On April 23rd, Childish Gambino played in a secret LA loft in front of several lucky fans for a YouTube channel called The Switch. The purpose of the performance was to put two live performances against each other and have fans vote on which one was better. As a fan, I was intrigued when I heard about this. I hadn’t expected him to release any more songs off his upcoming mixtape after the debut of “Eat Your Vegetables.” As for the music and performance, though, it was typical Gambino– standing tall with a polished stage presence.

Childish Gambino is known for his witty banter, high caliber word play, turbulent childhood, and his successful career as a comedian, writer, and actor, respectively. On his latest songs, none of that changes. Throughout the tracks, he speaks lowly of women and highly of himself. On “The Switch,” the beat is polished, possessive and as witty as ever. He raps about women, as per usual, as well as his more than successful career, with a clever reference to a time he worked for 30 Rock, included. “We Ain’t Them,” is more about the decisions he has made in life, including his choice to leave his job writing for 30 Rock. “We Flexin’” is properly named, as the majority of the song is braggadocio-driven rap about his boundless rapping capacity. “Make Em Mad” is probably the stand out track, however. The beat is hard, the rapping is swift and executed well, and the lyricism is as vulgar as ever.

After watching this performance, I think we all have a slightly better understanding of what we should expect from his upcoming mixtape. Check it out below and enjoy!

• Childish Gambino’s blog
• Childish Gambino on Twitter

Be Sociable, Share!

•