Childish Gambino, the rap persona used by Donald Glover, has been rapping since around 2008 with such notable tracks as “This Is America,” “Bonfire,” and “Feels Like Summer.” With millions of listeners every time he drops a song, his influence on the rap and hip hop genre cannot be overstated, with his songs often blending an alternative style and rap in a way that consistently attracts viewers, and has carved out a name for himself in modern rap. Recently, though, Donald Glover has announced the release of his newest album, Bando Stone And The New World, and though it is an amazing release from Gambino, it carries with it sad news. While being interviewed on the Youtube show “Hot Ones,” he talked about how after the making of the short film Bando Stone And The New World, a film that the album was made in synchronization with, Childish Gambino was dead. He said,

 “I almost feel like Childish Gambino is like the boss from The Office, like, that stuff worked ten years ago, all that stuff worked, but now it’s like a different thing. It’s like, ‘Oh it’s a little sad, but it’s like wow, the cycle kinda continues, which is great, I think.”

The release of Bando Stone marks the end in an age of Donald Glover’s life, many years have passed since his first album Camp back in 2011 and he has decided that it’s time to lay Gambino to rest. Whether this is a full departure from music or just from the Gambino persona is yet to be seen, in the meantime it is important to look at this final album of his and try to figure out what it really means for him and the music industry as a whole due to its intriguing nature.

Childish Gambino is a rapper, albeit a non-traditional one, but Bando Stone gives us a much different take then we are used to from him. Even though previously he already pushed the definitions of rap with “Little Foot Big Foot” this album sees him utilizing genres from across the industry. Looking at what people had to say about the album we can see for example that youtube user, @annaeggebrecht1072 agreed that Bando Stone is, “An entire album with different genres in so many songs also while telling a storyline for the entire album like, legendary.” That is the truth of this new album, while it is made by a rap artist, he is utilizing this final album to showcase his skills. Breaking free of the confines that being known as a rapper may have imposed upon him and telling the whole world to enjoy this final flourish where we hardly know what to see from his next move. The genre hopping employed here serves a deeper purpose though, that is of course the fact that it’s the heart of the storyline being depicted in the album and it will likely serve a purpose deeper than it appears now once the film has been released. Each genre likely depicts a different aspect or phase of the story attempting to be told. With the truth of it being that this album can’t be classified as rap, r&b, grunge, or any other similar genre. Rather, Gambino has given us this final rock opera to be enjoyed and cherished, with him telling of the story of Bando Stone through this musical journey. Each song is highlighted by the dialogue from the movie, which is clipped at the end with its importance in that scene being hinted at. This whole album is a wonderful exploration of faith, fatherhood, and love, utilizing different genres to represent the different phases of the “journey of Bando Stone”.

Bando Stone And The New World is, of course, not just an album but also a film that is currently in production by Donald Glover and writer Evi Wilder. The film covers the story of Bando Stone, the titular character and musician who is navigating a world without people, that is until he meets a woman and her child. What follows is unclear but looking at the trailer we can see that there are supposedly going to be some science fiction elements as seen below in the rays of light that the group is running away from. 

Though this film by itself is interesting, what I am really intrigued by is the fact that Donald Glover decided to release it in conjunction with an album. Though singers have certainly hopped on movie soundtracks before, the fact that the album was released as an album which would then be used to prop up and support a movie is quite unusual. The only other similar instance of this is when Prince released Purple Rain, the hit album and then film, which garnered an impressive 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. Beyond the speculation of success for the film, which will likely see modestly positive critical reception upon release.When we look at the album it is easy to see that Gambino created a narrative, not just an album. Gambino sought to develop Bando Stone as a thematic tool for the movie, meaning that both the film and album exist within the context of each other to tell the story of Bando Stone. I believe that the decision to link these two medias together is a beautifully bold act that will work out well for Donald Glover in the end.

As far as the future of Donald Glover’s music career is concerned, in my opinion it certainly appears far from over. While he officially announced the death of his rap persona,, it seems like this was supposed to be a big publicity stunt that may either cause him to release an album reviving Gambino or perhaps just to continue making music under his name in a different style. We shall see what will come in the future but with the skills we have seen on display for years now it is doubtful this is the last we have seen from Glover. 

Bando Stone And The New World is currently streaming on various platforms and is an album that is definitely worth giving it a listen if only to see what this latest phase in Donald Glover’s music career will be. If you are only looking for a few select songs to add to your playlist, I would highly recommend “Lithonia”, “Talk My Shit,” and “Got To Be”. These are infectiously catchy songs that really showcase the aforementioned genre hopping and will give you some highlights into this story being woven throughout the album. All in all, Bando Stone is a solid 8/10 album that will definitely have some interesting implications for Glover’s career and the music industry as a whole.