STN MTN is so bad that it feels like I just wasted nine years of my life just trying to slog through the motherfucker. Over the course of eleven songs, Childish Gambino demolishes any goodwill he had stored up from merely being funny at times, giving the listener song after song of tiresome boasts, weary threats, and bland-as-hell production. In just around forty minutes, Donald Glover abandons nearly everything I liked about him (which, if you're familiar with the site, obviously isn't much, but his last album had pretty cool production, and sometimes his absurdly cheesy punchlines get a laugh out of me), in an attempt to seemingly convince the listener that he is indeed from Atlanta. Got it, all he had to do was tell me. All I'm convince of now is that he has used ketchup packets and cigarette butts flowing through his bloodstream, because that's the only way a human could make something this trash. Seriously, what the fuck happened?
If anything, one must applaud Donald Glover's work ethic. After overstaying his welcome as a writer for "30 Rock", he quickly jumped on over to NBC, where he would settle in with "Community." With the show's bleak future, he took his talents over to FX, where he would star in "Atlanta." Not to mention his career jump started with his stand-up comedy acts. With so much on his plate, it only made sense that he picked up a career in hip hop. Donald's musical path began when that horrible Wu-Tang name generator was still floating around. Like any Wu Stan, (myself included) Glover entered his name into the generator, hence producing the moniker "Childish Gambino." The name has since produced two studio albums and a series of mixtapes. Unfortunately for Gambino, its also produced some of the harshest critiques in recent memory.
Camp was a bad album and is largely deserving of its unfavorable reviews, but the amount of hatred following Gambino's work has almost reached uncharted territory. Its like a perpetual gathering of backpackers at an A$AP Ferg concert. I'm not sure if its the terrible punch lines, sugary instrumentals, or all of it mixed together, but the distaste has been there since day one. Gambino's ventures in music started when he collaborated with his "Community" co-worker Ludwig Göransson to create Culdesac and EP, two equally weak efforts that showcased Gambino as a Lil Wayne rip off. Not the creative Carter 3 Weezy either; we got more of the shitty I Am Not A Human Being side. Moving forward, Glover began to construct Camp as an opus of bitter spite built up over his teenage years that he would tab as "nerdy", while trying to make his haters look stupid. The result was a shortsighted view of racism and an odd amount of time spent on how many bitches he fucks. Even for a hip hop album. Gambino listened to his critics and produced a mixtape that completely opposes the themes of his debut. I appreciate the thought and attempt to appeal to a larger audience, but all Royalty did was make Gambino appear even more inept when paired with top talent. He's stayed relatively silent since, but his collection of ideas eventually led Gambino to his seconds studio release, Because The Internet.
The title is a bit of an eye roller, but the album promotion is what has intrigued so many people. On top of wearing the same clothing while in the public eye, Gambino released a preluding movie/video titled "Clapping for the Wrong Reasons" and a 76-page script to go along with the album. Because the Internet is overly dependent on the screenplay, which is its first flaw. To be blunt, the script is not very good. The story follows a character known simply as "the boy", a rich teenager who spends his time trolling on the Internet, throwing weekly ragers at his mansion, and partying with Chance the Rapper. The boys capricious emotions constantly sway from depressed to arrogant, which is pretty common among teenagers, but throughout the two hour experience, I'm at a lost as to what exactly he's so sad about. Other than the fact that his dad (played by Rick Ross) passes away, there's no reason to really feel bad for him. The whole thing feels directionless. For example, towards the end he up and decides to become a drug dealer, but gets shot in the next fucking scene.
If you have the stamina to get through the whole thing, there's definitely something to gain. Regardless of how lackluster the screenplay actually is, Because the Internet becomes more of an audio complement to the script than the other way around. "Zealots of Stockholm (Free Information)" first appears as a five minute mess of every sound Gambino could compile at the studio, but once paired and explained by the script, there's quite a bit of payoff. "Crawl", the albums best track, opens the album with a myriad of distorted vocals continuously moving around finding its place in the song. I can't help but think this is the sound Kanye was going for with Yeezus. This type of audio texture fits Gambino's style to perfection. Unfortunately, the albums message gets equally convoluted and aimless without the screenplay being right at your side. As the album moves forward, we're given a series of tracks meant for seemingly nothing more than moving the plot along. Aside from the awesomely paranoid "No Exit", the stretch from "Playing Around Before the Party Starts" to the dreadfully boring "Flight of the Navigator" is mostly a waste. They make perfect sense inside the context of the album, but the replay value is nonexistent, which makes the album all the more frustrating. It's honestly a pretty damn cool concept, but anything that requires attentively sitting at a computer for multiple hours is too much for me to enjoy more than once.
Part of me really wishes this was just a standard LP. Once I got a chance to really delve into the record without the script fresh in my mind, I was able to center in on Gambino's improved mic skills. He doesn't sound like Lil Wayne and aside from periodic bursts of crooning, Drake comparisons can be dismissed. If anything, Because the Internet sounds like it was cut from the same cloth as Channel Orange. (With an obviously less talented singer) Childish Gambino seems to have finally developed his own style. This sounds nothing like his previous project, and while it still has a awful lot of flaws, at least it didn't fully go with his Royalty concepts. The star studded guest list is still there, but its only for hook duties. Aside from Jhené Aiko on "Pink Toes", Gambino delivers every verse on the album, forcing the audience to recognize his improved technical abilities. Its a smart move, but we see brilliant and facepalm moments with his wordplay. For every genuinely funny moment (most of "Sweatpants"), there's a line like “I got no patience, cause I’m not a doctor/ Girl, why are you lyin’? Girl, why you Mufasa?" I can't even believe someone actually told him that would be a good idea. Especially when its on the lead single.
Donald's one liners are largely hit or miss, but the albums saving grace is its production and density. Most of these songs carry underlining messages that are nearly impossible to pick up with a single listen. To me at least, "Pink Toes" sounded like an ode to his newly acquired girlfriend, but its pretty jaw dropping when you realize Gambino is actually talking about dealing drugs. Some of the beats are just as hit of miss as Gambino's lyrics. Almost all of those misses come from the sugary songs that have radio appeal. "3005" isn't a terrible song, but there's no way I'll over listen to it again. The production teams real attribution is their ability to set the mood and really nail the darker themes with atmospheric, blissful instrumentation. The best example of this is their work on "Telegraph Ave". The idea of Gambino singing karaoke over Lloyd's "Oakland" is brilliant, but his R&B showcase may be the most ambitious on the album. Gambino isn't a great singer, but this track is more than enough material to justify his continued focus in the vocal department. The hook writing is relatively complex compared to the rest of album (no one wants to hear him repeat "hold me close my darling" for an entire song), and his execution caps off one of Gambino's most forward-thinking ideas.
Because the Internet's ambition ultimately outweighs the quality of the end result. With most of the albums best songs falling in the first half, the project starts off strong, but eventually falls apart the longer it progresses. Even if I really enjoyed the screenplay, the album relies much too heavily on the assumption that every listener will be able follow along online for an extended period of time. The attempt at contrasting the drastically different lives that people live on and off the internet is nobly audacious, but Because the Internet ironically fails with the multitasking that Gambino is critiquing. The record is Glover's best to date, but he's still learning to let the music speak for itself.