This is America. Seriously.
Hidden references to bigger meanings found in Gambino’s music video
By Annabelle Trowbridge, opinion writer
The talented American actor, singer, rapper, comedian, writer, producer, and director Donald Glover, or better known as “Childish Gambino,” released his music video to his popular song, “This is America” in May of 2018. When I first listened to “This is America,” I hadn’t thought twice about the lyrics or song other than its catchy tune. It wasn’t until after watching the music video that I realized that each word, movement, and expression was significant to conveying a larger powerful message, one that I had yet to consider before.
The video begins with Gambino facing away from the camera in an empty warehouse building, a peculiar setting that may be conjuring a prison scene. The pants worn by Gambino have been analyzed by Twitter users to be comparable with the pants worn by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. As he starts to move, he dances with exaggerated physical gestures and facial expressions, which are reminiscent of white performers in blackface during the Jim Crow era portraying racist stereotypes.
The first bridge of the song talks about how the entertainment industry and media serves as a distraction from the bigger issues at hand in our country. When I first watched the video, I certainly was distracted by the dancing and didn’t even notice what was happening in the background of the video, which was precisely the point Gambino was trying to make. This is a direct allusion to how entertainment can distract us from facing the real issues in society.
The parts of the video that snapped me out of Gambino’s trance-like movements were the shootings that came out of nowhere. The murders were nods to modern day gun violence in America, and the fact that innocent people are being killed. The second verse of the song was led by the joyful church choir but is then abruptly gunned down by Gambino. This was a reminder of the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, SC, where innocent members of the predominantly black congregation were killed by a racially motivated gunman in 2015. It alarmed me to see that after each shooting by Gambino, the guns were taken from him in a delicate manner, and were instantly wrapped in a red cloth. This statement could imply the value we place on guns over human lives.
In the second half of the song, Gambino transitions to the lyrics, “This a celly, that’s a tool,” which could hold two meanings: how cellphones are used as a tool to document prejudice brutality, or how a “celly” or a “cell-block” has unjustly kept blacks in a cycle of incarceration. He then transitions to the part of the warehouse that is holding many old abandoned cars. This scene could represent the lack of progress in the black community who too often receive only the “leftovers.” It may refer to the disadvantages blacks have experienced since the beginning of their forced arrival upon American shores over 400 years ago. Gambino ends the video running for his life.
All of these hidden meanings in the music video invite the viewer to think seriously about the injustices and systemic racism present in our country from the early days of our new nation to the present. Gambino is simply and subtly challenging the norms of society. It may take you a few times to really soak in all the different meanings Gambino alluded to in the video. If you are interested in watching for yourself, look it up on YouTube and form your own interpretation.
Hidden references to bigger meanings found in Gambino’s music video
By Annabelle Trowbridge, opinion writer
The talented American actor, singer, rapper, comedian, writer, producer, and director Donald Glover, or better known as “Childish Gambino,” released his music video to his popular song, “This is America” in May of 2018. When I first listened to “This is America,” I hadn’t thought twice about the lyrics or song other than its catchy tune. It wasn’t until after watching the music video that I realized that each word, movement, and expression was significant to conveying a larger powerful message, one that I had yet to consider before.
The video begins with Gambino facing away from the camera in an empty warehouse building, a peculiar setting that may be conjuring a prison scene. The pants worn by Gambino have been analyzed by Twitter users to be comparable with the pants worn by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. As he starts to move, he dances with exaggerated physical gestures and facial expressions, which are reminiscent of white performers in blackface during the Jim Crow era portraying racist stereotypes.
The first bridge of the song talks about how the entertainment industry and media serves as a distraction from the bigger issues at hand in our country. When I first watched the video, I certainly was distracted by the dancing and didn’t even notice what was happening in the background of the video, which was precisely the point Gambino was trying to make. This is a direct allusion to how entertainment can distract us from facing the real issues in society.
The parts of the video that snapped me out of Gambino’s trance-like movements were the shootings that came out of nowhere. The murders were nods to modern day gun violence in America, and the fact that innocent people are being killed. The second verse of the song was led by the joyful church choir but is then abruptly gunned down by Gambino. This was a reminder of the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, SC, where innocent members of the predominantly black congregation were killed by a racially motivated gunman in 2015. It alarmed me to see that after each shooting by Gambino, the guns were taken from him in a delicate manner, and were instantly wrapped in a red cloth. This statement could imply the value we place on guns over human lives.
In the second half of the song, Gambino transitions to the lyrics, “This a celly, that’s a tool,” which could hold two meanings: how cellphones are used as a tool to document prejudice brutality, or how a “celly” or a “cell-block” has unjustly kept blacks in a cycle of incarceration. He then transitions to the part of the warehouse that is holding many old abandoned cars. This scene could represent the lack of progress in the black community who too often receive only the “leftovers.” It may refer to the disadvantages blacks have experienced since the beginning of their forced arrival upon American shores over 400 years ago. Gambino ends the video running for his life.
All of these hidden meanings in the music video invite the viewer to think seriously about the injustices and systemic racism present in our country from the early days of our new nation to the present. Gambino is simply and subtly challenging the norms of society. It may take you a few times to really soak in all the different meanings Gambino alluded to in the video. If you are interested in watching for yourself, look it up on YouTube and form your own interpretation.