As one of a handful of artists who have garnered fame thanks to careers in both music and acting, Stone Mountain, Georgia emcee Childish Gambino (real name Donald Glover) recently shared his thoughts on being labeled both a rapper and an actor, during a recent interview.
While speaking with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, Gambino stated that he does not want to be referred to as a rapper due to the opportunities that could be missed if he were to be given such a label. The “Community” star even went on to refer to his ability to be seen as more than a rapper as his “superpower.”
“I think a lot of people wanted to be like ‘Oh, he’s leaving to be a rapper.’ Which I think is dumb,” said Gambino. “Like I think that’s the stupidest thing you could probably ever do…I just don’t want to be labeled. I also don’t want—I don’t like working for other people. Lena Dunham she works for her. She writes that show [‘Girls’]. That’s her thing. I don’t think there’s a lot of people in my position—They gave me a show. They wouldn’t give a rapper a show. They wouldn’t give A$AP a show. I don’t want to be a rapper. When Kanye talks about the glass ceiling being there of like, ‘I can’t do anything because they see me as a rapper.’ Like that’s my superpower.”
Gambino later offered his thoughts on Hip Hop Titans, Jay Z and Diddy, two artists who have garnered success given their roles in rap. In his explanation of what led to the pair’s success outside of Hip Hop, the rapper referenced G.O.O.D. Music emcee Kanye West and the glass ceiling he referred to in his BBC Radio 1 interview.
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“I’ve never really saw him as a rapper,” said Gambino, in regards to Diddy. “Also, those guys forced people to see them other ways. Whether it be like people are legit scared of them or they just made wise business moves. I don’t think Kanye’s like that. Kanye’s just like a creative…Diddy, I feel like—I met him last night. I look up to him. Cause he makes sure people remember certain things. And he makes sure things happen. But yeah, those guys—I feel like as an artist, as a creative, there’s not a lot of people who can do exactly what they want to do, in my opinion. Especially as a black male.”
With the release of his next studio album, because the internet, scheduled for release on December 10, Gambino has released a handful of records in the past month. This week alone the Georgia rapper released both “3005” and “Worldstar.” It’s currently unclear if either of the records will be featured on because the internet.
In addition to the release of his new album, Gambino is reportedly set to write, executive produce, and star in a new, thirty-minute television series on FX.
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