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Introduction
Donald Glover doesn’t do anything by half, and the massive multifaceted project he’s launched for what he says is the final statement from Childish Gambino, the long-running alter-ego he rode to musical stardom, is no exception. “Bando Stone and the New World” is an album, a film, and a sprawling world tour, which were all announced simultaneously back in April (along with another album, a finished version of “Atavista,” the nearly-complete set he’d quietly rush-released in the early days of the pandemic and re-released last May).
Overview
The film and tour remain to be seen, but if the “Bando Stone” album is any indication, Gambino is going out with a bang. It’s not only his best and most far-reaching musical project to date, with a brain-busting combination of musical styles and guests ranging from singers Jorja Smith and Amaarae to rappers Flo Milli and Yeat to alt-rock virtuosos Khruangbin. It’s also easily one of the top albums of the year.
The Creative Genius of Donald Glover
We’d expect nothing less. Glover is so talented at so many things it doesn’t seem fair — rapper, singer, actor, songwriter, screenwriter, director, dancer, who knows what else — but it comes with a deep contrarian streak, which isn’t the only thing he has in common with another great contrarian, Prince. He makes blink-and-you-miss-it announcements to fans with no advance notice on livestreams that aren’t archived; “Atavista” was originally released as a stream on a one-off website for just 24 hours; he dropped his heavily coded video for his Grammy-winning song “This Is America,” in the middle of his “Saturday Night Live” double-duty hosting-musical guest stint in 2018. And although Glover’s predilection for being, as Tyler, the Creator once put it, “all secret and cryptic like a dickfuck” can lead people to “miss out on some really cool shit,” his work nearly always rewards the time and patience it takes to search or wait for it.
Artists: CHILDISH GAMBINO
Album: BANDO STONE AND THE NEW WORLD (2024)
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 256kbps
Genre: Hip/Hop/Rap
Year: 2024
Tracklist:
- H3@Rt$ W3re M3@Nt T0 F7¥
- Lithonia
- Survive
- Steps Beach
- Talk My Shit
- Got To Be
- Real Love
- In the Night
- Yoshinoya
- Can You Feel Me
- No Excuses
- Cruisin
- We Are God
- Running Around
- Dadvocate
- Happy Survival
- A Place Where Love Goes
Links
Spotify Streaming
The End of an Era
Still, killing off an alter-ego is a strange conceit. David Bowie abruptly and publicly assassinated his Ziggy Stardust character onstage just as his meteor-like rise was peaking; Eminem, at 51, has hatched a complicated death plot for his juvenile, quarter-century-old Slim Shady alter-ego that is apparently ongoing. Despite playing Gambino off in such an elaborate fashion, Glover is low-key about his reasons: “It really was just like, ‘Oh, it’s done,’” he told the New York Times recently. “It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore.” (However, it seems a fair bet that Glover turning 40 last year had something to do with it.)
Musical Mastery
All that backdrop seems to have little obvious impact on “Bando Stone,” and apart from some brief bits of dialogue between songs (some of which are in the film’s trailer), advancing a plot doesn’t either. Although the meaning behind the lyrics will likely become clearer once the film is released, intriguing lines float by like “I’mma make a billi’ like I’m Eilish,” “I got an ego ’bout as big as Lake Tahoe,” and “Shoot a motherfucker, I’m the new Spike Lee/ Everybody Satan and I’m G-O-D.” But the album is such a grand slam of musical styles that its concepts wouldn’t be the first thing you’d notice anyway.
Conclusion
“Bando Stone and the New World” is an audacious, genre-defying tour de force that not only cements Childish Gambino’s legacy but also showcases Donald Glover’s unparalleled creativity. Whether it’s the eclectic mix of guest artists or the intricate tapestry of musical styles, this album is a fitting swan song for one of the most versatile artists of our time. If this truly is the end for Childish Gambino, it’s a spectacular farewell.
