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.

Oh man, what a year 2013 was, for me personally and for some great albums. My pick for this list is from 2013, as was Yeezus, and I first heard Frank Ocean's channel ORANGE in 2013. Very formative year for me. I'd been a fan of Gambino since Joey sent me a link to "Freaks and Geeks" on a blog called thissongissick.com way back when. This album is his most expansive and holistic musical statement, and to me his most impressive. Complete with a screenplay, I think the basic premise is that he's inhabiting a character who's the song of a famous rapper, maybe Rick Ross? I forget, too, that Gambino is lead producer on most of this, with help from Ludwig Goransson (!). Really fantastic, varied production. I haven't listened in years but it took me right back, I was trying to rap/sing along with every song. Not a miss on here. The best album from an artist I love, from a year that means the world to me. One of two albums I've paid $100 for (the other being Channel Orange), and it's for the limited "bootleg" pressing. Proud of that. Gotta be a five star, right? Favorite tracks: Love it all, but top joints for me are Urn, Telegraph Ave, Worldstar, Crawl, Shadows, The Party. Album art: Love this picture, it's become a bit of a meme but I think that's just testament to its strength. He looks jaded, high, evil maybe, just a lot of things. Love the colors, especially of the Hawaiian shirt. A classic for me, dare I say iconic. 5/5

Rating: 10/10

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

Sweatpants into 3005 is a straight time machine back to 2013. He was a massive deal around this time, incredible range going from Troy and Abed in the Morning to this

Yes! I liked it! It's great!

It's pretty dang cool overall

Yes!

I am familiar with a couple of his songs, and some of his roles as an actor, but I had yet to do a deep dive into his music. I'm not surprised though that I really enjoyed this album. I'll definitely listen again and check out more in the future. Great choice!

Just so damn charming and nice, what a superstar.

This is the version of him I like best. Other than this is America, I struggle with his later work. Peak for me!

Both his albums that have been recommended on here are groundbreaking in their sound and style.

