I'm Not a Rapper: Donald Glover aka Childish G

25 Pages·2015·2.4 MB·English

by  Natalie Robertson

I’m
 Not
 a
 Rapper:
 Donald
 Glover
 aka
 Childish
 Gambino’s
 search

 for
 authenticity
 in
 the
 hip-­‐hop
 industry

Natalie
 Robertson

Virginia
 Tech
I’m
 not
 a
 rapper:
 Donald
 Glover
 aka
 Childish
 Gambino’s
 search

 for
 authenticity
 in
 the
 hip-­‐hop
 industry

In
 Shakespeare’s
 Hamlet,
 Polonius
 gives
 Laertes
 this
 advice:
 “This
 above
 all:

to
 thine
 own
 self
 be
 true.”
 The
 notion
 of
 being
 real
 and
 not
 false
 has
 played
 a
 firm

role
 in
 society
 since
 the
 early
 1600s,
 and
 perhaps
 earlier.
 ‘Keeping
 it
 real’

transcends
 cultural
 boundaries
 that
 are
 normally
 predetermined
 and
 untouched,

from
 English
 literature
 to
 hip-­‐hop
 music.
 In
 the
 hip-­‐hop
 industry,
 authenticating

oneself
 reigns
 paramount
 among
 all
 feats.
 Whether
 it
 is
 the
 car
 you
 drive,
 the
 people

you
 know
 or
 the
 music
 you
 produce,
 such
 factors
 aid
 hip-­‐hop
 artists
 in
 their
 quest

for
 authenticity.
 On
 the
 other
 hand,
 what
 factors
 hinder
 artists
 as
 they
 try
 to
 ‘keep
 it

real’?
 Could
 one
 of
 those
 elements
 involve
 an
 artist’s
 acting
 career?
 In
 this
 paper,
 I

will
 examine
 actor
 Donald
 Glover’s
 transition
 from
 acting
 to
 rapping
 under
 the
 stage

name
 Childish
 Gambino.
 In
 addition,
 I
 will
 examine
 the
 cultural
 nuances
 associated

with
 authenticity.
 Although
 Childish
 Gambino
 uses
 many
 authenticating
 strategies,

he
 also
 asserts
 himself
 as
 an
 individual.
 My
 research
 will
 dive
 into
 if
 and
 how
 this

can
 be
 attributed
 to
 his
 background
 in
 acting.
 Moreover,
 I
 will
 examine
 how
 the

rapper
 persona
 is
 similar
 and/or
 different
 to
 the
 actor
 persona.

 Does
 he
 face

struggles
 in
 authenticating
 himself
 because
 of
 his
 overlapping
 careers
 in
 television

and
 film?
 Specifically,
 I
 will
 assess
 the
 ‘keeping
 it
 real’
 category
 of
 authenticity,
 and

how
 the
 combination
 of
 acting
 and
 rapping
 either
 hinders
 or
 helps
 Gambino
 as
 he

tries
 to
 be
 ‘real.’
 More
 generally,
 I
 will
 delve
 into
 the
 other
 categories
 of
 authenticity,

including
 culture,
 location,
 sexuality
 and
 race.

Literature
 Review
This
 literature
 review
 pertains
 to
 authenticity
 in
 entertainment,
 especially
 in

the
 hip-­‐hop
 industry.
 First,
 I
 will
 present
 sources
 that
 discuss
 the
 cultural
 constructs

of
 authenticity
 in
 general.

 Then,
 I
 will
 present
 material
 that
 highlights
 the
 notion
 of

“keeping
 it
 real”
 in
 hip-­‐hop.
 After,
 I
 will
 draw
 attention
 to
 sources
 that
 cite
 the

importance
 of
 individualism
 in
 hip-­‐hop.
 Finally,
 I
 will
 end
 with
 material
 that

examines
 authenticity
 in
 Hollywood.

Authenticity
 in
 Hip-­‐Hop

  Authenticity
 is
 a
 culturally
 constructed
 concept
 that
 plays
 a
 critical
 role
 in

hip-­‐hop,
 but
 how
 is
 it
 defined?
 What
 exactly
 is
 authenticity,
 and
 why
 is
 it
 so

important
 to
 hip-­‐hop
 artists?
 Peterson
 defines
 authenticity
 as
 a
 “claim
 that
 is
 made

by
 or
 for
 someone,
 thing
 or
 performance
 and
 either
 accepted
 or
 rejected
 by
 relevant

others”
 (2005).
 The
 idea
 of
 acceptance
 or
 rejection
 is
 something
 that
 is
 often

overlooked;
 instead
 of
 looking
 at
 the
 “relevant
 others”
 who
 judge
 claims
 of

authenticity,
 individuals
 tend
 to
 focus
 on
 those
 who
 make
 the
 claims.
 The
 various

means
 of
 authenticating
 oneself
 in
 the
 hip-­‐hop
 industry,
 whether
 it
 is
 being
 from
 the

