Childish Gambino is Donald Glover, the American actor, comedian, and musician born in 1983, whose catalog runs from hip hop to 1970s-styled funk and soul. Awaken, My Love! (2016) or Because the Internet (2013) are where to start, and the Grammy-winning This Is America speaks for itself. Explore Childish Gambino vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Donald Glover was born at Edwards Air Force Base, California on September 25, 1983 and raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He began releasing music as Childish Gambino while building his parallel acting and comedy career (writer for 30 Rock, actor in Community, creator and star of Atlanta). His catalog moved through self-released mixtapes, then signed with Glassnote Records for Camp (2011) and Because the Internet (2013), then moved to RCA for Awaken, My Love! (2016) and subsequent releases. His single This Is America (2018) won four Grammy Awards including Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 2019. He announced in 2020 that 3.15.20 (released that year) would be his final album as Childish Gambino, though Atavista (2024) followed as a redux/reworking of that material.
Childish Gambino's catalog spans hip hop (Camp, Because the Internet), funk and soul (Awaken, My Love! drew heavily on 1970s funk traditions), and genre-spanning experimentalism (3.15.20). His vocal range moves between rapping and singing, with strong vocal influences from George Clinton, Prince, and contemporary R&B.
Glassnote pressings of Camp and Because the Internet have been issued in multiple variants. RCA pressings of Awaken, My Love! have appeared in deluxe and color variant editions.
Listeners new to Childish Gambino typically start with Awaken, My Love! (2016) or Because the Internet (2013).