Amazing how this album is already typical of its day and age and yet still addressing how online "garbage" discourse somehow seeps through the ever-elusive sense of "reality" today. Through its obfuscating concept about a rich African-American "boy" having all sorts of existential questions -- which lead him from hedonism and sexual urges to a suicide attempt, from innocent love and romantic impulses to drug dealing, and from idleness and apathy to what is possibly aggrandizing self-realization, fitting to the status of a mock-political prophet of sorts-- Childish Gambino takes us by the hand, leads us into a crazy labyrinth, suddenly cuts our Ariadne's thread on several key junctures, and leaves us there to find our way out. From a few discreet sources out there, it appears that Daniel Glover had gone through a very serious personal crisis before recording this album. And given how both original and effective the latter is, it looks like he had found a way for this crisis to fuel his artistic vision at least -- helped along by the incredibly versatile and resourceful Ludwig Göransson for instrumentation and production. So now, about what I wrote in the first lines of this tentative "review"... This LP is indeed *of its time* because it both displays and critiques the nascent fascination for internet culture and its postmodernist maze of memes and self-referential brain rot, so "normalized" right now you'd probably not use the same language to describe those things today -- which incidentally brings a somewhat nostalgic flavor to this thing, oddly enough, harking back to the more innocent times that saw the project's birth. And musically speaking, partial nostalgia also plays a part, given that in its most melodic highlights the album offers strong late noughts / early 2010s, r'n'b-infused hip hop flavours sounding slick, layered and glossy -- contrasting a lot with the more abrasive and experimental cuts also used to tell the story of "the boy" (but more on the album's overall structure later on). Think of an even more tortured version of Frank Ocean, or a truly intelligent (!) version of Kanye circa *MBTDF*, and you're not so far off the mark. Yet even if *Because The Internet* is of its time, it still manages to sound relevant *today*, because it shows said "internet' as a hall of deforming mirrors bound to lead to derealization and schizophrenia. And given the current political climate, such aesthetics are still potent. Not that the album is directly political -- even if the line "You got some silverware / but really, are you eating, though?" in "Sweatpants" sounds like a more scathing and more self-ironical version of Ocean's lyrics about "Super Rich Kids" (that line gets me every time!). The thing is, it sometimes feels like we're all trapped in the belly of that horrible internet beast today, and maybe it took a nerd like Donald Glover -- already invested a lot on that sort of online world -- to see where it would lead us more than a decade later. The passing reference to a far-right troll on the album's closer sure is prophetic, unfortunately. Let's just say that we're not out of the dark digital woods explored by this album yet, right? Now it needs to be said that, like all good rock operas of days yonder, with a script provided with it to follow the "story" (say The Who's *Tommy*), good rap concept albums can't really hold water if they don't have their fair share of bops. And fortunately, two pivotal "acts" in the five-act structure of the album (structured as a seven-act thing on the liner notes of the album's physical copies -- because why not?) are filled to the brim with those absolute bangers. I'm first talking about act 2 here: indeed, the album really takes flight on its onset on a musical level, with "The Worst Guys". Then it ups the ante with each successive track: "Shadows", "Telegraph Ave.", and "Sweatpants", culminating with the terrific choruses of "3005" (that goddamn "hol' up" hook!). Then, some time later, "Because The Internet" ends with a bang, thanks to another perfect string of three songs on its last leg: "Pink Toes", "Earth: The Oldest Computer", and "Life: The Biggest Troll" -- the latter having "Donald Glover" showing his face from behind the scenes in a meta-twist that's kind of predictable by this point, and that yet feels earned and emotionally powerful given what the lyrics say about the absolute need to connect with real people again. Twelve years before Kendrick Lamar said "Turn The TV Off", Childish Gambino had already told us to turn off the internet after getting lost into it. I have a sneaking suspicion that if the first request mentioned up here (Kendrick's) will always be more famous than the second, it's the second that will resonate the most for me in the future. Before and between those two acts filled with bops, you might ask? Well, what you have there is often more akin to ominous nightmarish vignettes used to narrate the "story" than songs proper, and yet those cuts never sounds grating or pointless to my ears on a purely musical level. They're actually interesting to go through, and come to think of it, you also have pivotal highlights there as well, like the opening "Crawl", lively and yet menacing "Zealots Of Stockholm", or the two "sweet-sounding" ballads "Flight Of The Navigator" and "Urn" (the second as short as it is blunt and intimate on a lyrical level). So with all that in mind, will some listeners think Glover overplayed his hand when he recorded this thing? Some will, unavoidably. Some will label the music on this LP "pretentious", "long-winded", or "overblown", most probably. That's not MY take, though. Because for me, the crazed-out rap flows and lush, seductive tones of *Because The Internet* are pretty easy to go through if you're a hip hop fan. And just like any great "rap opera" (or "rock-opera", for that matter), it is as pleasurable to listen to in casual mode as it is to do so when you willingly get lost in its intricate lyrics, topical contents, and suggested plot points. At the end of the day, that's how that sort of album should work. And when I see its global score on this generator, it seems like it actually works pretty well on its intended audience, at least. Which is all that matters, ultimately. Since I saw that 3.21 score, there's one thing online I'm not gonna be mad about at least. You gotta start somewhere to remain positive, in spite, or because of, the internet .🤷 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5). ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 70 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 87 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 168 ---- Emile... Je viens de lire ta dernière réponse. Je vais essayer de trouver le temps de rédiger la mienne bientôt. D'ici-là, ben bonne année

One of my favorite rap concept albums of all time. The lyrics are witty but also deep and the beats are super fun and cohesive. Straight fire.

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.

Unlike "Awaken, My Love!", which someone else submitted, this one is lead by Glover's rap ability and some banger beats. I don't think it has the strength that the run time would make you think it does, but it does showcase a lot of talent. Favorite tracks: "Sweatpants", "3005", "Zealots Of Stockholm"

It's another transitory album. While a dead man couldn't argue with the 1-2 of Sweatpants and 3005, for some of the rest the album tries bold swings which don't always connect - Chance and Donald on the same track should've soared! This sounds critical, but honestly, this is why it's merely great and not all time.

An outstanding 282M views on youtube music! It's a rich album, lots of content, lots of themes and really expansive. Nicely composed.

Because it's Childish Gambino, it's great.

