Childish Gambino‘s new album Awaken, My Love is as funky as expected.
Childish Gambino forecasted the direction of his new album when he hosted his three-day PHAROS festival this past summer. People who went said they got George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Earth, Wind & Fire-type vibes from the experience.
After releasing the “Me And Your Mama” and “Redbone” singles that sound like the spawn of both Clinton and Collins, the entire Awaken, My Love album is here and it does not disappoint.
Not since Outkast’s multiple shifts in the 2000s have we heard a rapper do a complete 180 from their previous work. Gambino doesn’t just choose to rap over “different” sounding beats, he scraps the art of traditional rapping altogether and communicates on an entirely different frequency throughout. He talks to listeners with themes of love and awareness that are crucial in the world we are living in right now and the future that awaits us.
With Black music like funk nearing obscurity, by way of less sampling and instrumentation in Hip-Hop and Black music at large, it is encouraging to hear artists like Gambino [as well as D.R.A.M. and Anderson .Paak] immerse themselves in the genre and re-introduce it to a new generation of fans.
Really, the only thing missing here is an actual cameo from Clinton, Collins, EWF or Outkast [he opened at one of their reunion shows in Atlanta in 2014]. But, from listening, and looking at the Maggot Brain-inspired album cover, you can tell that their presence is still there even if it wasn’t physical.
Listen to Childish Gambino’s Awaken, My Love! below.
