Because the Internet

Ah, my submission. So this is my favorite album from my favorite artist. I think it is important to know that part of my submission is the context in which this album came out. It comes out with a screenplay, a narrative tour set, and an ARG of sorts along with it. I highly recommend the Dissect series on this album, it is quite good. The album by itself is a blending of the excellent writing and delivery of rap by Donald, the enigmatic and unique production supporting, and the strong narrative 5 act structure tying everything together. Altogether, this album is one I'd say also Bridges the gap between his earlier "nerd rap" and later funk, gospel, and Experimental eras, and bends genre to the fullest without breaking it.

From this period onwards I'll take Donald Glover over Kanye. Mostly familiar with him as an actor and hadn't listened to any of his music really, but this is an entertaining mess of an album. Keeps you on your toes, and it definitely got a few audible laughs out of me.

It's been a couple years since I've listened to Mr. Glover in full album format and I forgot just how good this is. Cheesy pun-filled lyrics, cool ass dreamy/spacey production, concept and thought. Issa goodun.

Rating: 10/10

Top choice. I hadn't listened before, but what a great selection of styles

Yes! I liked it! It's great!

It's pretty dang cool overall

This is a great album, but not his best work. I remember when this album came out. This was back when he was "that actor trying to rap". Honestly, out of his four studio albums, this is mildly better than his debut album, and far behind Awaken, My Love. But the songs are catchy and memorable. Well written, too. Pretty much every song gets my toe tapping and my head bobbing. No denying Donald's talent. Sad that he says that he's done making music. Hope that's not true. He said back in 2020 that his next "musical project" would be huge. Hoping that's another CG album. 4.5/5, but rounding down to 4 because only because Awaken, My Love! is better at a 5/5.

Fuck. Yes. I've been a fan of the Gambino since Werewolf Bar Mitzvah (spooky! scary!). My immediate thought is that this isn't as good as Awaken, My Love! or a lot of his earlier albums and EPs (I love Camp and the 2011 EP so much). But then I put it on and it's just so fucking good. Donald's career is always one to watch. He's one of those people that is just unbelievably good at everything he does, and I always wish he did MORE of that thing. I wish he did MORE stand-up, I wish he did MORE comedy acting, and I wish he did MORE rapping/music writing. But I'm glad for what we have.

First half loaded with bops, second half kind of but overall forgot how good this album was. US making a strong showing here in the user albums

C'est bon , plus de 1h mais quand même il y de la bonne musique très diversifié dessus. J'ai bien aimé ça sort du lot de tout les rappeurs/artistes pareil de ces années 4

The concept ends up light, in positive and negative senses. None of Gambino's movements are particularly tight, but they do add flow to a record with plenty of it already. Most interesting is the pulling-in of the noisy and disturbing; As soundscapes, they're less of a shock and more of a capsize. But Because the Internet maintains pop appeal through, and has no drop-offs beginning, middle, or end.

Started on the fence with this, feeling like it might be mostly derivative, and if the lyrics were saying all that much, fast and failed though the flow might be. By the final triptych I'd it had brought me around though.

Gambino should have an album on this list, but my pick would probably be Awaken, My Love! - it's significantly more polished than this project. Still, there are a few bangers on this thing, and maybe if I had listened to this when I was 16 I'd have a closer connection to it. 7/10

8/10. Definitely had some moments where I was vibing with it, but it didn't rock my world either. I feel like the bits that stood out to me were often just the tracks I'd heard before, but there was cool stuff that didn't sound familiar as well. I can imagine a world where I grow to really enjoy this album.

I think Donald Glover is one of the most incredible talents around. I just love his TV shows, Atlanta and Mr & Mrs Smith, and his music is pretty fly as well. I’m not a huge fan of rap but I can appreciate the excellent production and performance here