Was not expecting this album but so happy someone chose this!! This was a staple in the house in college that played on the record player. My brother and I got to see him in concert touring for this album and that was an awesome experience. It’s not my favorite of his but it still great and has Sweatpants which is one of my favorite Gambino songs. Favs here are Crawl, Worldstar, Telegraph Ave, Sweatpants, 3005, and Zealots of Stockholm.

And another good rap album by Childish Gambino. I like his flow and when things get a bit weird.

Once again there's a childish gambino album that has some cool stuff on it like 3005 but it also feels like Donny Glover couldn't resist putting quirky, dumb bullshit in there too. Either way, probably only needed awaken, my love on the user list.

This album is a bit all over the place, and continuity/flow seem often interrupted. A lot of good stuff still to be found, but not as cohesive as his other stuff.

This is where Childish Gambino really blew up and proved himself as an exciting and versatile artist, rather than just an actor/comedian who could make some fun raps. It’s a really ambitious project, especially with all the visual and online stuff to complement it but even just the album itself is pretty huge in terms of its scope. It is chronically online almost to a fault but very witty and entertaining, and Glover’s performances are great over some really solid and out-there production, combining huge pop hooks with some pretty wild instrumentals. It’s a bit inconsistent, with some tracks coming across more as skits or ideas than fleshed out songs, and not as direct or impactful as his follow-up, the funky and futuristic Awaken My Love!, but it’s a real landmark project

DGlove can do it all

So I had another album of his show up a few days ago and commented that I was excited to hear it but was let down. So my expectations were not as high for this one. Turns out this one was better for me. This grabbed me the way the earlier hadn’t.

Really enjoyed

4.5

One of the things I appreciate about Donald Glover is the depth and attention to detail he brings to his work. Whether it’s here, as a musician, or on Atlanta, as the creator and also an actor, he strikes me as being meticulous in pursuing his vision - which makes the things he creates worth revisiting over and over. I’m giving this a four, with the very distinct possibility that I change my rating to a 5 after a few more listens.

Donald Glover got is his start in a number of different ways so I'll just quickly list them now: Writing and occasional guest spots on 30 Rock, early youtube sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy and their subsequent movie Mystery Team, Troy Barnes on hit TV show Community, comedy central stand-up special Weirdo, the first Childish Gambino album Camp featuring breakout hit Bonfire. If you've heard of any of those, great! If not, hopefully it gives you some idea how prolific the guy on the cover art is. Yes, that's him. As far as alternative hip hop goes, this is perhaps the most poppy (I remember 3005 and Sweatpants being particularly well-received singles). Even then, Because the Internet has distinctly dark and spaced-out moments that highlights how Gambino sets himself apart from his contemporaries. There's also a short movie that is meant accompany the album, but I never paid it any mind. With such a successful execution of the "deep web" theme and more than a few memorable songs, I can excuse how overly long this gets. Believe it or not this is not Gambino's shining moment. After this he had the megahit Redbone on the magnificent modern soul album "Awaken, My Love!", which was later followed up by This Is America which seemingly set the world on fire with it's provocative music video. Everything else since then has been a fumble because I assume Glover has been too busy doing other stuff (where's the Bando Stone movie???). So many intersecting paths here, it's hard to accurately pinpoint this album's place in modern music history. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Big maybe. Either this one or "Awaken, My Love!", which is what I'm leaning toward due to being both the better album and the bigger hit. Save the alternative hip-hop spaces for Earl Sweatshirt and Death Grips.

I've not listened to this album in full before. It was great fun. He's a top musician isn't he. I can't say I'll listen to this a lot but it's damn cool

I'm not much of a rap/Hip-Hop type of listener, but I'll always make time for Childish Gambino. There's just something evocative and dangerous, much like his predecessors Public Enemy, NWA, and 2 Live Crew.

January 22, 2026 HL: "I. Crawl", "II. Worldstar", "Sweatpants", "3005", "Zealots of Stockholm" "Sweatpants" and "3005", previously the only songs I really knew from B.T.I., probably kept me from being utterly lost. My Bino longplays before this were Awaken My Love!, Royalty (mixtape), and Atavista in that order, and I would say all are easier listens than this. But I have to say, like the aforementioned albums, I did enjoy the creative twists n' turns here. Either a 3 or a 4 but I'll bump it up today.

