Childish Gambino Video Premier – “This Is America”

Photo shot of CHILDISH GAMBINO “This Is America” Video

Donald Glover had quite the weekend!

The actor, who has been riding high these days with both his series “Atlanta” and his role as young Lando Calrissian in the forthcoming “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” both hosted “Saturday Night Live” and was the musical guest as his rap/R&B alter ego, Childish Gambino.

Glover  — the musical pseudonym for actor and Atlanta creator Donald Glover won a Grammy this year for best traditional R&B performance for his song “Redbone” and premiered two new songs on “SNL,” titled “Saturday” and “This Is America.”

But it was the video he released for the latter after his “SNL” performance that created a major buzz. “This Is America” a searing social critique of pop culture and the experience of being black in America today.  This video has racked up over 25 million views in less than 24 hours. While the mesmerizing single-take video shows a theatrical Gambino dancing and singing enthusiastically while violence of all kinds takes place all around him, the lyrics act as an indictment of the very medium they’re in; music, after all, often serves as a respite and distraction from reality. The song opens with a light refrain from a gospel choir before Gambino begins in: “We just wanna party, party just for you.” But things quickly take a darker turn, both musically and lyrically, as he investigates just what that “party” really means, alluding to everything from police violence to racial stereotypes and social media obsession as components of the modern American experience. Rappers Young Thug, Quavo, Blocboy JB, Slim Jxmmi and 21 Savage also take turns featuring.


Here are the words to this song and truly epic video!

[Intro: Choir]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away

[Bridge: Childish Gambino & Young Thug]
We just wanna party
Party just for you
We just want the money
Money just for you
I know you wanna party
Party just for me
Girl, you got me dancin’ (yeah, girl, you got me dancin’)
Dance and shake the frame
We just wanna party (yeah)
Party just for you (yeah)
We just want the money (yeah)
Money just for you (
you)
I know you wanna party (yeah)
Party just for me (yeah)
Girl, you got me dancin’ (yeah, girl, you got me dancin’)
Dance and shake the frame (
you)

[Chorus: Childish Gambino]
This is America
Don’t catch you slippin’ up
Don’t catch you slippin’ up
Look what I’m whippin’ up
This is America (woo)
Don’t catch you slippin’ up
Don’t catch you slippin’ up
Look what I’m whippin’ up

[Verse 1: Childish Gambino, Blocboy JB, Slim Jxmmi, Young Thug, & 21 Savage]
This is America (
skrrt, skrrt, woo)
Don’t catch you slippin’ up (
ayy)
Look at how I’m livin’ now
Police be trippin’ now (
woo)
Yeah, this is America (
woo, ayy)
Guns in my area (
word, my area)
I got the strap (ayy, ayy)
I gotta carry ’em
Yeah, yeah, I’ma go into this (ugh)
Yeah, yeah, this is guerilla (woo)
Yeah, yeah, I’ma go get the bag
Yeah, yeah, or I’ma get the pad
Yeah, yeah, I’m so cold like yeah (
yeah)
I’m so dope like yeah (woo)
We gon’ blow like yeah (
straight up, uh)

[Refrain: Choir & Childish Gambino]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me
Get your money, Black man (
get your money)
Get your money, Black man (
get your money)
Get your money, Black man (
get your, Black man)
Get your money, Black man (
get your, Black man)
Black man

[Chorus: Childish Gambino, Slim Jxmmi, & Young Thug]
This is America (
woo, ayy)
Don’t catch you slippin’ up (
woo, woo, don’t catch you slippin’, now)
Don’t catch you slippin’ up (
ayy, woah)
Look what I’m whippin’ up (
Slime!)
This is America (
yeah, yeah)
Don’t catch you slippin’ up (
woah, ayy)
Don’t catch you slippin’ up (
ayy, woo)
Look what I’m whippin’ up (
ayy)

[Verse 2: Childish Gambino, Quavo, Young Thug, & 21 Savage]
Look how I’m geekin’ out (
hey)
I’m so fitted (
I’m so fitted, woo)
I’m on Gucci (
I’m on Gucci)
I’m so pretty (
yeah, yeah)
I’m gon’ get it (
ayy, I’m gon’ get it)
Watch me move (
blaow)
This a celly (
ha)
That’s a tool (
yeah)
On my Kodak (
woo, Black)
Ooh, know that (
yeah, know that, hold on)
Get it (
get it, get it)
Ooh, work it (
21)
Hunnid bands, hunnid bands, hunnid bands (
hunnid bands)
Contraband, contraband, contraband (
contraband)
I got the plug on Oaxaca (
woah)
They gonna find you that blocka (
blaow)

[Refrain: Choir, Childish Gambino, & Young Thug]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
America, I just checked my following list and
You go tell somebody
You mothafuckas owe me
Grandma told me
Get your money, Black man (
Black man)
Get your money, Black man (
Black man)
Get your money, Black man (
get your, Black man)
Get your money, Black man (
get your, Black man)
Black man
One, two, get down
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me, “Get your money”
Get your money, Black man (
Black man)
Get your money, Black man (
Black man)
Get your money, Black man (
Black man)
Get your money, Black man (
Black man)
Black man

[Outro: Young Thug]
You just a Black man in this world
You just a barcode, ayy
You just a Black man in this world
Drivin’ expensive foreigns, ayy
You just a big dawg, yeah
I kenneled him in the backyard
No probably ain’t life to a dog
For a big dog


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