Welcome to the Big Leagues Mr. Gambino - Let’s Tear Apart “Bonfire” (Listen)

I pressed play on Childish Gambino's new single "Bonfire" and immediately realized he'd earned my respect as a rapper. You see, up until now I'd be judging all of his music on the "hey, that's the guy who's also on 'Community' scale. But "Bonfire"? "Bonfire" I'm judging on the "this guys an actual emcee" scale. So the good news for Gambino is that he's earned the right to be judged as a musician - the bad news for Gambino is that he's earned the right to be judged as a musician.

For the record, overall I dig this record, but for all intents and purposes it's the exact same cut as the song that first put me onto Gambino, "Freaks & Geeks": a hard hitting, looped beat flooded with pop culture references. So now the question becomes, these are a good listen, but do I really want to listen to an entire album from this guy? Honestly, I don't know yet, but he's in danger of becoming the punchline version of a Lex Luger beat - the same thing every time with small tweaks.

Either way, I'll be watching his future work closely, including his debut album "Camp", due out on November 15. Until then, enjoy the compare and contrast action below. (UPDATE: The headline's a joke, and a nod to the larger theme of the write-up. Word to the hater police who only read the headline and ironically got angry at me about it.)





See Also: Catching the F**K Up With Childish Gambino (Video & Download)