Childish Gambino 'This Is America' Reactions: The Good, The Bad & The Kanye Bashing
5/6/2018 by Mitchell Peters
The reactions are pouring in after the release of Donald Glover's (aka Childish Gambino) jaw-dropping music video for "This Is America," which premiered shortly after he took the stage to host Saturday Night Live on May 5.
The four-minute clip, a stunning statement about violence and gun control in America, has received overwhelmingly positive feedback on social media, from Erykah Badu tweeting that Glover is a "genius," to other fans praising it as a shoe-in for video of the year. On the opposite side, some described the clip as "evil garbage," noting the extreme, hard-hitting violence. Many also pondered the various elements of symbolism hidden within the clip.
It's also worth noting that some onlookers are using the provocative "This Is America" video as a platform to continue bashing on Kanye West, who was slammed over the past week for his support of President Trump and suggesting on TMZ that slavery was a choice by African-Americans.
Some are commenting that West should should be turning out the same type of relevant, thought-provoking music instead of pushing out songs with lyrics like "poopity scoop," which is found in his new song "Life Yourself."
"Kanye declares himself a genius drops 'poopty scoop,' Donald Glover drops #ThisIsAmerica & says nothing," one person tweeted. Another wrote that "Childish Gambino is what Kanye aspires to be but fails to attain."
Here are some of the most notable social media reactions to Childish Gambino's "This Is America," broken down into four categories: The Good, The Bad, The Kanye Bashing, and The Symbolic.
THE GOOD
Donald Glover is a Genius. pic.twitter.com/zIAW8lecU7
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) May 6, 2018
Note to ❤️Donald : 'America' Brilliant on all levels . If you would have been naked at the end on the running scene , it would have been perfect. --... (that's GLOVER btw - gotta specify lol)
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) May 6, 2018
But real talk , @donaldglver know he look like the lost Isley Brother in this video. Donald Isley. #stillgenius #ThisIsAmerica
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) May 6, 2018
Donald . Glover .
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) May 6, 2018
New Childish Gambino video is absolutely game breaking. My God.
— Hozier (@Hozier) May 6, 2018
Holy shit. Well, it’s barely even May and Gambino already has Video of the Year on lock. #ThisIsAmerica
— johnny (@JohnnySobczak) May 6, 2018
Soooo... we put the wrong Donald in office #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/9rFOK1TUQB
— tara kelty (@tarakelty) May 6, 2018
Wow Childish Gambino @donaldglover's new video is definitely going to piss some people off but I loved it #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/SvRgiiqX56
— Cesar (@el_CEEZ) May 6, 2018
Watched #ThisIsAmerica twice in a row because WOW. @donaldglover is a true modern day Renaissance man. I am never not excited by what he puts out.
— Dougy Fresh -- (@CracktApple) May 6, 2018
When you wanna count off the church scene as hyperbolic but you realize that Charleston really happened.....at Bible Study.
— Shihabe masum (@shihab_masum) May 6, 2018
Also, notice how [black] bodies were left while the gun was handled with respect and care. #ThisIsAmerica
Pretty sure we should all just quit and start letting @donaldglover make everything. #ThisIsAmerica
— Rhett McLaughlin (@rhettmc) May 6, 2018
Have been thinking about this final scene since last night... So powerful. #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/4Go9l40Ntt
— Johanna Fuentes (@jfuentes) May 6, 2018
One of my favorite music videos I’ve ever seen https://t.co/Ao5q9yqHdK
— Travis Lindquist (@vikingchild88) May 6, 2018
Me when I realized that gambino's dance moves distracted me from all the craziness happening in the background and that's exactly the point he's trying to make... #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/ZlMxE2VwZV
— Claudia Gonzales (@claudiag0292) May 6, 2018
If I could attach a voice memo to this tweet of me screaming I absolutely would #bino #thisisamerica https://t.co/0n9HFmYZBw
— jewel (@jewelabroad) May 6, 2018
My fucken reaction no lie #childishgambino #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/4h309dumc2
— SUMMER✨ (@Summerstef) May 6, 2018
I'll just like to say... Donald Glover can do all things and does all things unlike any other ------. https://t.co/UbWQdZpC6b
— cloud B. makaveli (@chrstphr__) May 6, 2018
It’s crazy one day my future child will have posters in their room of childish gambino and know everything about him and wish they lived in the 2000-10s/20s cause it seems so much cooler than the 2040s
— J (@YungJase) May 6, 2018
Donald Glover is too talented. It's overwhelming. #ThisIsAmerica
— Cousin Carl (@carlchery) May 6, 2018
#ThisIsAmerica Here's a choice. Let's stop paying attention to @kanyewest and figure out that @donaldglover has more important things to say. He literally just killed it on #SNL. Time to move on.
— Urban Radio Nation (@UrbnRadioNation) May 6, 2018
THE BAD
-- This is evil garbage.
