This is a mixtape, not an album, but they're essentially the same thing. Usually an album is more complete. No producer intros and more cohesiveness with the tracks. Stuff like that. But it's title semantics at this point. This is the 4th of July, this is America day, this is Childish Gambino! Now if you know me you know I love Childish Gambino. From his stand-up, to Community and from Poindexter and Culdesac to Camp. I can't get enough of Mr. Donald Glover. So when I heard he was dropping a free mixtape, something he's never really done before, I knew I was gonna check it out immediately.
But as much as I love Gambino, this REALLY feels like a mixtape. I've divided the track-list up below into basically the good, the bad and the ugly. I don't think I've ever thought a Gambino song was only alright or meh till this mixtape. This saddens me a bit. When I looked at the track list, I picked out the songs featuring Bun B, RZA and Ghostface to be great tracks and they were. Also I really liked the three solo songs he did on here. Cause that's more what I'm used to. Him on the track alone tearing it up. Also two of the tracks, the ones featuring Josh Osho and Kilo Kish, were very good to my ear canals. Then we get to okay songs, with okay chorus' and verses or perhaps features who were lack luster or annoying. While these weren't bad per say, they aren't his best work. Good for a mixtape and good if you're new to listening to Gambino, but for a long time fan it came off as ehhh. There were only two songs that were duds for me as well. Couldn't get into them and the featured people just seemed non-essential and yuck to me.
That's not saying the production on this album wasn't good. Beats were crisp, some were sampled and some original. The bass hit hard and my head was bumpin' even during the not so good songs. Gambino got lazy on some part of his verses, I think, but overall he went hard with each verse. His features, aside from the two dud ones, all went hard as well. I will say that everyone featured sounded like they wanted to be apart of this mixtape. Which is certainly not a bad thing. The length wasn't too bad as well. For having 18 tracks the mixtape ran less than an hour. And all of the great tracks weren't overlong or felt sluggish.
The thing I love about good mixtapes is that once I'm done I can throw away the garbage so to speak. I tend not to do that with albums people put out. As I said before there's eighteen tracks here. To cut the fat I'm probably only going to keep the 'Great tracks' and perhaps throw in "Unnecessary" (as it was my only bubble track). I love Gambino, but this mixtape is like a lot of other peoples mixtape, good but bland. Ten tracks out of eighteen is a fantastic rate, but I expected more from this. Maybe I hyped myself up too much for this, or maybe I'm just disappointed cause I KNOW Donald Glover can do better. Either way this was really an hour of music I enjoyed and I'm glad I get an albums worth of music off of this.
Childish Gambino- Royalty: 7/10 or 3.5/5 Stars
Best Verse, From "Wonderful" feat. Josh Osho
"You can call the shots, I’m going to my aunt’s house
What’s it all about? Lookin’ like I’m Millhouse
What’s it all about? I ain’t get my bike back
I ain’t get my bike back, I know where he live at
I know what he look like, I know what I live like
Five to a bed, head to toe, that’s a good night
Five to a bed, head to toe, with the fan on
I don’t think these other niggas know what your man on
I used to have to sneak just to get my food
Free lunch made it feel like they don’t approve
Sell a car for a dollar used to be the mood
I wanna be Jabari man that nigga cool
I wanna lash out nigga keep your cool
All my friend did was draw something now he outta school
‘Cuz everything was always “Show me what you’re made of”
And everybody knew somebody who was “Later”
I didn’t need it, momma said it’s a lesson
Some people will never like you
Don’t let’em catch you stressin’
You know a code’s a code, the world can’t stop’em
Eating out rat holes and Cheerios boxes
This nigga think he hot shit, he think he good at everything
I just didn’t wanna get left out more
My little sis’ mom got shot, she in the newspaper
Prayers couldn’t save her, she died a day later
Like my cousin got the HIV
When she bust the leg open playing jump rope
Should I tell them kids what the fuck’s up?
They gone judge her and me
Man fuck them, we livin’, all is forgiven
I fucked up royally
But now that’s who we are man you gotta use the royal "we"
This is royalty, and this is all I ever wanted ‘cuz"
Great Tracks
"We Ain't Them"
"Shoulda Known"
"R.I.P." feat. Bun B
"American Royalty" feat. RZA and Hypnotic Brass Orchestra
"It May Be Glamour Life" feat Ghostface Killah
"Bronchitis"
"Wonderful" feat. Josh Osho
"Make It Go Right" feat. Kilo Kish
"Real Estate" feat. Alley Boy, Swank and Tina Fey**
Okay Tracks
"One Up" feat. Steve G. Lover
"Black Faces" from Nipsey Hussle
"Unnecessary " feat. Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul*
"Silk Pillow" feat. Beck
"Arrangement" feat. Gonage
"Won't Stop" feat. Danielle Haim from HAIM
Duds
"Toxic" feat. Danny Brown
"They Don't Like Me" feat. Chance the Ripper
*=A bubble track on the album. Not great, but nowhere near a dud
**=A bubble track on the album. Probably should be in the "Okay section" but I lost it at Tina Fey
"We Ain't Them"
"R.I.P." feat Bun B
"American Royalty" feat RZA and Hypnotic Brass Orchestra
"Bronchitis"
"Wonderful" feat. Josh Osho
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