Childish Gambino's Royalty is a Crowning Jewel

Donald Glover is a busy man. Glover made a name for himself in various media writing for “30 Rock,” acting in “Community,” and doing stand-up comedy. Notably he’s greatly matured his hip-hop career under the name of Childish Gambino. A man as diverse and busy as this has no doubt earned one of his nicknames, The Black James Franco.

Glover’s hip-hop career has spanned an EP, three self-released albums, one studio album and most recently a third mixtape. On July 4, Childish Gambino’s newest mixtape, “Royalty,” released with enough talent packed into the 18 tracks to make it one of Gambino’s best releases.

Photo by dlraphiphop via Flickr

Glover’s expansive network of friends provides, “Royalty,” with an impressive list of featured artists. Guest spots on the mixtape include Ghostface Killah and RZA of Wu-Tang fame, renowned multi-genre artist Beck and even actress Tina Fey. With all the various rappers and producers appearing, most listeners expect a wide range of sound but, “Royalty,” unifies with Gambino’s lead and production.

Gambino’s clever wordplay is his signature talent. His style is reminiscent of a more articulate Lil’ Wayne or Kanye West. The first full track, “We Ain’t Them,” features lines like, “Too bad for y’all/I’m blasting off/I’m not Asher Roth/I don’t sleep on my bread,” balances humor and admirable talent leaving listeners noticing just how clever Glover is.

Mellow tracks on the mixtape complete the listening experience and feel comfortable for Gambino. One example would have to be, “Shoulda Known.” This is one of three songs without featured artists (the others being, “We Ain’t Them,” and, “Bronchitis.”) Gambino’s own production feels as good as anything off of, “Camp.” Honest tracks such as this remind fans how hard Glover works at everything. A line like, “Now that I’m 1 percent/I send most of it home/I want to stunt/but she need to pay off her student loans,” makes a success story like Glover’s feel honest and empathetic. This is Glover at his best.

However, there are many other listeners who can appreciate harder beats and production. Gambino does not leave this group wanting. Another highlight track is, “Toxic,” featuring Danny Brown. Produced by skywlkr and featuring a very noticeable sample of Britney Spears’ hit, “Toxic,” this track bumps easily. Danny Brown’s verse is energetic, funny and enjoyable. This may be the only song on the mixtape where Gambino does not outshine the featured rapper.

The only complaint about this mixtape is the need to use one vocal samples of the word, “royalty,” in a high-pitched voice. The sample isn’t overused but annoying regardless.

Overall, this mixtape is impressive. Glover rules in everything that he does and strongly defends his title of royalty. If hip-hop fans exhausted themselves watching a certain throne they may need to be aware of other members of the royal court of hip-hop. This album is currently available at Donald Glover’s blog or at datpiff.com.