Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover is amazing. He hails from the same kind of neurotic anxious very real and gen-Y kind of mind frame of rap as Drake, but with better word play and intricacies. He has legit wordsmith cred, being a writer on 30 Rock and Community, which he appears on too. But enough with his bio, go look on wikipedia for that shizz.
After many mixtapes his debut album Camp is coming out next Tuesday, and thanks to the good dudes at NPR, his album is available for full streaming here. I've been on Youtube listening to his performance at Moog Festival in North Carolina that took place in late October (last week actually oh gosh how times flies), where he played a lot of his new material, and the song that I've had on repeat is Heartbeat.
What I love about rap lately is that it is ok to show your emotions, your insecurities and fears are officially ok to be out there, as opposed to the typical braggadocio that has long dominated rap. Maybe it's a generational thing. But this is what resonates with the youth, look at local rapper 360's chart success. Heartbeat is an exploration of that relationship that cannot be defined, that friend with benefits and the constant pull between inching towards something real versus hurting each other in little ways trying to prove whoever cares the least wins. "Are we dating, are we fucking, are we best friends, are we something?", the second last line of the song, throws the question in your face, but then slyly takes it all back with the final line "We say the nastiest shit in bed and it's fucking awesome". Indeed.
The album streaming version and the live version are very different, the filthy aggressive bass line that trails in and out is much more assaulting on the album version, mirroring how Childish Gambino switches between reflective and passive aggressive. Having listened to both versions many times, I can't decide which one I prefer, the studio mastered version is definitely glossier, (to be expected), and sounds almost brutal with its delivery. The live version still retains that fire, but sounds more plaintive and gentle, which is more appealing to my pathetic romantic.
Anyway, I cannot wait to actually own the album and not be streaming it on the NPR media player. Here's both versions for you to make your own decision.
CD Studio version:
Live at Moogfest 2011 version:
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