Childish Gambino Says" Rap Is Done!", Considers Himself A Leader For "New Black" Movement

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Childish Gambino sat with Peter Rosenberg of Hot97 for an interview to discuss a few things including his new album Because The Internet. Childish Gambino touched on the reason he says his album is not a rap album but in fact a pop album. Gambino, who states he does not consider himself a rapper explains his point of view on where Rap and Hip Hop culture is headed, claiming “Rap is done”.

Here’s what Childish Gambino had to say:

“It’s a pop album essentially. We never wanted to make a rap album. I’ve talked about this before. Rap is done. Rap is done. I love Hip Hop. I love rap, but the thing it was supposed to do it doesn’t do anymore. Like I love it as a music. It’s the same thing as like Jazz. Jazz when it was doing what it was supposed to do. And people still listen to Jazz now, but it doesn’t have—It’s not doing the social work it’s supposed to do anymore,and that’s not because it’s gotten bad…It’s just a different movement. Whatever movement is happening now—Like I would like to think I’m a leader of whatever movement is happening. People call it ‘new black.’ People call it whatever, but I don’t want to name it cause it’s bs to name it. As soon as it gets named that’s when you start marketing it. And it’s like ‘Ah, this is hipster.’ Cause hipster was cool until it became hipster…And then it became monetized. Same thing with Hip Hop. So, whatever this thing is. Whatever’s happening. Like whenever Jaden Smith tells me he’s like ‘I’m real excited for whatever’s happening.’ He can feel it. I can feel it.”

Childish Gambino has been very vocal about the influence Hip Hop culture has on our community and made efforts last month to shed some light on this topic by writing a controversial poem in which Gambino states “I wish I was a white rapper”. This poem, Gambino says is really a poem about freedom.

“That poem was about freedom. It really was. It was about freedom. That’s what I wrote and I—People were upset. But yeah, good. A poem should make you [upset]. Like when was the last time someone wrote a poem that made you feel bad like crazy? That was heart. That’s how I felt in the moment…I just wanted to write about—I wanted to show how freedom is something that’s so great when you feel it. Like I felt it. I feel it on stage…I don’t hardly remember when I’m on stage most of the time. Cause it’s like freedom.”

Check out the video below:

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