By Kyle Mantha

Donald Glover has never been one to stay stagnant. He’s an artist who is constantly pushing his art forward, never stopping to look back or smell the roses. Each project he released since his 2010 mixtape Culdesac has sounded drastically different. His biggest musical leap, however, comes from his latest offering: “Me and Your Mama.”



Me and Your Mama is the first single from Gambino’s highly anticipated album “Awaken, My Love!”. The track is unlike anything Bino has ever released, featuring huge, booming guitars and soaring vocals. It’s certainly not a rap song, Gambino’s raspy, emotional delivery is more reminiscent of James Brown than it is Jay Z. The song is even classified on iTunes as “Soul and R&B.”

Gambino’s departure from rap is not something that is out of the blue. His 2014 EP, Kauai, was a dreamy pop record, with little to no rapping at all. But still, Kauai had at least a little bit of hip hop influence. This song, however, has absolutely none at all, so it makes sense that some fans may be a bit surprised on their first listen.

It’s clear now that Gambino has been doing nothing but working since his last release in 2014. Somehow he found time to create, write, and star in a critically acclaimed TV show, write a musically groundbreaking album, star in several big budget films, AND have a child all within the span of two years. I don’t even want to think about how messed up his sleep schedule must be. But that’s what separates Gambino from his contemporaries. He simply doesn’t quit. If he wants to do something, he gets it done. Nothing, not even exhaustion, can stop him.

“Awaken, My Love!” is one of Gambino’s most mysterious and intriguing releases yet. There has been little to no promotion, other than when he live-previewed the album at his Pharos event, and even then, the event was vague and shrouded in mystery. Very little info on the event was given, fans pretty much purchased their tickets blindly, save for a small description that said new music would be played. After purchasing a ticket, you were taken to a “guidebook” that had rules for the event, as well as a very far-out sounding explanation of what exactly the event entailed.



Given that Gambino’s last two projects have been concept records, it makes sense that fans are already speculating on what kind of story this new album will tell. Based on track titles like “Me and Your Mama” and “Baby Boy”, it seems that “Awaken, My Love!” is an album dedicated to his newborn son. Gambino also updated his Spotify header and YouTube profile picture, both of which showed him with a mustache and outfitted in retro looking clothes. Based on these images, it seems that Gambino is fully immersing himself in the funk/soul aesthetic.



It’s been over two years since Gambino released “STN MTN/Kauai”, the mixtape/EP bundle that juxtaposed his two very different styles. Fans have been waiting since then for this new album, and given how textured and unique “Me and Your Mama” is, this album is sure to be worth the wait.