Students request Childish Gambino come to campus
December 13, 2013
By Jordan Mason
Recently the Student Activities Board asked students who they would like to bring to campus for the fall and spring concerts. One name that has been requested on last three surveys is none other than comedian, rapper Childish Gambino.
“Childish Gambino is a recurring artist on our surveys because we hear his name brought up quite a bit. He is continually on the cusp of making it big and therefore is always a potential pick.” Adam Carrico, Associate Director of Concerts for SAB said.
Media arts studies sophomore Brandon Feigel said he would love for Gambino to perform at UK.
“The past concerts we’ve had on campus, I didn’t like either of the genres. I feel like the past concerts have only attracted a certain crowd.” Feigel said.
I found a pattern in choosing an artist for the annual apring and fall concerts alternating between alternative and hip-hop artists.
Alternative band My Morning Jacket performed for the spring 2011 concert. Hip-hop artists Gym Class Heroes and J. Cole tag-teamed in spring 2012 before country singer Brantley Gilbert took the stage for the fall 2012 concert. The Lumineers took this fall 2013, according to the SAB website.
If this pattern is correct, it looks like it is time for a hip-hop artist on campus,and it might just be Childish Gambino’s time.
Childish Gambino, otherwise known as Donald Glover from NBC’s Community, is a unique rapper in not only his musical style, but his story as a rich kid from the suburbs of Stone Mountain,Georgia, who went on to become a comedian and actor.
Glover who has been creating music for years, performs under the stage name Childish Gambino, which he said he found from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator in an interview on Fuse.
Gambino’s debut album “Camp,” released in 2011, generated an unexpected buzz around his music career.
His single “Heartbeat,” which used both hip-hop and rock influences brought Gambino national recognition when it reached top 20 on the Billboard charts in 2011.
Gambino is constantly breaking the stereotypical mold of a rap music.
His new album “Because the Internet” mixes several genres into one album, or what I would call soft rap with a twist.
“Because the Internet” has Gambino’s electro-synth beats with an R&B baseline and creative lyrics.
Not straying from his comedy background, his jokes allude to the ‘90s show “Smart Guy” in the song “The Worst Guys” featuring Chance the Rapper.
“I think it would be good to have an such a unique artist on campus.” Human nutrition freshman Fredrick Flemister Jr. said. “I also think it would be good for the university’s publicity and it would expose more students to the hip-hop genre that they may not be use to.”
When it comes to bringing Gambino to UK, Carrico said there are several aspects that go into choosing someone to perform at UK.
“Sometimes the students’ top choice might not be the best option for our campus because a number of other factors.” Carrico said.
Artist fees, cost of production, artist availability, scheduling are a few of the things that go into concert production, he said.