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.

Definitely seems very dense in content and there's a lot going on. The experiment is interesting, but there isn't much here that gets a hold on me.... I'd say the first time I was really enjoying the rap was on The Biggest Troll, the last track on the album. Worth the listen.

You go, Troy! There are some very smart witty lyrics here. I'm not a fan of this genre and I'm not really enjoying this listen, but I can appreciate that this is a person who is skilled at their craft and has made an impact on the cultural zeitgeist with their contributions to it. So, yeah, you go Troy!

Reminds me of my younger years

None of the tracks packed the punch of This is America, but boy is this person talented.

Not bad, but was hoping for more.

This is a toughie. I liked the sound of the music, but I didn't like it compared to the other Childish Gambino album. It's tough to evaluate this since I wanted more hiphop music on the list but this just was fine. I guess hiphop has to have those mediocre albums right? My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. The other user submitted album is better.

From never listening to Childish Gambino to getting two of his albums in a row. I preferred awaken my love over this one. But this clearly also merits a place On the list.

Some good tracks, but I didn't click with it overall. Production is good, but I wasn't particularly wowed.

its good. catchy but fun. 3. Not rated higher bc too many words for work.

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Kelpaa

Always found this album disappointing compared to Awaken, My Love, but it still has its moments and charm. I suppose it's not really fair to compare them, any way.

I. The Worst Guys is pretty good. I broadly don't have a good lens for modern hip hop but his flow is very melodic.

Temas a medio camino entre el hip-hop y un rap un tanto suave. Se deja escuchar, aun no siendo un estilo que particularmente me guste. Artista desconocido, con canciones bien trabajadas.

Good but not greatly impressive to my ears

A fascinating but uneven album. The production is often incredible: thick bass, sharp beats, and a lot of creative ideas in the arrangements. At its best the music feels adventurous and charged with emotion. At its worst the constant abrupt shifts work against the songs and break the flow of the album. The darker tracks about loneliness, depression, and trying to find meaning hit hardest. The whole Party to the Urn section is genuinely excellent. The romantic songs feel thinner and a bit simplistic in comparison, which might be deliberate, but it still weakens the record. Overall this feels like a transitional album. There is so much ambition here, and when it comes together it sounds great, but you can also hear him reaching for something he would perfect more fully on Awaken, My Love!.

This is a difficult one for me to rate. I like the production of it. Some of the flows are pretty good. Asides from a couple of tracks though, I just don't get it. It leaves me cold and uninterested - old and no longer relevant. Yeah, I know I'm middle aged, but I'm only a few years older than Glover so that doesn't really explain it. Don't get me wrong - there are a couple of tracks on this album that I very much enjoyed - sweatpants being one that sticks out - but I think that I need to accept that I used to be with it, but then they changed what "it" was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what it is seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you!

Favorite songs: IV. Sweatpants, I. Crawl, I. The Party, I. The Worst Guys, 3005 Least favorite songs: II. Worldstar, I. Flight of the Navigator, II. Zealots of Stockholm (Free Information) 3/5

Starts of super strong, but fades towards the end. Now if "Awaken My Love" was here, that'd be a 5.

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.

For an album that seems to put so much effort into its sequencing, this felt like a completely incomprehensible disjointed mess. Too ambitious for its own good. Overlong, boring. Still has some standouts though, like "3005". I like the fart synths on that one.

Unbearable.

2 day road trip. This wasn’t the soundtrack I needed.

Found this one boring

Because The Internet is better than the previous Childish Gambino effort, it's better produced, more vibrant, his flow is easier to connect with and hear, there are some cool influences throughout etc. It just runs a bit too long with a bit too much filler, and I don't really feel like I can connect with any tracks by name except for 3005, but a high 2/5 is fair.

It was okay

Hip-hop. El comienzo de la primera canción asusta. El resto, me causa como ansiedad. No le pongo 1 porque mala música no es.

Why would anyone give 5 stars for this shite? 🤣

This album jackhammered my brain and then molested me, leaving me confused with a butterfly tattoo trampstamp.