Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino has had an amazing weekend from hosting SNL to releasing of one the most controversial video’s of 2018 thus far. Social media was set on fire with the release of ‘This is America’ and everyone has their own version of what the song means.
Since the video’s release yesterday. Social Media has been obsessed with decoding the 4-minute video. The visual contained several layers of symbolic imagery that puts America’s history with gun violence, people of color, and the era of social media on blast.
The video — which contains violent imagery —
Directed by Hiro Murai the set of ‘This is America’ takes place in a huge warehouse space where Childish Gambino sings and dances while a man sits in a chair playing the guitar. The scene takes a turn when Gambino pulls out a gun and shoots the guitar player in the back of the head. As the body falls to the floor and is dragged away. Gambino continues to sing while handing off the gun in a red cloth. The video continued with Gambino dancing with a group of youth ignoring the chaos happening around them. Gambino later unloads bullets on a gospel choir. Many are referring that this scene is depicted from the 2015 Charleston church shooting.
SZA made a cameo appearance in the video towards the end where the camera pans out showing warehouse garage filled with older model American cars with Gambino dancing on top of one.
While many are speculating about what exactly Gambino wanted to portray in this new music video. It is very clear that America’s violent past and present with the senseless murders of African Americans by white gunmen and police officers is a problem that cannot be ignored.
Check out what everyone is saying about the video
#ChildishGambino's new video #ThisIsAmerica pretty much sums up the times we're living in https://t.co/3ouqQJUloZ pic.twitter.com/JPNKG0CxYX
— The Root (@TheRoot) May 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/Eu_Weslley_/status/993267674548441088
“this is America, don’t catch
you slippin up” – #ChildishGambino 🇺🇸 #Dxpekxng #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/0NR9aiLPJn— “GONE 4 THE WINTER” – OUT NOW ❄️ (@itsDXPE) May 7, 2018
#ChildishGambino #ThisIsAmerica
He plays a Jim Crow caricature that shows plenty of symbolism through subtle nuances & direct distractions by entertaining through Trendy dances and trap lyricism while chaos, violence and death takes place in our direct viewing pic.twitter.com/eBSSlq7v9z
— JZA (@Th1JBust4Life) May 7, 2018
Ain't no sunshine… #ThisIsAmerica#ChildishGambinohttps://t.co/i9Jrgw10sI
— Another Cinna (@AnotherCinna) May 7, 2018
Can we talk about how @donaldglover is wearing confederate army pants #thisisamerica #donaldglover #ChildishGambino pic.twitter.com/XMFO3epDco
— Metro boolin (@boolin_metro) May 7, 2018
https://twitter.com/Thereal1Uniqua/status/993459010513842176