— Camila -- Sweetlipz -- I miss my king ----❤---- (@CamilaSweetlipz) May 6, 2018
Look at this eyes, he's possessed or he's being himself. The need to promote violence and thirst for blood.
Also, this is propaganda against the second amendment.#MAGA #QAnon #2ADefenders #PatriotsUnite ---- #DrainTheDeepStateSwamp
i think the shit trash too, the lyrics have no substance, just cause homie shooting someone in the back of the head in the beginning of the video dude is the second coming of public enemy'? stop being prisoners of the moment dude aint even rhyming or talking in the song.
— LifeIsRigged (@KeithLeGenD4) May 6, 2018
This Is America is such a garbage song on it's own without the video. People gotta stop hyping up shit with the most basic ass symbolism.
— ~~e. zant~~ (@maniadrone) May 6, 2018
#ThisisAmerica I presume since Twitter has been promoting this garbage for 2 days, it must be some anti-American crap.#KanyeWest is better than you clowns. All of you. #MAGA.
— Nobody (@Kamaka27) May 6, 2018
Childish Gambino's this is America is the worst mubble rap garbage I've ever heard. This is coming from someone who listened to Camp everyday this week getting pumped this new song. Beyond disappointed
— Manboy the dragon (@touchofgrey9) May 6, 2018
Yo, that new Childish Gambino is some hot fucking garbage. Probably the worst thing I've ever heard/seen from @donaldglover. I'm bummed because I'm sure there's a really good message in that song, but it just sounds so atrocious on every level. #ThisIsAmerica
— Evan Harrison (@AlTheKiller) May 6, 2018
#ThisIsAmerica it's no wonder these kids are losing it in our country when all they see is negative crap & these are the sell out idiots they have to look up to. SMH Thats not even rap in my book its propaganda ..here's talent & real musicians https://t.co/m0YoadwNP1
— AMERICANPATRIOT (@1776MAGA1) May 6, 2018
THE KANYE BASHING
Kanye declares himself a genius drops “poopty Scoop”.
— Rome Flynn (@RomeTrumain) May 6, 2018
Donald Glover drops #ThisIsAmerica & says nothing.
I’ll let you decide who the genius is here.
if kanye was woke as he was a decade ago, THIS is the kind of stuff I’d imagine he’d be putting out today #ThisIsAmerica
— angie (@planettacoemoji) May 6, 2018
Childish Gambino is what Kanye aspires to be but fails to attain. #ThisIsAmerica
— ✊--Black Aziz aNANsi✊-- (@Freeyourmindkid) May 6, 2018
Who cares about losing Kanye? We have Childish Gambino #ThisIsAmerica
— BLACK AND PROUD (@BlkAndPr0ud) May 6, 2018
Donald Glover has become what we wanted Kanye to be in 2018. #ThisISAmerica
— Al Pritchard (@Al_YourPal) May 6, 2018
#ThisIsAmerica It’s like Kanye was supposed to be our musical Anakin Skywalker,but now Childish Gambino/Luke Skywalker (The New Hope) has filled the seat meant for the ‘father’. THE IRONY... pic.twitter.com/OBShYaY6tH
— ----⚡️ (@CeeAkachi) May 6, 2018
Get Kanye West out of here. Childish Gambino taking his spot.
— Juwan (@KingTrillaX) May 6, 2018
Donald Glover really came to save us from the poopy di scoop
— NickName (@Naam1595) May 6, 2018
scoop diddy whoop. #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/1Kzizwv80g
THE SYMBOLIC
So much symbolism in #ThisIsAmerica 1. Guns are handled with care 2. The kids are following his every move 3. Travon Martins dad playing the guitar 4. Dance moves depicting americas shopping craze 5. The people recording on their phones. SO MUCH MAN!
— Mel_OD K. Howard (@MEL_OD) May 6, 2018
Shook by how fast I caught this reference. I haven’t seen a Jim Crow picture in years. Donald Glover did not come to play with y’all today. #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/5Xq4tLSJ7P
— Nichia (@nicky_furiosa) May 6, 2018
ALSO (continued): Could this be a Horseman of the Apocalypse running through the background? But also the fact that you could miss it because of the dancing in the foreground further emphasizes the distractions of pop culture/social media #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/TPP7XswfGJ
— Courtney Slavin (@courtneyslavin) May 6, 2018
People are so caught up in Gambino’s shoot that they don’t even realize what the hell is going on in the background. He’s literally talking about people who don’t care about what’s happening in society, but care about the latest dance fad. He’s talking about y’all.#ThisIsAmerica
— E-Money -- (@imanimlewis) May 6, 2018
Man! Let me tell y’all abt this #ThisIsAmerica video:
— BIG BALLER BRE (@brerobbbb) May 6, 2018
1. It’s too short for how powerful it was!
2. Glover uses it to reference:
• Mass Shootings + hysteria
• Black men getting shot
• The state of hip hop + how they don’t care about what’s going on
3. Self-directed