REVISED Because the Internet Review

Donald Glover is an entertainment renaissance man. He moves from project to project and masters each one. He started as a writer for 30 Rock and acted as a cast member for Community in 2009. With Community coming to a close in 2013, he joined Atlanta. He hasn’t had much time for stand-up since 2011’s Weirdo. His rap career got started in 2008 after plugging his name into an online Wu-Tang Clan rap name generator and receiving “Childish Gambino” as a result.

Rap has taken him the longest to master, but Because the Internet was the turning point for him. Early Childish Gambino releases like 2008’s “Sick Boi” had a “don’t really know what I’m doing” feel to it. He has struggled with EP’s and mixtapes time after time and failed to become a good, legitimate rapper. Because the Internet came along, and he launched a campaign to promote it with a confessional series of Instagram posts about depression and fear, talk about mortality in interviews, an introductory featurette titled “Clapping for the Wrong Reasons,” an installation at the new Rough Trade NYC store, and a four-act screenplay that shares a title with the album.

The main character of Because the Internet is ”the Boy” who loves trolling celebrities online and hosting parties that only serve to amplify loneliness. The story tracks the Boy’s life spiral into being nothing. Gambino’s pre-release campaign was to tease the themes of the project out into the real world. The sequential song prompts in the screenplay reveal the album to be less of a stand-alone release than the full-fledged audio component to a daring multi-platform media project whose audio and literary wings collude to complement and even explain each other. “II. Worldstar” begins as a trap song and takes a hard left on a found-sound fight sequence before going into a jazz number all because of a club night gone wrong in the play’s first act. As the play begins have with purpose the album, it resolves to allow the screenplay to do the heavy lifting. The third and final acts of the album are shifts of action that they’re meant to soundtrack. and These songs make a series of songs that are meant to advance the plot of the screenplay. Songs like “The Party” and “No Exit” followed by sad songs like “I. Flight of the Navigator” and “II. Zealots of Stockholm (Free Information).” These songs work well for the screenplay, but not so well for the album. The whole album, promotional campaign, and screenplay are a multi-platform experience that are curated like an art exhibition. The whole act by Childish Gambino is a reflection of the Internet Culture and how people can become famous through social media, YouTube videos, and internet music platforms.

This album is where it seems like he finally found his style and worked out his rap kinks. Gambino’s improved lyrical ability opened the way for guest artists to not overshadow him and instead just provide hooks. Chance the Rapper, Azealia Banks, Problem, Mystikal, Lloyd, Miguel, and Jhené Aiko all make subtle appearances that help complete the songs they appeared in with only Jhené Aiko being the only one to provide a verse. Childish Gambino’s raps are amazing in this album. There could be improvement in wordplay, but the man made some remarkable songs. They are complex, fun, and creative. The album has punchlines, puns, cultural references, and is sprinkled with odd lines like “In the garage/ I had a menage/ I murdered the vag,” “I got no patience, cause I’m not a doctor/ Girl, why are you lyin’? Girl, why you Mufasa?,”and “Yeah, you got some silverware, but really, are you eating, though?” These lines are clever and witty and there are tons of other examples throughout the album. Gambino plays with words through the album and the endurance of it all is one of the strengths of the album.

Donald Glover and Göransson are the main producers with Stefan Ponce, Christian Rich, and Thundercat providing a few beats to supplement the album. Because the Internet’s production team made beats that are pretty, out of this world, and wild at the right times and places to make unique songs. They also effortlessly nail beats that create a story alongside the screen play, but also make for a great album. The transitions in songs from soundbites to Gambino rapping or singing are genius.

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The album is a masterpiece created to tell a story of society and the way Gambino sees the world. His Atlanta upbringing and Hollywood lifestyle have both influenced him. Songs like “Worldstar” reflect the culture of Atlanta while songs like “Worst Guys” have more of a West Coast influence. As Childish Gambino was learning different styles of raps from Lil Wayne, Drake, Future, and other star studded rappers, he grabbed something from each of those rappers to make his own style and music. The culture of the Internet and rapid communication made a comedic and TV show star into a legit rapper. It took years for him to master the craft and learn the culture of it. He studied other rappers and went through some weird life phases to try and become a rapper. The creation of this album and Childish Gambino are because of the Internet and one man’s dedication to succeed at this form of entertainment. Because the Internet exists because of the Internet and the culture our country lives in today. It is a reflection of modern rap culture and the rap music industry. It combines movies, social media, and music. Three things that define the culture of many regional areas and the culture of America.

