Childish Gambino has always claimed that he’s not a rapper, and on “Awaken, My Love!”, he proves it by not spitting a single verse.
The album flows like a narrative, almost as if Gambino is talking to the newborn child he had with his partner earlier this year.
Gambino sings about racial fear in the United States and working toward a better life, while warning his child about what the future will offer.
However, Gambino also uses “Awaken, My Love!” to look toward a better future.
On “Boogieman,”he creates an image of a “rising sun” to convey a message of hope symbolized by a new day.
Gambino tackles a lot of subjects that are at the forefront of the American psyche right now, and he does so gracefully. By using funk and punk rock as the base of this album, he connects our nation’s current situation to the state of the country in the ’70s, when funk and rock were on the rise.
“Awaken, My Love!” also serves as a plea to the people listening to it. Gambino begs them to spread love and understanding instead of hate. “Have Some Love” is a perfect example of this, and the album’s opener, “Me and Your Mama,” starts out like a lullaby before shifting into funk territory and punk rock screaming, a verified cry for help from the listeners.
While the style we hear from Gambino on his third studio album is nothing like his style on Camp and Because the Internet, that does not mean it is bad.
“Awaken, My Love!” shows Gambino is not set in his ways. Ever since his days writing for 30 Rock, Gambino has wanted to do more. He continues to break the mold people put him in, whether that be a musical genre or a character archetype, and “Awaken, My Love!” is no different. Gambino reinvents himself as an artist and entertainer once again, and once again, it works.
