Review by Sandy Wei
Camp is, quite simply put: Drumline meets Boyz in da Hood meets your community gospel choir with a dash of Michael Cera and Milhouse Van Houten doing it in a treehouse. What?
Albeit Camp exhibits a wide range of sounds there is a unified cohesiveness with the way Donald Glover’s badass falsetto voice is paired with the hard bass bound together by many choral and orchestral elements.
Whether it is a soft fluffy melody coupled with raw Tourett-like lyrics, such as “Kids (Keep Up)”, or a sensitive personal topic meshed with hard-hitting rough beats, like “Sunrise”, there is a display of balance when it comes to Childish Gambino. This musical equilibrium is often a difficult quality to master which makes Glover a man of talent and the subject of my sexual fantasies.
Camp dances around many of the same themes as Childish Gambino’s previous releases: family, the industry, Asian chicks and the biggest one being race. Specifically, the expectations of being black and the tension that comes with not fitting the stereotype in both black and white communities. It is clear Glover’s childhood involved a web of conflicts between what he was versus what he was supposed to be. The battle of racial boundaries follows him even into adulthood. Camp reflects on Glover’s career and how being black meant criticisms for not suiting the media’s mold or not being “hood” enough. There is a strong sense of feeling alone, being held down and the longing for acceptance. Nonetheless, Camp is a story of a man who pushes through with hope and perseverance with the belief that he just has to stay true to himself.
My top songs on Camp are: “Outside”, “All the Shine”, “Sunrise”, and “Heartbeat”. Choosing a favorite song on this album is like choosing a favorite child (the cutest one, of course). So I’d have to say the cutest child is “Heartbeat “. It contains a variation in sound and in pace. An electro-hiphop feel to go with a storyline regarding a stupid bitch. I mean, girl.
The last song, “That Power”, is also worth noting, however. It includes an anecdote about how a young Glover may or may not have met a girl at camp and confessed his like to her but other kids made fun of him for it. The lesson he learned is to just say what he has to say to everyone and to cut out the people in between. To me, this short story explains why Glover is so honest in his songs, why he cuts out the middle man and why he makes his albums free to download. He allows himself to be the source of his truth. When we were younger we often got in shit for speaking too freely and too honestly without filters; kids are always honest. This is why Camp is just Childish.
So, my answer is: yes, Camp is worth listening to. And, yes, I’ll have his baby, too, for good measure. Werd. *Troy and Abed handshake*.
No comments yet, be the first!