Obviously I can't answer that, as I'm not Childish Gambino, but STN MTN is easily one of the most boring albums I've had the displeasure of sitting through just to continue my ongoing blog. Some rappers just aren't built for Atlanta trap: Childish Gambino is one of them. (I find Camp almost unlistenable, but at least Gambino sounded at home over that awful production) How can you make "Move That Dope" and "Go DJ" sound boring? I mean, come on.
If there's anything positive I can say, I will admit that the fact that STN MTN is labeled as a Gangsta Grillz mixtape is hilarious, and the opening of the first track is scene setting to say the least. At the end of the day, though, its easy to see why Childish Gambino never broke out as a traditional Atlanta rapper. Accessible, yes, but was anyone in his fan-base really clamoring for this? But the worst offense of all is that this mixtape isn't just a waste of time, its a boring waste of time. There is literally no way anyone would need to go out of their way to acknowledge this shit's existence. No wonder STN MTN has nearly evaporated from the public consciousness only a couple weeks after its release.
But wait, there's more. Along with the eleven tracks on the mixtape, Childish Gambino also dropped a seven track EP under the name Kauai. Are you all familiar with the expression, "if you give McDonalds to someone who hasn't eaten in a week, it's going to taste like a five star restaurant"? (or something like that) Yeah, well that's pretty much what we have going on here. Showcasing his mastery of juxtaposition, Gambino made what is essentially his least likable project, and placed it right before his most likable. And it works. Kauai, a short, twenty minute display of Gambino's singing ability over '80s jangle pop revivalist instrumentals, is probably my favorite musical product Donald Glover has made.
Listening to "Sober" and "Pop Thieves" after STN MTN is so refreshing that's you'll completely look past the fact that they're both pretty middle-of-the-road pop songs, and just appreciate the change in tone. The whole EP sounds rather cohesive, simple (in a good way), and it doesn't hurt that I legitimately enjoy Glover's singing. But here's the problem (I'm sure you saw this coming): towards the end, there's song named "Late Night in Kauai", but it basically could have been called "FUCK YOU, LUKE". It features Jaden Smith, who, as "the boy", gives a spoken word explanation of the events that took place in between Camp and Because the Internet, and it's pretty much the worst thing ever. I mean, there's not much good one could takeaway from the last sentence, but it's actually worse than you're thinking right now. Going into detail would be a waste of time, but as expected, Jaden Smith ruins another good thing.
If you're not a fan of Childish Gambino (which I'm assuming is the case; there's no way many of his fans got past the first paragraph), this obviously isn't going to change your stance, but you may want to consider at least listening to Kauai. That is, if you don't find Gambino's refusal to understand how goofy his job as a "rapper" is to be a turn-off. Glover certainly takes his craft seriously, but you just know he's probably the kind of person that would refer to this shit as his "craft". Still, there are a few songs on the EP that would fit rather easily onto one of your summer playlists. If up you're a Childish Gambino fanatic, and for some reason haven't hunted this EP down yet (which, again, is extremely unlikely), then by all means, do so: you'll probably enjoy it. But for the rest of you still reading this paragraph and hoping that Glover never appears on this blog again, I can't imagine any of you giving much of a shit. And there you go.
Rating: 2/5