Childish Gambino Is No More

Just as the biggest hit of his career, “Redbone”, climbs to its highest point on the charts, Donald Glover announces he will retire his musical alter ego, Childish Gambino.

Earlier this week, Glover closed a live set at the Governors Ball Music Festival by saying, “I’ll see you for the last Gambino album,” suggesting the actor-writer-producer was almost done with music (or, at least, under the title he apparently received from the WuTang name generator).

You can watch him make the mysterious declaration at the 5:46 mark below. (But listen to “Redbone” first, of course.)

He then clarified his meaning to HuffPost, confirming there would be no more Gambino, starting now, saying that he wasn’t “necessary” anymore.

“There’s nothing worse than like a third sequel, like a third movie and we’re like, ‘again?’” he explained.

Last year, Glover released the album “Awaken, My Love” under the Gambino name. It followed previous records Because the Internet and Camp, not to mention a bunch of mixtapes and EPs.

“You know, I like it when something’s good and when it comes back there’s a reason to come back, there’s a reason to do that,” he added.

“Being punk just always felt really good to me and we always looked at Atlanta as a punk show and I feel like the direction I would go with Childish Gambino wouldn’t be punk anymore. As much as ‘Redbone’ is a punk song because it’s a gospel song that’s on the radio, I’m like there’s only so far you can go before you just are the radio.”

Could it be that the success of “Redbone”—which was released late last year but just this week climbed into the U.S. Billboard chart’s Top 20, likely due to its inclusion in Get Out—is what finally killed Gambino?

Maybe. Or maybe he’s just going to be busy for the foreseeable future with the second season of Atlanta, his roles in the coming Star Wars prequel and The Lion King, as well as that Deadpool series he’s making.

Either way, to this news, there is only one suitable response:

My Emotions