Because the Internet: An Analysis of Childish Gambino’s 2013 Album from a Storytelling Perspective

On December 10, 2013 rapper, singer Donald Glover, stage named Childish Gambino, dropped his second studio album titled ​Because the Internet​. With a combination of smart lyrical rapping and soulful R&B vibes, the album was met with mostly positive reviews, but in many people’s eyes, it was seen as a masterpiece. Following his debut album Camp,​ Gambino’s flow, line delivery, and overall production quality all were brought to the next level. This album arguably was the one that put him into the mainstream. Most people will agree that the album exceeded expectations and delivered a great sounding repertoire of songs, but the album offers so much more to those who look beyond the clean bars and silky vocals. Following the promotion of this album and digging into the lyrics and analyzing certain audio clues reveals a story weaved into the making of this album. The album tells a story of a man realizing the futility of life and how absurd the world really is.

Donald Glover has always had experience telling stories. One of his earliest examples of telling stories is joining sketch comedy group ​Derrick Comedy w​ hile attending NYU in 2006. This was a “just for fun” thing and never did anything big for his career, but it was a step in the right direction. Later that year, Glover sent a script idea for ​The Simpsons ​to a producer which caught the attention of legendary actress and writer Tina Fey who gave him a position as a writer for one of NBC’s hit shows. In high school, Donald Glover received the superlative, “Most Likely to Write for the Simpsons” not knowing thag doing just that would eventually land him a spot on the writing team for ​30 Rock​. Later on, Glover would go on to play a full-time cast member on ​Community, a​ nother NBC show. Coming from a background of writing and acting, it wasn’t long before he incorporated these elements into his music.

Although Gambino has never explicitly told the story in ​Because the Internet,​ the clues are cleverly placed for audience’s to interpret. The community trying to decode this has more or less settled on one meaning of the album. In the article ​How Because the Internet is a Millennial Masterpiece, ​author Jacob Russell gives a well-detailed look at the story Gambino is telling. Russell divided the album into four distinct sections that I will be referring to in the remainder of the paper.

The story begins with a look at how the internet is a bad place. This section begins with “The Library” and ends with “The Worst Guys” Between these songs, Gambino describes how the internet can be a horrible place, a theme present in the entire album. The song “Worldstar” explores the idea that the internet is obsessed with violence and cares more about media attention than a person’s life. “The Worst Guys” covers the topic of misogyny and how women are treated on the internet. This section is what is seen as “the norm” in rap culture. It is here to provide the context for the world we are in.

The next section, which spans from “Shadows” to “3005,” brings in the mentioning of an unnamed girl present in the unnamed protagonist’s life. It starts off with the typical themes of love and romance, as seen in the song “Telegraph Ave.,” which talks about a night out he has with this girl. But as the section moves on, the protagonist begins to realize that maybe he is not in love but, instead, too scared to feel alone. This is highlighted in the song “3005.” He talks about loving this girl “until 3005” but then admits to himself that he is truly just afraid of being alone.

The next section begins with the sound of a piano in an empty room in the song “Playing Around Before the Party Starts.” This song essentially lays out the theme of the following section. Gambino describes a party (best described in the song “The Party”) in which he is in a room full of people but only feels alone. The section continues to explore the feeling of loneliness, which is also reflected musically, with slowed down, reverb-heavy moments.

It is finally in the last section that he is accepting of his loneliness, but it is not in the way you might think. He isn’t okay with being alone, but he acknowledged the fact that the world is absurd and life and time are meaningless. Starting with the song “Urn” and ending with “Life: The Biggest Troll," Gambino describes an eerie downward spiraling. The song “Earth: The Oldest Computer” explores the idea of the few moments before death. Knowing the context of the album’s story makes listeners understand and appreciate the final song, and even the entire album, more. “Life: The Biggest Troll” describes life itself as a “troll” on the internet who has no care for his actions and exists only to disappoint, hurt, and bully you into submission. It is a sad ending that really can be painful to hear.

Many people can hear and feel music, but actually ​listening​ to music is an entirely different experience. Hearing ​Because the Internet ​might make you appreciate its production quality and expert technical abilities, but actually listening to the album makes you view it in a whole new light. Donald Glover has stated that he is dropping the moniker “Childish Gambino.” No one can say if he is done with music or not, but listening not only to this album but to all his others is an experience that transcends rap and transcends music. His storytelling ability is something that will be remembered long after he one day puts down the microphone.