Huge unforced error on my part not to listen to this whole LP - bumped '3005' all the time back in high school, but foolishly neglected the rest of the album. This is the closest I've come to giving an LP 5 stars on my first listen, mainly for the outstanding electronic production that makes this album's beats sound fresh even a decade later. The melodies are strong and memorable, the drums aggressive and punchy, and the synth choices attention-grabbing without distracting from Gambino's involved flows. I could easily listen to this album as an instrumental version and rock out, which stands in contrast to other rappers' beats which often skew heavily rhythmic and sometimes forgettable. If I did that, though, I'd be missing out on Glover's perfect wordplay. There were times during my listen yesterday that I had to stop working and just listen to the lyrics in fear I'd missed some small nuance or slight of hand that was crucial to the story Gambino was telling. There are so many lexical nooks and crannies in the flows here that one could easily get overwhelmed, but Glover has no problem firing off info at a crisp machine-gun pace before hitting rapid changeups and mirroring the sketch voices of rap's glory days. Each verse has clearly been thought out and planned to the smallest syllable, but Donald makes them sound effortless and casual even when he's hitting the more acerbic, spitting verses (i.e., the entirety of 'Sweatpants'). The only thing keeping this album from perfection (to me) is the quieter, less demanding final third that fails to live up to the high standard of what precedes it. That being said, the whole album is still an absolute joy to listen to in full, thanks in part to the artistic attention to detail that's been so thoroughly paid to each and every granule of the production space. Top to bottom (or vocals to beats), this thing is a densely constructed piece of art that rewards listeners for paying attention and taking notes while maintaining an overwhelming sense of carelessness and fun – if that isn't good music, then what the hell is?

So much weird shit on this one. But an undeniable classic Even though 3005 is like the only song that's enjoyable. 4

Great album!

I was in college when this came out and it was inescapable. Donald Glover’s delivery is clean, fast, and memorable. His rhymes are steeped in contemporary pop culture and are quick witted. His production is all over the place and incorporates a wide range of sounds and styles. This leads to some great moments, but also to some forgettable ones. He succeeds more than he misses though and though parts of this album weren’t as good as others, that album felt complete when it ended.

This was a fantastic album and one I’ve listened to dozens of times before. Gambino was one of my favorite artists in the 10s and this album is exactly that is. This album wasn’t as pop rap as his previous albums and not as experimental and R&B as his most recent two. It’s got the right blend of soulful production with catchy, gimmicky rap lines. The only draw back of this album was it was a bit long and some songs didn’t fit into play as much but overall this is exceptional and I’ll continue to listen to it. 8.6/10

This was not bad at all.

Childish Gambino will no doubt be added to future editions. Overall though, I find this album kind of meh. It's there, doesn't say a whole lot to me. But it all sounds fine.

I can appreciate that Donald Glover is super talented, but this just isn't my cup of tea. 3 stars.

I can really get into this kinda hiphop, especially because of it's social consciousness.

Good album

Nicely modern music and interesting rapping and vocals.

I like him better acting.... :) Not a big fan of the Genre, but I can get into the sounds and rapping. Every 'nigga' I hear on an album like this I bring the rating down a bit... Standouts: Crawl, 3005, Earth (The Oldest Computer) Rating: 3.5

Wow, there's a lot going on here, but this is fun, creative stuff. Fave Songs: Flight of the Navigator, V. 3005, Earth: The Oldest Computer (The Last Night), Pink Toes, Telegraph Ave.

Good

The final third of this album is possibly the most I have enjoyed a hip hop album. A really great, cool, relaxed handful of tracks that showcases the tone and timbre of the vocals, which are lovely. It's a shame that the preceding 12 or 13 tracks are not up to the same standard or as well suited to the vocal style. Rating: 2.5 Playlist track: Pink Toes Date listened: 12/09/24

I loved “Awaken, My Love!” when it appeared on this list. This album I enjoyed less. That’s probably more a statement about my musical tastes than anything else, because it sounded like a decent quality album. It just never really got me too excited. Still, well produced and some interesting things going on here, and I enjoyed the last 1/3 more than the first part.

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Way cooler than I am

I had the urge to stop this album during the first 2 songs. But as always, I push through the end. Luckily there was the occasional song which I liked. But not a high ranking album for me

Didn't like it

He was funny on community but this is not my thing. 2/5.

This was an OK album. Nothing really stood out. It was a little long and not really memorable. It is probably better than a 2 but not a 3.

A fan of some of his music, but found this difficult to get through

Ekki alveg minn tebolli.

Why would anyone give 5 stars for this shite? 🤣