The Many Faces of Donald Glover

I just want to do whatever I want I don't want people to I don't want people to second guess me please welcome Donald Glover I've never seen anybody do as much stuff as he does [Music] that guy doesn't know yet if there's something he can't do everything how much Jehovah's Witness you heard about me I have a lot of great ideas it's true my rapper name is Childish Gambino Gambino is like the quintessential artist the only word I can use to describe him as a genius we assume he will be president of the world at

some point what's the reason I can't do what you do and the reason is I felt so alone I guess 1983 Edwards Air Force Base California Donald Glover arrives into the world the son of two Jehovah's Witnesses Donald Glover was not raised with arts or creativity in the household hey they should call it a built I was like raised Jehovah Witness so I didn't have a lot of things going on like growing up like I was so different from everybody like I felt so alone I guess I wasn't really allowed to watch TV and what

are your reasons for wanting a little brother don't say Revenge don't say Revenge Revenge that's it I'm getting out of here but despite this Donald secretly watched The Simpsons with the show planting the first seeds of Comedy into Donald's Mind by 2002 Glover's family lived in Georgia and he was soon to graduate from DeKalb School of the Arts here he felt much more at home with license to write and perform but still his issues with fitting in continued it was as hard for us growing up like you know I remember I was like the only

black kid at my school for a while and I was like oh I don't really uh like rap music I really enjoy the Soulful stylings of The Cranberries um I studied playwriting and television writing at New York University for four years at University Donald is given free reign over his creative urges with four of his peers Glover forms Derek comedy James good evening an opportunity to exercise their writing and acting skills I can see it you pooped your pants no I didn't I didn't poop my pants guys there was no doubt Donald shined in this

environment the skits picked up momentum online eventually leading to the opportunity for the Derek comedy movie your head's big acting as a debut for several Future Stars the film premiered at Sundance Film Festival what was the transition like from any web shorts to a future film and he was these skits back in 2006 caught the attention of Tina Fey who was in the process of developing NBC's newest sitcom then I got the The Big Break to write on 30 Rock at just 23 years old it was a fantastic opportunity for Glover to this day like

people like how did you get it I'm like ah I don't know like I really don't say an admirer of Donald wanted him on the team for his talent I own one of your classmates but in reality NBC's diversity initiative meant his hiring would be a no-brainer I set a very high standard for myself and I expect the same of the professionals who work with me either way Donald made his mark on the show quickly impressing cast and crew Tina Fey knowing how funny he was occasionally gave him appearances talking to you clearly gay kid

who told Glover wrote for three seasons contributing to the writer's team that won two Emmys I absolutely share this with every member of the writing staff of 30 Rock but despite these wins and the job security Donald knew he belonged in front of the camera Glover landed an audition for a main cast role in another NBC sitcom Community get a girl to get hooked on pills and then dropped out yellow Annie Adderall despite having almost zero TV acting experience Community Creator Dan Harmon likes what glubber had and offered him the role of Troy Barnes hey

Troy sneezes like a girl and how about I pound you like a boy that didn't come out right this was his first real moment in the Sun and gave him full opportunity to do what he does best I'm volunteering at the Animal Hospital Animal Hospital that makes sense he became a fan favorite with an electric Chemistry Between his co-stars all right who did a butt the boobs and I don't know Donald was a newcomer to this TV acting world but everyone on set knew he was special he was an actor and he was funnier than

the stuff that the writers could come up with for him we started just saying oh and then Donald will say something funny here to close a scene maybe it's the telescope you could look backwards shrink your enemy this knock Glover had for Laughs didn't come from nowhere I go downstairs and I buy a whole bunch of tampons and and mayonnaise and they're like oh what the hell is that I'm like yeah remember this face [ __ ] and then I run out with experience in stand-up improv and television writing Glover's ability to perform on the

