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HIP HOP NERD UNLEASHES LETHAL LYRICAL WEAPONRY childish gambino

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Questlove of The Roots: “Childish Gambino is the true revenge of the Blerd I’ve been waiting for since its 1987 De La inception. Honest and true to himself (with skills and humour to boot!) I have high expectations for his contributions to hip hop – nah, too limiting – pop culture. Black Nerds Unite! A great is amongst us!”

Donald Glover, the comedian best known for his role as Troy Barnes in American TV show Community, is venting from his base in Los Angeles. “A lot of people think

I started rapping a year ago and because my dad is Danny Glover I’m so rich I can just go to my studio,” he jokes. “That could not be further from the truth. I spend all my own money on the band;

I’ve been making music and listening to hip hop long before I was doing comedy.”

Glover’s talking about the reaction to his spin-off music career, which sees him rapping under the alias Childish Gambino (a name conjured up by an online Wu-Tang Clan name generator) and which will peak with the release of his debut album Camp this November. That project is the culmination of a career path that has seen the 28-year-old Glover supplement writing stints for The Daily Show and 30 Rock with a series of largely free mixtapes; 2008’s SickBoi and last year’s IAm Just aRapper series showcased his tight flow on the mic with an ability to weave in attention-grabbing popculture references. On Camp’s lead single “Bonfire”, he channels the spirit of 30 Rock’s Tracy Jordan character when he hollers, “Shout out to Gambino girls – my dick is in the building!”

Comedy aside, Glover’s rap skills are legit – he regards The Roots’ band-leader Questlove as a mentor –  but stresses that his musical style originated outside of the hip hop scene: “The songs I make come from my experience of being the only black kid at an emo show,” he says. “I’ve always liked hip hop, and started writing when I was listening to Biggie and Eminem, but I never thought about my music as being anything other than trying to be as expressive as possible.”

It’s a mentality that might not see Glover’s raps played next to Jay-Z’s, but it’s the same path his own idols took. As he speculates, “I’m sure Mos Def was also the only black guy at certain concerts and felt weird about it. I felt a connection there – that’s what my music is.”

Text PHILLIP MLYNAR Photography MAGDA WOSINSKA