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Childish Gambino made the whole world stand still and listen, ponder over his latest single "This is America" and the graphic video accompanying the song. Just as suggested by the title and the artists background he talks about the United States in a fiery attitude and striking visuals addressing sensitive political and social matters which have haunted the demographic of the states for a long time coming.
The artist has been acclaimed on his lyricism several times with past works and just like this single his passion and talent shine through while the ingeniously placed connotations and smallest detailed references scattered throughout the action packed video make the whole piece nothing short of a social, cultural masterpiece.
The basis of the whole piece is explores the relationship between dancing, partying and violence that form both entertainment and black life in America. The opening scene a black man walks up to an acoustic guitar perched up on a lone chair in an empty warehouse where he sits and starts playing. In the background, Donald (Childish Gambino) is stood shirtless with his back to the camera wearing only a pair of very confederate worker look-alike trousers and two thin gold chains around his neck which symbolise both physical bondage and the obsession with consumerism.
He then proceeds to approach the seated man who is now depicted tied up and wearing a bag over his head and much like the suggested Donald shoots the man in the back oh the head and at this exact moment the song switches to a heavy baseline. Notice how the seemingly unnecessarily exaggerated pose he is in actually eerily reminisces the old Jim Crow caricature:
Vividly evident in these moments, but also the song as a whole, explore the complicated relationship between black art and black suffering, while also highlighting the gun violence epidemic in America, or even the many instances of police brutality in America where victims are often members of the black demographic.
In the next scene the choir represents the long tradition of black music and art as has been the case through out American history, art itself becomes both a response to and balm for pain. A choir can also represent a group coming together and performing as a single body, emphasising unity; "that black people live together and die together in their fight against injustice".Later in the music video, Gambino guns down a choir. That imagery may allude to the 2015 Charleston church shooting.
In this scene Donald and a group of school children dancewhile other people scatter in the background. Donald and the children remain the focal point, representing how social media blinds people from the true problems in America by feeding them entertainment and pointless trends.
The dancing performances throughout the video could have a double meaning. They all trace back to African traditions and the roots of black culture while also addressing the similarities between racism in the states and South Africa's apartheid. A notable detail is the fact that everyone dancing with Gambino don't seem to get hurt or injured in any way despite the fact that they are dancing in the midst of chaos, and while here he represents America herself this could be a direct attack to the notions of applauding and celebrating black culture but turning their backs to any issues.
Artist like Childish Gambino remind us that it is important for art to reflect the attitude of the times its created in, and as for the video, its something you will need to watch more than once.