Childish Gambino

Donald Glover must be the most versatile entertainer in the world today. As Donald Glover, he is a stand-up comedian, former writer for “30 Rock,” star of the show “Community,” GAP model and head of sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy. As Childish Gambino, his focus is only rapping, as he points out early on his new album: “Donald Glover / No relation.”

Childish Gambino has released six mixtapes in his three years behind the microphone. Early in his career, many critics dismissed Gambino as a joke; simply a comedian taking potshots at shallow music culture. Three years later, he has established his legitimate musical talent with a particular aptitude for memorable lyrics. His first widespread song, “Freaks and Geeks,” exemplifies his lyrical flair: “e.e. cummings on her face/ Now that’s poetry in motion.”

Gambino’s debut album, Camp, plays host to plenty of witty hashtag-rap: “Made the beat and murdered it/ Casey Anthony,” or “You can f***ing kiss my *ss/ Human centipede.” But Camp is also more than very clever wordplay. The album deals with Gambino’s struggle to develop an identity in the music industry. On the down-tempo, introspective “All the Shine,” he asks, “Is there room in the game for a lame who rhymes?/ Who wears short shorts and makes jokes sometimes?”

Gambino knows he’s talented, smart and can appeal to a wide audience. He alternately raps and sings over slow-moving, orchestral beats, guitar-driven tracks and decidedly more club-ready, synth-heavy productions—a testament to his versatility. For this reason, there is no one song that resembles the other, leading to 13 unique tracks that could pique the interest of different crowds.

Newfound fame, sudden female attention, alcoholism and the difficulty of maintaining a real relationship amid his celebrity are all touched upon throughout the album. In his more mainstream and admittedly “dumb” songs, his favorite topics are his superiority to other rappers and his apparently elephant-sized endowment. Nevertheless, as mentioned, these messages never stray far from the central struggle of Gambino trying to forge an identity that complements his demonstrated range of ability.

Camp is constructed as a symbolic journey of the musician on summer camp, where he is in a place that is completely novel and has to find his niche. By the end of the album, we learn that Gambino still hasn’t found his niche exactly; he’s still at camp. Gambino’s struggle for identity on Camp is all the more compelling given his diverse talents, and ultimately makes for the best debut album of 2011.