Script of the screenplay: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7fe7ljMOHssZkJPaWNGSWp1ZjQ/view

REVISED Savage Mode Review

Trap music first developed in the 1990's. The genre is defined by its dark, bleak and gritty lyrical content that varies from artist to artist. Typical themes portrayed include observations of hardship in "trap" house drug dealing, street life, poverty, violence, and disturbing experiences in inner city surroundings. Trap music grew up in Atlanta out of the power vacuum created in the drug trade once the DEA and FBI took down the Black Mafia Family. It opened up the drug trade in Atlanta to small time drug dealers out of “trap” houses. The violence and battle for power and influence in the drug trade gave birth to the genre and the realities of the “trap” lifestyle.

In the early 1990s, Atlanta rappers Cool Breeze, Dungeon Family, Outkast, Goodie Mob, and Ghetto Mafia were among the first rappers to introduce the "trap" drug dealing lifestyle into their music. They laid the foundation for the genre.

Out of these rappers came the rappers of the early 2000’s that legitimized and popularized the genre. The mainstream success of a number of albums and singles with lyrics that covered topics about the "trap" lifestyle and growing up in the projects of Atlanta. Atlanta rappers and producers T.I., Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Zaytoven, and DJ Toomp, paved the way for the success and legitimizing of the trap rap genre.

After this first wave of Trap artists and producers came Lex Luger, Southside, and Waka Flocka Flame. These guys set the foundation for modern trap music. Their Brick Squad sound carried the genre to new heights. Their hard, gritty lyrics and 808s, set a new tone for trap music. It inspired today’s artist and producers like Metro Boomin, Future, Migos, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, and 21 Savage. Brick Squad made trap music cool.

21 Savage grew up in the "trap" lifestyle and decided to turn to rap music when he started losing friends and wanted to get out of the game. He became a full-time rapper once he started gaining fame and was making more money rapping than drug dealing. LP Savage Mode is modern trap music. In LP Savage Mode, Metro and 21 make a perfect pair, showcasing a dark underworld of Atlanta's "trap" life through Metro’s bleak beats and 21’s dead delivery. 21 Savage is one of the few street rappers making real street music. His songs are a true reflection of the “trap” game in Atlanta, and life 21 Savage lived.

The EP’s opener "No Advance," is a message to all major labels that he’s building himself up independently. 21 Savage started his record label with drug money, akin to Easy-E. The song gives a careless, dead vibe. The next song, "No Heart,” another example of 21’s natural ability to ride coldhearted beats as he answers his questions of trap talk seemingly without flinching. He is a true savage with his lyrics. The whole song sends chills down the spine and gives the vibe that 21 Savage is not to be messed with. He calls out every rapper as soft. Then goes on to say that he has no heart and can’t trust anybody but his guns. When 21 and Future come up next with "X," the differences in their styles is made clear. 21 is a young rookie with an unlimited supply of bars and Future’s hit-making abilities give the song an edge over the others in the album.  "X" is a good place for listeners just discovering about 21 Savage and trap rap to begin. The song features two different styles of trap rap and has a plethora of good trap lyrical examples. It’s also the ultimate anthem for guys who want to make their ex’s jealous. “Savage Mode” is like a personal anthem for the lifestyle 21 Savage lives. 21 explains what made him go into “Savage Mode”, stating poverty, drugs and gang violence as main influences. How the trap game made him who he is today. He also describes in this song how his life has changed with rap music and the new cars and girls he gets.There is a distant bitterness in 21’s voice on "Real Nigga," and in "Mad High" he breaks from his generally calm and collective self to almost yelling. The grime dark moments of the album make the albums sweetest moments hit harder.

The album’s tender song, "Feel It," is unashamedly vulnerable and loving. "These streets so dirty I just want someone who really there/Can’t fake love, just want someone who really care" he follows it with, "I’m savage to these niggas but to her I’m gentle" 21 explains how he fell in love with another man’s woman and took her. Wanting him to strive and prosper, she urged him to get off the mud and keep pushing deeper into the relations, but 21 is married to the game.This same softer note comes through in the dreamy, contemplative "Ocean Drive" as he raps about how far rapping has taken him and the places rapping has taken him. it’s been a long and hard road making it in the music industry. Regardless, he says he remains the same. You can take him out the hood but you can’t take the hood out of him. He still rides around with a loaded weapon.

21 Savage is a new form of Trap music. His style is gruesome, dark, unique compared to other Trap artists. He is advancing the genre and challenging the status quo of it. 21 Savage is good for trap music. He like many new trap artists are bringing new fans to the genre and staking this genre’s place in rap history. They make the genre relevant and worth noticing. New artists like him that bring new styles to the genre make it complex and flexible. It could help etch this genre into being one of the greatest rap genres of all time.