Donald Glover, Childish Gambino, Atlanta, African American Actor, African American Entertainer, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

You Have to Take Donald Glover Seriously Now

Read Time 2 min.

You Have to Take Donald Glover Seriously Now



In 2018, probably in the spring, he’ll be in Cloud City playing Lando Calrissian, greasing the skids for a young Han Solo in a Star Wars anthology film. But back in 2013 — before the sensational first season of his show Atlanta, before the Pharos app, before the three-day, one-act festival at Joshua Tree for his newest musical offering (a sharp left into deep ’70s funk territory) — Donald Glover was nearing the end of the promo tour for his sophomore album, Because the Internet. He unbunched his floral print Bermuda shorts and stepped onto the stage for an interview on The Arsenio Hall Show.
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He was there as Childish Gambino, wearing shearling house slippers and the same linen tee he’d worn for a slew of other interviews during that round of press. It was strange attire for November, but being comfortable seemed to be the most important thing to him. He sat cross-legged on the couch across from Arsenio and waited for the last few whoops and yelps of excited audience members — most of whom probably recognized him as Troy Barnes, the affable, neighborly nitwit he played on Community — to die down.

Donald Glover, Childish Gambino, Atlanta, African American Actor, African American Entertainer, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

Donald Glover, Childish Gambino, Atlanta, African American Actor, African American Entertainer, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

Donald Glover, Childish Gambino, Atlanta, African American Actor, African American Entertainer, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

Donald Glover, Childish Gambino, Atlanta, African American Actor, African American Entertainer, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN



Donald McKinley Glover (/ˈɡlʌvər/; born September 25, 1983) is an American actor, writer, comedian and musician. As a recording artist, he usually performs under the stage name Childish Gambino, and as a disc jockey, he performs under the name mcDJ. He first came to attention for his work with Derrick Comedy and, with the help of Tina Fey, was hired at the age of 23 to become a writer for the NBC comedy series 30 Rock. He later played college student Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community.

After several self-released albums and mixtapes, Glover signed to Glassnote Records in 2011. He released his first album, Camp, on November 15, 2011 to generally positive reviews. His second studio album, Because the Internet, was released on December 10, 2013. Glover was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2015, Best Rap Album for Because the Internet and Best Rap Performance for his single “3005”. Glover’s third album, “Awaken, My Love!” was released on December 2, 2016.

He currently stars in the FX series Atlanta, which he also created. He has been cast as the young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming standalone Han Solo Star Wars movie. (Wikipedia)