The song features background vocals by American rappers Young Thug (who also has writing credit as Williams), Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd, BlocBoy JB, Quavo of Migos, and 21 Savage. All the featured artists are black Americans, and some of them have contributed to the fight against police brutality in America. Prettyman states "The video tests us, taunting us to keep pace as we try to decode every gesture and calculation". Its music video accounted for 68% of the song's streaming total. By now, who hasn’t seen Childish Gambino’s, video “This is America”? Это Россия, бро (This Is Russia, Bro) [Childish Gambino - This Is America Parody], 2000-2019 mashup | 200 songs from the last 20 years, Remix This Is America - Hada Houa L’Maroc (Ghantir). The first person depicted as being shot in the video, a guitarist who had been accompanying Gambino's singing up to that point, was musician Calvin the Second, but was initially mistaken by many viewers to be the father of 17-year-old gun violence victim Trayvon Martin. 1 On The Billboard Hot 100", Australian-charts.com – Childish Gambino – This Is America", Austriancharts.at – Childish Gambino – This Is America", Ultratop.be – Childish Gambino – This Is America", "Childish Gambino Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)", Lescharts.com – Childish Gambino – This Is America", Offiziellecharts.de – Childish Gambino – This Is America", "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 20", Dutchcharts.nl – Childish Gambino – This Is America", Portuguesecharts.com – Childish Gambino – This Is America", "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100", "Top 100 Canciones – Semana 20: del 11.05.2018 al 17.05.2018", "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista", Swisscharts.com – Childish Gambino – This Is America", "Childish Gambino Chart History (Hot 100)", "Childish Gambino Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)", "Childish Gambino Chart History (Rhythmic)", "EESTI TIPP-100 MUUSIKAS Neid artiste ja lugusid kuulati möödunud aastal Eestis kõige rohkem", "2018 International Singles Chart of Galgalatz and Walla", "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles", Australian Recording Industry Association, "Canadian single certifications – Childish Gambino – This Is America", "French single certifications – Childish Gambino – This Is America", Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique, "New Zealand single certifications – Childish Gambino – This Is America", "Wyróżnienia - Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2019 roku", Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry, "British single certifications – Childish Gambino – This Is America", "American single certifications – Childish Gambino – This Is America", Recording Industry Association of America, "Childish Gambino Releases New Song And Video "This Is America" - RCA Records", "Childish Gambino Makes His Triumphant Return with "This Is America," "Saturday, International Players Anthem (I Choose You), Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born), Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance, MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Social Message, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=This_Is_America_(song)&oldid=1022265524, Songs involved in plagiarism controversies, Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video, Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Singlechart usages for Billboardrandbhiphop, Certification Table Entry usages for Australia, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures, Certification Table Entry usages for Canada, Certification Table Entry usages for France, Certification Table Entry usages for New Zealand, Certification Table Entry usages for Poland, Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom, Certification Table Entry usages for United States, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 9 May 2021, at 14:29. They're both reactions to what's happening in the world. [10], The song features a gospel-style choir and background contributions from various American rappers. On his 2017 track “Nothin New,” 21 Savage rapped about the cyclical nature of poverty, violence, and racism in America as well as gun violence and police brutality. "[9] Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone commented that the video "is a surreal, visceral statement about gun violence in America". Storyline Inspired by shock-documentaries like Mondo Cane, this film looks at the wilder side of life in America. [12] It also touches on the subject of police brutality and misconduct. [21] In an interview with the New York Times, Murai discussed his upcoming season for Atlanta, a show created by and starring Glover. According to Murai, the video was inspired by the films Mother! [15] Billboard critics ranked it 10th among the "greatest music videos of the 21st century. This contrast may also allude to the cyclical shifts in mood whenever there is a shooting in America. Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' and the New Shape of Protest Music Donald Glover's trap gospel is a bold divergence from protest songs of the … "This Is America" debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 31st song to do so in the chart's history. [32][33], Several artists attracted attention and millions of views for creating covers of the song and music video with altered lyrics and themes, retaining the song's instrumental and the general structure of its music video. That’s a distraction. In one of the moves while dancing, Gambino positions his arms as though he is threatening others with a gun. Daniel Kaluuya, best known as the star of the film Get Out which the music video reportedly references, introduced the song's performance. The idea of “This Is America” being an anthem for Fourth of July, a holiday celebrating America and its values, only makes the lyrics and video’s imagery more urgent. [40] It topped the Hot 100 for two weeks, and left the top ten after five weeks. [36][37], The music video also spawned popular Internet memes, particularly those in which the audio was replaced so that Childish Gambino appeared to be dancing in time to another song. Part of the brilliance of the presentation is that you go from this happy major mode of choral singing that we associate with South African choral singing, and then after the first gunshot it moves right into the trap sound. During Donald Glover’s astounding guest spot on Saturday Night Live, the multi-hyphenate took to the stage as Childish Gambino to debut a new song titled “This Is America.” Glover gave a … Natty Kasambala assembles a list of footnotes to the video, from … After Kanye did what he did, Gambino had to be the savior. One second, the entire nation is in an uproar, the next, they are happy and unconcerned, placated by pop culture trends. With Sacha Baron Cohen, Roy Elghanayan, Emanuela Postacchini, Alfred Pierce. It contrasts popular culture’s perception of black experience and its often brutal reality by juxtaposing happy, carefree choruses and dark, aggressive verses. "This Is America" is also Gambino's first top 10; he previously reached number 12 in August 2017 with "Redbone". Viewers have said this resembles scenes from the 2017 film Get Out. The song’s release coincided with Gambino’s appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he performed the new track, along with “Saturday,” another new track. The series is broadcast nationally on public television and PBS stations. According to recent reports, Childish Gambino is getting sued by a rapper who claims his Grammy award-winning song, “This Is America” is a rip-off of a lesser-known song. [9][11] Young Thug returns to supply the song's outro. Why is he running at the end of the music video? The song is interpolated into a scene in the film Guava Island. Analysis: Donald Glover's New Childish Gambino Video, 'This Is America' NPR Music's hip-hop journalist Rodney Carmichael breaks down the political … Created by Sacha Baron Cohen. It comes out of two different sound worlds. “This Is America” is set entirely in a drab warehouse, which some viewers interpreted as the country’s foundation, built on systemic white supremacy and oppression. What's the symbolism of Glover's outfit in the video? This article is about the 2018 Childish Gambino song. The video received about 12.9 million views in 24 hours,[20] and has over 762 million views as of March 2021. It starts off with a shirtless Gambino dancing through a warehouse, interacting with a series of chaotic scenes. However, in the short film’s final scene, Gambino is seen running frantically through a darkened warehouse trying to escape the mob that now chases him; a reminder that if America chooses to remain willfully ignorant to its problems, they will inevitably be the country’s downfall. Gambino is also the second Emmy Award-winning actor to reach number one on the Hot 100, the first being Justin Timberlake, who topped the chart with "Can't Stop the Feeling!" The music stops and people run away in fear, after which Gambino lights a joint. Filled with metaphors and imagery, a lot of the messaging has gotten lost along the way. In a 2015 interview with Billboard, Quavo discussed the trend of slavery and police brutality as matter of history repeating itself. Dropping amid ongoing political and cultural tumult and turmoil, Childish Gambino’s “This is America” appears to be a commentary on black life in America and American culture as a whole. "This Is America" is a song by American rapper Donald Glover, under his musical stage name Childish Gambino. Glover hosted the May 5 episode of the 43rd season of Saturday Night Live, and performed two new songs as Childish Gambino on the same episode, the second of which was "This Is America". [7] The lyrics primarily address black culture in the United States and gun violence in the country. May 7, 2018 10:28 AM EDT O n the latest Saturday Night Live, Childish Gambino — the musical pseudonym for actor and Atlanta creator Donald … This first shooting also marks a transition in the music, from an African "folk-inspired melody" to "dark, pulsing trap".[24]. Is that BlocBoy JB rapping the adlib at about 1:20 in the video? The video is a story of the struggles he and other Americans face when it comes to race and gun violence. The video expertly tackles not just the warped landscape of the United States, but touches on cultural points from the past that have led us to where we are now. [16][17] CBS News stated, "The tracks have a similar sound, and share similar themes in the lyrics." “Much of this seems to take place in a building/warehouse where the foundation and support systems (the beams) are mostly white,” tweeted @JarridGreen. This is one of the first of many repetitive phrases, creating an almost hypnotic suggestion. Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love. [15] Bryan Rolli of Forbes calls it "a vicious, urgent take on modern trap music, as Glover adopts the clipped, percussive flow of his contemporaries atop crackling 808s and rumbling bass. Biblical references. He stated, "There's sort of a world-weariness in both this season and the music video. Scenes also involved children using their cell phones to record the chaos happening in the video, while Gambino sings the lyrics "This a celly / That's a tool". The opening is introduced with a gentle gospel choir in the background singing, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go, away”. "This Is America" is a song by American rapper Donald Glover, under his musical stage name Childish Gambino. [23] Choreographed by Sherrie Silver, Gambino and his entourage of young dancers perform several viral dance moves including the South African Gwara Gwara and "Shoot" popularized by BlocBoy JB, who is one of the ad-lib contributors on the song. Versions using Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" and Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" were some of the most viewed.[38][39]. The track's tone swerves from happy-go-lucky psalmic readings to more alarming verses. “This Is America” is dense with allusions to American history and pop culture. The three-fold symbolism of the lyrics: "This a celly (ha)/That's a tool (yeah)" via RCA Records/ Vevo … ¨This Is America¨ is written and composed in the key of F Major,[19] it is built of the chord progression F- C- B ♭- and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. The music video won the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage Award for Best Cinematography in a Music Video,[31] as well as the Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the 61st Grammy Awards. Written by Glover, Ludwig Göransson, and Jeffery Lamar Williams, and produced by Glover and Göransson, it was released on May 5, 2018, at the same time that Gambino was hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live. The song won in all four of its nominated categories at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Music Video. [34][35] Nigerian rapper Falz released "This Is Nigeria" on May 25, highlighting the nation's issues with corruption and organized crime among others. Did Bino include African dances in the music video? In the Bible, Revelations 6:8 (KJV) reads: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: … That's what 'This Is America' is about", "Childish Gambino's "This is America" x "Call Me Maybe" Mashup", "Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' Is No. The song features background vocals by American rappers Young Thug (who also has writing credit as Williams), Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd, BlocBoy JB, Quavo of Migos, and 21 Savage At a later point, Childish Gambino uses a Kalashnikov patterned automatic weapon to gun down a church choir, which viewers have interpreted as a reference to the 2015 Charleston church shooting. The video is as shocking as it is filled with true statements about violence in America. The song's accompanying music video was directed by filmmaker Hiro Murai, a frequent Gambino collaborator. The dance moves were based on various African dances such as Angolan gyrations, the Ghanaian Azonto, as well as the Nigerian Ashoko and the South African gwara gwara.[25]. "This Is America" overtook Drake's "Nice for What" from the top position for two weeks. Dropping amid ongoing political and cultural tumult and turmoil, Childish Gambino’s “This is America” appears to be a commentary on black life in America and American culture as a whole. However, enough focus on verbal choice to create thoughtful and somewhat haunting possibilities is strongly suggested. [8][9] "This Is America" became the 31st song to debut at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming both Gambino's first number one and top ten single in the country. D onald Glover released a new song and music video “This Is America” under his musical moniker Childish Gambino on Saturday Night Live this weekend — … Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. The song is probably most effective in the jarring transition between the verses and chorus. [6][7] The song addresses the wider issue of gun violence in the United States, the high rate of mass shootings in the United States, along with other social issues that are presumed to be aftereffects of historically prevalent systemic racism and discrimination. Gambino's dancing is contrasted against moments of violence. Glover as Gambino won a Grammy this year for best traditional R&B performance for his song “Redbone” and premiered two new songs on “SNL,” titled “Saturday” and “This Is America.” But it … I own none of this footage. Childish's vocal range spans from F4 to C5. Hunnid bands, hunnid bands, hunnid bands (, America, I just checked my following list, and. It debuted with 78,000 downloads sold and 65.3 million US streams in the first week. Why is there a white horse in the music video? The track has already gone viral, but what is it about and what exactly are the lyrics? Compilation of scenes from the recent demonstrations featuring police violence and brutality. "[22], The video contains many scenes involving violence. Throughout the video, numerous vehicles from several decades ago are featured, many of them with their hazard lights flashing and the driver's side door ajar, which critics interpreted as representing fatal police shootings during traffic stops, particularly the shooting of Philando Castile, who was shot while in a 1997 Oldsmobile; others have interpreted that the older model cars represent the relative lack of upward mobility of African Americans. Doesn't this song bare similarities to Kendrick Lamar's "Institutionalized"? 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