Time Theft Nation

Top 12 for 2011: Projects with massive replay value

11) Childish Gambino “Camp”

First off, I wasn’t the biggest Childish Gambino fan when I heard “Freaks and Geeks.” I thought it was an incredible beat and he was just talking a lot of bullshit, with clever wordplay. The typical rapper. Then my buddy, @TheDanBurruto showed me a youtube clip of him rapping over Grizzly Bear’s Two Weeks and I became a fan, instantly. This, paired with the fact that he stars on my favorite show, Community (tomorrow at 8 p.m., NBC), made “Camp” my most anticipated release of the end of 2011.

On Monday, NPR debuted “Camp” in its entirety. Here’s why it made the best of the year list.

The album opens up with incredible back up singers, hypnotic keys and orchestral strings that continually make their presence known throughout the album. On the first track Outside, Donald Gambino starts talking about his childhood and early history, with time conscious punchlines.  He talks about his family and their struggle while he was growing up, with poverty and the various issues afflicting his immediate family. His story telling takes precedence over making each line rhyme, and the backup singers really bring the triumph of the song home.

The second track, Firefly is more of a radio friendly song, with playfully serious content matter. He frequently raps about the people in his past who have doubted him, who’ve thought of him as weak and called him a faggot and how they are trying to make amends with him now. He prefers telling the truth and doesn’t hold anything back. His punchline riddled verses (And you’s a fake fuck, like a flesh light) work nicely in between the poppy hook.

Oh yeah, most of the time he favors the words “girls” and “ladies” and “women” over “bitches.” A foreign concept to many rappers.

The third track is the single, Bonfire. Goddamn. Braggadocio raps. He reference’s Earl from Odd Future and Toe Jam Earl in the same bar. He rips Drake twice. Makes a couple Budden-esque controversial bars (Princess Di & Casey Anthony.. and in a later song, Virginia Tech). Show’s love to Nickelodeon for the first time on the album, referencing Invader Zim (he references Reptar in a later track, L.E.S.). He also shouts out Ludwig Goransson, who plays in within the live band during Childish’s shows, and also composes for the show Community. The most rewindable track on the album.

He slows it down with a long lead in on All of the Shine. He returns to his realistic pleas , talking about peoples perceptions of him rapping and why he chooses to do it. This is also the first track he sings the hook on, and does pretty damn well. Throughout, he exhibits his self-doubt and insecurities and in doing so makes the albums best track to this point.

The fifth and shortest track, Letter Home, effortlessly blends with All of The Shine, and talks about a girl he longs for and how he wrestles with wanting to reach out to her.

The sixth song, Heartbreak, sounds like the next single, and definitely could get some play in the clubs, maybe with a remix. Heartbeat has a catchy, hopelessly romantic hook that’s repeated before the Deadmau5-like beat drops. He talks about how it’s hard for a guy to give it all to a girl and the uncertainty of dealing with an ex. He ends the song on an true, A Capella note. 

Backpackers sounds like a Tyler, The Creator meets Kanye beat. Childish isn’t really at his best when he tries to go real hard like this, but he still manages to spout off some potent punchlines, and call out all the people who doubted. These spiteful chants echo throughout the album, maybe too often.

L.E.S. begins with a heartbeat bass before the hook drops along with strings. Gambino kinda bites some of Kanye’s style in this one, and a few other bits from various rappers, making the song catchy. He also offers some hilarious insight onto hipster culture.

Hold You Down touches on his haters and his past, again. The handclaps in this one make the underdog vibe work well. He talks a lot about racial differences in this one, and everything and everyone that’s tried to hold him back in the past. Again, the Kanye influences are there with the muted echos in the background. Maybe the best beat on the album. The OHHHHH SHITTTTTTTT moment of the album: “Aimin’ for the throne, Jay and ‘Ye said to watch that / They asked me what I’m doing, and I said I’m stealin’ Roc back”

Kids (Keep Up) is brilliant. This one hits home. Favorite on the album. If you don’t buy it, Youtube it.

Like Backpackers, in You See Me Gambino tries rappin’ over a hype beat or a faux Lex Luger beat. This one’s full of pop culture references, Kanye beatmarks and flows, “Dark Knight” tones, and his fetish for Asian girls. I dig the Harris Wittels @humblebrag shout, and the fact that he introduced me to Rosie Jones O_O.

Sunrise features a hook calling out rappers doing stupid shit while Gambino’s already a few steps ahead. I wish the Black rock reference wasn’t to Lost, but to Blakroc. The backup singers steal the show on this one, the handclaps are back and so’s the pulsating beat. Whoever sings at the end MAKES the song, awesome.

That Power is one of the best album closer’s I’ve ever heard. This song actual might be my favorite, because of the story. The beat is phenomenal due to the strong structure that makes the drops even better. The background singers CRUSH the beat. The keys, claps, bass and drum are all clicking. Then at the end of the song, he displays his uncanny storytelling ability. The story he tells is fucking incredible. This is where you find out why the album IS titled “Camp.” He talks about the girl he ‘more than liked’ at camp, and how he breaks it to her. The lesson learned is beautiful. “She said one word, ‘Destiny’”

If you don’t listen to anything else on the album, listen to That Power, especially the story. Oh yeah, Kanye’s influences can be heard in the background of this one, too.

The album comes out this coming Tuesday, November 15th, the same day as Drake’s “Take Care,” and as I mentioned earlier, he takes a few shots at him in the first single, Bonfire. I highly recommend buying it. He’s also signed to Glassnote Records, the Indie rock label, pretty cool, right? Yup.