Childish Gambino, the musical stage name of writer and performer Donald Glover, released an incredible critique of American culture and Donald Trump with This Is America in 2018.
The music video is a satirical comment on American culture, racism and gun violence. Racking up 10m views in the first 24 hours, it now stands at over half a billion views and has been dubbed ‘genius’ and ‘a masterpiece’.
Create a blogpost called 'Music video: theory', watch the video again then answer the questions below:
1) How does the This Is America video meet the key conventions of a music video? Look back at last week's introduction to music video if you're not sure.
It includes movement with the dancers in the background. It has a performance aspect with the dancers. It tackles a lot of issues such as the black people v police problems. He highlights the growing damage of gun-control.
2) What comment is the video making on American culture, racism and gun violence?
That gun violence is relentless and taking countless lives. American culture has become something of a melting pot of different cultures. Police brutality is an ever-growing issue that is damaging society, particularly black ones.
3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson. Write a short paragraph for each theory.
Gilroy - The black-american community has made and accepted their own sort of way of making music. Issues that are pertinent to the American society, particularly the black community, are present in the video. The feelings of safety might not be with the black diaspora. They feel alienated from society as they are labelled as 'american' and then are almost forced to live a false identity.
Hall - Glover is represented as all three of the black characterisations in America. He kills, therefore a Native, he adds comedic elements, the Clown and is also the slave - raps about the oppression of black communities.
Rose: the younger black diasporic communities feel that they can relate and express themselves through rap. It also raises the question if black communities are valued if they can be voiced through music. It speaks out to people but it doesn't really fix any issues. This is shown by the fact that there are only black people in the video.
Dyson - political agendas like Trump's relaxation on gun control are criticised in the video. Dyson states: hip hop music is important because it sheds light on contemporary politics, history and race". We see how Glover critiques the treatment of black people in the modern America and that there is a clear tension between the black community and the law enforcement.
Now read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below.
4) What are the three interpretations suggested in the article?
He's playing Jim Crow, he's duping us with dance, he's taking on the police
5) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'? Choose two and explain what the comments are suggesting.
His gunning down of the gospel choir singing the lyric suggests that he’s tired of the pressure to accumulate wealth, to be performatively black, and stay spiritually uplifted in an age of gun violence - we see here how Dyson's theory is being supported and that current political affairs are being expressed.
The video’s choreographer, Sherrie Silver, retweeted a comment, perhaps in agreement, from someone who argued: “Childish Gambino’s dance moves distracted all of us from the craziness that was happening in the background of the video & that’s exactly the point he’s trying to make.” - one of the key aspects of a music video could be trying to lighten the load on Glover's heavy and 'hard to digest' message that the black community is disrespected and he's tired of it.
Media Magazine - This Is America: Music, Politics and Protest
Read This Is America: Music, Politics and Protest in MM65 (p14). You can find this in our Media Magazine archive. Answer the following questions:
1) The article offers an excellent textual analysis of the opening of the video. What are some of the suggested meanings and references the writer discusses? Can you link this analysis to any of the theorists we have studied?
African choir chant - Gilroy, diasporic alienation
"As he turns and starts to dance towards us, his movements become more exaggerated: his body rolls, he grimaces, pops one eye wide open, andstops behind the seated man, who is now hooded and without his guitar. The topless dancer pulls a gun from thin air, aims for the head, and shoots. As the dead body falls, a rumbling hip-hop rhythm kicks in and Glover turns to the camera,casually saying: ‘This is America’." - Hall's representation in the media; BAME indenities are presented as the other to make them valued, in reality this just highlights how bad the inequality is in America.
We can also apply the Dyson theory as we see how America is represented as a damaging and brutish nation as opposed to a wealthy land of opportunities.
2) What does the writer suggest are the main political themes in the video - and why is the message unclear?
the video references the 19th-century ‘Jim Crow’ character that popularized negative ideas about African Americans) seem to contradict the empowering black music. This irony pervades the entire video, as Glover goes on to dance with schoolchildren while crowds riot around him and grin before gunning down a church choir.
3) What meanings and suggestions does the writer highlight in Beyonce's video for Formation?
Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ made headlines for its ‘unapologetic blackness’, leading to Saturday Night Live’s sketch ‘The Day Beyoncé Turned Black’, which parodied the confused reactions the song provoked in white people.
4) What is notable about Glover's comedy drama TV show Atlanta?
It's a show that's created for black people by black people.
5) What examples does the writer provide of hip hop as a political genre? What theorist can we link this to?
‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’
‘Fuck tha Police’
Enemy’s ‘Fight the Power’
‘Hell You Talmbout’
We can link this to Dyson as he says "hip hop sheds light on contemporary politics, history and race"
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