remember the last time I watched a music video all the way to the end, let alone one five times in a row. Incredible work! #ThisIsAmerica

— Trent Reznor (@trent_reznor) May 6, 2018

The more you watch the #ThisIsAmerica video, the more you realize that there’s so much going on in the background and that Donald is just a distraction – and that’s the whole point. #StayWoke (don’t catch you slippin’ now)

— Siyabonga Mahlaba ? (@sabu_mahlaba) May 6, 2018

So many layers of symbolism
-References to mass shootings & hysteria
-Black men shot; meanwhile the guns are handled with care
-The current state of hip hop; seemingly unaffected by anything going on

I could go on. Donald Glover you nailed it.#ThisIsAmerica

— Mario (@MarioLipkin) May 6, 2018

When you wanna count off the church scene as hyperbolic but you realize that Charleston really happened…..at Bible Study.

Also, notice how [black] bodies were left while the gun was handled with respect and care. #ThisIsAmerica

— Shihabe masum (@shihab_masum) May 6, 2018

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.” – Rev.6:8#ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/eqIfQqQCAC

— Justin Berling (@JustinBerling) May 6, 2018

‘This Is America’ is the first single from Glover since his Grammy Award-nominated 2016 album Awaken, My Love. Unfortunately for us, he’s flagged that his next Gambino album will be his last.

“There’s nothing worse than like a third sequel, like a third movie and we’re like, ‘again?’” Glover told Huffington Post last year. “You know, I like it when something’s good and when it comes back there’s a reason to come back, there’s a reason to do that.”

While on Saturday Night Live he also performed another new single, called ‘Saturday‘. There’s no release date yet for the new album, but we can probably expect it sometime before the end of the year.

childish gambino premiered a new song on “saturday night live” and it’s an absolute hit pic.twitter.com/lXvVpDKLfg

— ? (@mattwhitlockPM) May 6, 2018