Not only did we get two Lil Uzi Vert albums and a Jay Electronica project so far in 2020, but during the wee hours of Sunday morning (March 15), Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) sparked the fire, even more, when he unleashed his surprise effort, Donald Glover Presents.
Hysteria ensued when news of new music poured down on social media. Fans flocked to listen to Glover’s latest batch of tunes on a website titled donaldgloverpresents.com, where the project is currently playing on loop. The details are sparse as there’s no tracklist, album credits, or an album cover.
Despite the minimal effort, the music is anything but, boasting starry features, a refurbished Glover and soothing production to aid people amidst the coronavirus chaos.
Take a look below and see what we learned so far while listening to Glover’s surprise project.
Bye Childish Gambino, hello Donald Glover?
If you recall, Gambino was set to ax his famous moniker after his headlining performance at 2017’s Governor’s Ball. Following his win at the 2018 Grammy Awards, Gambino remained steadfast on his decision, saying: “I stand by that. I’m making another project right now. I like endings. I think they are important to progress.”
Being a man of his word, it appears Gambino freed his rap name so that Donald Glover could flourish and prosper on this latest attempt. For Donald Glover Presents, though there are traces of Gambino flowing throughout the project courtesy of his breezy croons, the 36-year-old hyphenate appears settled into his new role and adaptation of Donald Glover.
The project only lives on donaldgloverpresents.com
Is this an album? Is this a playlist? There’s no indication, especially since Glover opted to have his project stream on loop and solely on his website donaldgloverpresents.com. There, fans are met with a four-panel sketch which seemingly appears to be potential artwork for the project. As of press time, Glover representatives did not respond to Billboard about whether the project will live on streaming services or if credits will soon be released.
It definitely “Feels Like Summer” this time around
The last time we received a full album from Childish Gambino was 2016’s acclaimed Awaken, My Love! Dubbed a funk opus, DG skated past conventionalism and rattled off a masterpiece laced with ’70s themes. This time around, the mood is vastly different, as remnants of his 2018 singles “Feels Like Summer” and “Summertime Magic” shape the soundscape of the project. Though Glover’s rapping is rare, he brilliantly navigates through the topics of trust and love with his fluid R&B presence.
He reconnects with some familiar faces.
Less is always more, and in the case of Glover, that sweet adage helps him deliver a home run of a project. Not only do we receive a concise 12 tracks, but DG also keeps the features to a minimum, enlisting only Ariana Grande, 21 Savage, and SZA. For fans, these collaborations come jam-packed with flavor and familiarity, considering Gambino has ties to each of the artists mentioned above.
In 2014, DG and Grande paired up on the dynamic bop “Break Your Heart Right” while Savage recruited The Lion King actor for his 2018 album, I Am > I Was. Though SZA and Glover never collaborated together up until now, DG did flaunt his acting prowess in the singer’s “Garden” video in 2018.
There are some tracks that we do already know!
Along with “Feels Like Summer,” fans are greeted with previously released records such as “Warlord” and “Algorythm.” During his headlining set at 2019’s Coachella, Glover first gifted fans to a performance of the former, while later dishing out the latter during his Google Pixel commercial. One record that did miss the was “Summertime Magic,” which was released as a two-pack with “Feels Like Summer in 2018.”
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