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