“hood”
 or
 not
 selling
 out
 to
 the
 mainstream
 demands
 of
 the
 industry,
 continue
 to
 be

utilized
 and
 altered
 by
 society.
 This
 is
 precisely
 why
 the
 “relevant
 others”
 are

critical
 in
 authentication.
 Without
 these
 groups,
 claims
 of
 authenticity
 would
 be

meaningless.
 An
 artist
 can
 claim
 to
 be
 real,
 hard
 and
 old
 school,
 but
 how
 valuable

are
 these
 claims
 without
 acknowledgement
 from
 others?

  There
 are
 three
 dimensions
 of
 authenticity
 when
 appealing
 to
 “relevant

others”:
 first
 person,
 second
 person
 and
 third
 person.
First
 person
 authenticity
 addresses
 the
 performer’s
 ability
 to
 convey
 a
 sense

of
 honesty
 and
 integrity
 to
 the
 audience.
 In
 this
 dimension,
 the
 audience
 becomes

more
 invested
 in
 the
 performer
 him/herself
 rather
 than
 his/her
 acts
 and
 gestures

(Moore,
 2002.)
 An
 example
 of
 this
 dimension
 is
 when
 an
 artist
 performs
 at
 a

concert.
 The
 artist
 often
 sings,
 dances
 and
 addresses
 the
 crowd
 directly
 during
 the

concert.
 Perhaps
 the
 artist
 stops
 the
 show
 midway
 to
 have
 an
 intimate
 conversation

with
 the
 crowd.
 The
 audience
 then
 becomes
 more
 invested
 in
 the
 person
 on
 stage

rather
 than
 his/her
 songs.
 This
 establishes
 a
 relationship
 with
 the
 audience
 that

transcends
 any
 other
 act
 or
 gesture.
 Thus,
 first
 person
 authenticity
 is
 one
 mode
 an

artist
 can
 prove
 to
 “relevant
 others”
 that
 he/she
 is
 real
 and
 honest.

Second
 person
 authenticity
 occurs
 when
 a
 performer
 succeeds
 in
 validating
 a

listener’s
 life
 experience
 –
 that
 the
 artist
 is
 “telling
 it
 like
 it
 is”
 for
 the
 listener

(Moore,
 2002).
 For
 example,
 Grandmaster
 Flash
 &
 The
 Furious
 Five’s
 1982
 hit,
 “The

Message,”
 conveys
 the
 harsh
 reality
 of
 the
 “hood.”
 In
 the
 song,
 Grandmaster
 Flash

raps:
 “I
 can't
 take
 the
 smell,
 can't
 take
 the
 noise
 /
 Got
 no
 money
 to
 move
 out,
 I
 guess

I
 got
 no
 choice.”
 With
 the
 song’s
 themes
 of
 drugs,
 violence
 and
 poverty,
 it
 made
 it
 a

relatable
 tune
 for
 those
 living
 in
 similar
 conditions.
 In
 a
 1983
 interview,
 Flash
 said

“The
 Message”
 proved
 the
 group
 could
 speak
 about
 things
 that
 have
 “social

significance
 and
 truth”
 (Rolling
 Stone,
 2012).
 Grandmaster
 Flash
 &
 The
 Furious
 Five

claimed
 second
 person
 authenticity,
 giving
 those
 living
 in
 the
 ghetto
 a
 voice
 in
 the

music
 industry.

Lastly,
 third
 person
 authenticity
 is
 when
 a
 performer
 accurately
 represents

the
 ideas
 of
 another,
 embedded
 within
 a
 tradition
 of
 performance
 (Moore,
 2002).
Tribute
 bands
 are
 examples
 of
 artists
 who
 demonstrate
 third
 person
 authenticity.

The
 Silver
 Beatles,
 a
 leading
 tribute
 band
 for
 The
 Beatles,
 provide
 such
 an
 accurate

representation
 of
 The
 Beatles
 that
 Cynthia
 Lennon
 claims
 they
 “look
 alike,
 sound

alike
 and
 even
 think
 alike”
 (Moore,
 2002).
 Artists
 who
 exemplify
 third
 person

authenticity
 embrace
 the
 spiritual
 origin
 of
 the
 music
 they
 produce.
 The
 concept
 of
 a

‘genre’
 of
 music
 is
 another
 example
 of
 how
 artists
 can
 claim
 third
 person

authenticity.
 In
 any
 given
 music
 genre,
 there
 are
 overarching
 themes,
 sounds
 and

styles
 that
 make
 it
 exclusive
 from
 other
 genres.
 In
 hip-­‐hop,
 specifically
 rap,
 factors

such
 as
 abundant
 bass,
 expletives
 and
 predominant
 vocal
 presence
 contribute
 to
 the

construction
 of
 the
 genre.
 Artists
 can
 authenticate
 themselves
 by
 following
 the

benchmarks
 set
 by
 their
 genre
 of
 music.