spot was unmatched for his age but he wasn't finished there Enemy Lines making everybody think I'm on the Christmas side Glover had yet another Talent on his belt and everyone at Community saw the potential you would see him on his laptop in between takes with his headphones on you could see him doing the beats and working out lyric nothing he's done is unexpected by really any of the cast members Childish Gambino is actor writer rapper and producer Donald Glover April 2011. the I am Donald tour commences taking Glover to 24 cities across the U.S including

music comedy and video elements Donald makes clear early on that he's here to give the audience everything he has refusing to box himself in fans got to experience Glover's stand up freestyle and music performances but does one man attempting all dilute the experience quite the opposite November Glover's one hour stand up special drops on Comedy Central to High Praise kids are pretty [ __ ] up anywhere for people there's a tiny tiny little Hitlers at this point it's clear Glover could have a successful career solely as a comedian but this is Donald Glover we're talking

about Camp Donald Glover's debut studio album also drops in November it debuts at 11th from the billboard 200 selling 52 000 copies in its first week as Childish Gambino his music develops a cult following and by 2013 he's finding immense success in all three of his main Endeavors but it was at this point that Glover made the first of many difficult choices life is just like learning about how to let go because like you really can't enjoy things or what they are while you're in it when it came to community Donald Glover was loved by

cast crew and fans alike he had a secure position on an acclaimed Network Primetime show where Glover knew his roadmap and it was time for his turning Chevy Chase reportedly used the n-word whether it was the tension with Coast star champion Chase and what was all this stuff with the n-word and Chevy was using the n-word on the set and all this yeah you shouldn't be throwing that around personal life or just or just subconscious urge to move on I asked to leave because my heart really wasn't in it oh no my heart's just not

in it in season five Donald said bye to his friends at Greendale Community College and we waved goodbye to Troy bonds Community was my like career I loved working there and then by the end it was a job I just don't have a job anymore I don't have a boss and with it Community was never quite the same Troy will be departing after episode five what what and we'll see what happens but we will miss Donald but the problem is people tell you you're crazy for feeling that way right you found the thing that you're

supposed to do and people don't understand why would he leave and it's like look at his trajectory he's like most people keep growing and wonder buying things that they love I just want to do whatever I want I don't want people to I don't want people to second-guess me Donald had made this decision He Slipped Away from view for several months and the public began Whispering where is Donald Glover soon enough we got the answer because the internet Childish Gambino's second studio album released on December 10th 2013 including tracks like 3005 sweatpants and Telegraph Ave

this album cemented Gambino as a musician not to describe musically Glover had announced his presence but because the internet is an album that's remembered for far more than its music in fact this album exists in its own Universe alongside a 72-page screenplay written to sync up with the music that goes even deeper the script begins with a Prelude indicating to watch clapping for the wrong reasons a 24-minute short film that acts as a prequel to The Script Because the Internet is Donald Glover in multimedia Paradise it's impossible for him to do just one thing in

fact he absolutely disagrees with I just follow what's right at the moment you're just hurting yourself and you're like I'm at this I'm a bad so much so that the Childish Gambino we all knew was about to change forever performing red bone give it up for a childish Gambino in December 2016 Gambino shocked the world and released awaken my love a complete 180 on the previous style of music he'd established over many years this new album over here though Gambino is heading in an entirely different Direction with influences of funk r b and psychedelic Soul

versus the placebo syndrome this album immediately separated itself from Gambino's discography it's such a sudden change of pace it's hard to believe that this is the same artist a wagon my love was literally because somebody was like oh he can't make a hit the album peaked at number five on the billboard 200 grabbed another Grammy nomination and became certified platinum oh not only will I make a hit I won't make a video for it the single red bone currently sits at over 600 million YouTube views for you without a video a departure from the multimedia

man fans knew but Childish Gambino was saving himself for something the world desperately needed chaos confusion and anger America has a new president outrage over president Donald Trump protest against the killing of African Americans by police officers has now turned into a political route a gunman pit opened fire on 22 000 concert Builders police shot and killed Jacquees seventeen-year-old Qantas Hayes was shot and killed by police officer Lippert opened fire shooting Clemens in the back when Childish Gambino dropped this is America it landed in a country brimming with hate and division the video is references

some more obvious than others left millions of Americans acknowledging their country's recent Horrors Equity is talking about this video the child is a distraction to what's really going on in the world right now if you're not paying attention you're not seeing what's happening and isn't that what we do unfortunately many times as Americans you know we sort of have the attention span of a gnat filled with symbolism this is America's sparked conversation in every corner of the internet with analyzes breakdowns and discussion threads meticulously studying the video frame by frame the lover hadn't just touched

a nerve here he'd whipped away the Flesh and exposed America's bloody interior but still the people demanded artist clarification can you explain what's happening at the end of that video and Gambino gave his answer no people what the truth I think the best things just can't be explained like after you're done with them then they they can be right now we live in a time where things are very divisive we all have a lot of responsibility I feel like that's the through line in all everything I do like if you give them the truth people

get excited because they feel like they're in your diary it's our responsibility to make magic again because I think a lot of the [ __ ] that's happening now is [ __ ] this is America debuted at number one on the billboard 100 received widespread critical Acclaim and won four Grammys Donald Glover had taken things into his own hands making not only a deeply personal project but have it become Ultra successful no matter where you're born or what country you're from you connect with this is America most dream of maybe doing that once in their

career but for Donald Glover it was becoming a habit a lot of community fans here and uh you want to talk about why you left and why you're not there I'm no it's just I just uh I just wanted to do something else that was it Community is like I think one of the best shows on television but it's not mine When Donald Glover left community in 2013 he almost immediately began negotiating his next step Atlanta Gotti how you look when you high at work with Glover creating writing starring and occasionally directing Atlanta was his

from the top down the first season dropped in September 2016 on FX after three years in development a guy and his cousin are trying to like make it in the music business ain't your homeless not real homeless not using a rat as a phone or something racist man it's funny it's dark it's bizarre very bizarre this is my favorite part of the museum what the hell is this is my father the show sometimes feels like a fever dream we are cursed too with a lack of emphasis on multi-apisonic story arcs instead letting each episode breathe

in its own right as individual stories heavily influenced by Glover's rise as a rapper in his hometown the show examines topics such as race culture and the American dream with all that in mind getting the show greenlit was a feat in itself but I just kind of Trojan Horse did I told the effect it was something it wasn't and this isn't unusual if you go to a network and say I want to do prison stories about black women and Latino women and old women it's like you're not going to make a sale but if you've

got this blonde girl going to prison you can kind of get in there and then you can tell all the stories blending writing performance and music You could argue Atlanta is the culmination of everything Donald Glover has learned so far he believed in himself from the very beginning and soon enough so did the world Donald Glover Atlanta Donald Glover Atlanta thank you so much the first season alone won 14 Awards including a television critics award an Emmy and a Golden Glow it then went on to win three more Emmys with critics quickly naming it as

one of the best television shows of the century there was Southern boy hold on the Golden Globe what is this moment mean to you summarize I'm trying to make the best product it's really like an honor to be recognized I believe the people deserve quality so I just want to make a really good show these are the many faces of Donald Glover my dad used to tell me every day like you can do anything you want and I remember thinking like you're lying to me Gambino is like the quintessential artist I've never seen anybody do

as much stuff as he does and the only word I can use to describe him as a genius but now I do stuff and he's like I didn't think that was possible that guy doesn't know yet if there's something he can't do I want to be able to do whatever I want whatever I want what's the reason I can't do what you do and the reason is you just don't want to do it life is just like learning about how to let go because like you really can't enjoy things or what they are while you're

in it nothing's permanent permanent not the point the point is to be here and to be responsible for each other it took me a long time to figure out who I was and like who I was and then once I figured that out you just have to be that that to the millionth degree because No One's Gonna outdo you at being you