  McLeod’s
 six
 dimensions
 of
 authenticity
 are
 intertwined
 within
 the
 three

points
 of
 view
 in
 authenticity.
 The
 following
 chart
 outlines
 the
 six
 dimensions:

Retrieved
 from
 McLeod,
 pg.
 139

In
 this
 paper,
 the
 most
 important
 dimensions
 are
 social-­‐psychological,

gender-­‐sexual
 and
 social-­‐locational.

Social-­‐psychological
 authenticity,
 as
 supported
 by
 Table
 1,
 discusses
 how

artists
 either
 stay
 true
 to
 themselves
 or
 follow
 mass
 trends.
 “Keeping
 it
 real”
 is
 the
valorization
 of
 individualism
 and
 the
 demonization
 of
 conformity;
 this
 is
 ironic

because
 you
 have
 to
 follow
 the
 same
 patterns
 of
 authentication
 to
 be
 accepted
 and

valued
 as
 a
 rapper,
 but
 those
 evaluating
 your
 authenticity
 want
 you
 to
 “keep
 it
 real”

and
 stay
 true
 to
 yourself
 (McLeod,
 1999.)
 How
 does
 an
 artist
 “keep
 it
 real”
 when

he/she
 is
 required
 to
 follow
 culturally
 constructed
 ideas
 of
 authenticity?
 The

ultimate
 way
 to
 authenticate
 oneself
 is
 representing
 who
 oneself
 is,
 but

characterizing
 this
 concept
 into
 a
 limited
 category
 seems
 to
 contradict
 “keeping
 it

real.”
 Artists
 must
 fit
 into
 the
 “boundaries
 set
 by
 institutionalized
 notions
 of

authenticity”
 to
 be
 recognized
 as
 authentic
 by
 others
 (Yuen,
 2008).
 No
 matter
 how

technical
 this
 analysis
 of
 the
 dimension
 may
 seem,
 the
 irony
 and
 contradiction
 are

unavoidable.

Gender-­‐sexual
 authenticity
 relates
 to
 whether
 an
 artist
 is
 “hard”
 or
 “soft.”

Hard
 attributes
 are
 typically
 associated
 with
 masculinity,
 while
 soft
 attributes
 are

associated
 with
 femininity
 (McLeod,
 1999.)
 In
 other
 words,
 are
 you
 a
 gangster
 and
 a

thug,
 or
 a
 “faggot”
 and
 a
 “pussy”?
 As
 made
 evident
 by
 the
 name,
 this
 dimension

addresses
 both
 the
 gender
 and
 sex
 of
 an
 artist.
 Being
 “hard”
 isn’t
 guaranteed
 if
 you

have
 a
 penis,
 just
 as
 being
 “soft”
 isn’t
 necessarily
 ensured
 if
 you
 have
 a
 vagina.
 More

than
 that,
 being
 hard
 means
 acting
 in
 a
 masculine,
 and
 often
 hypermasculine,

manner.
 In
 hip-­‐hop,
 femininity
 overlaps
 with
 homosexuality.
 LL
 Cool
 J
 received

criticism
 when
 he
 made
 love
 songs
 such
 as
 “Hey
 Lover”
 and
 “I
 Need
 Love.”
 Though

his
 love
 songs
 sold
 millions
 of
 records
 and
 attracted
 female
 audiences,
 LL
 Cool
 J
 was

accused
 of
 not
 “keeping
 it
 real”
 because
 these
 songs
 made
 him
 appear
 “soft”

(McLeod,
 1999).
Social-­‐locational
 authenticity
 relates
 to
 where
 an
 artist
 is
 from
 and
 what

neighborhood
 with
 which
 he/she
 identifies.
 When
 hip-­‐hop
 artists
 try
 to
 distance

themselves
 from
 their
 roots,
 they
 are
 referred
 to
 as
 “sell
 outs”
 (McLeod,
 1999).
 In

Tupac’s
 1999
 song,
 “I
 Ain’t
 Mad
 at
 Cha,”
 Tupac
 addresses
 attacks
 on
 his
 authenticity

due
 to
 his
 change
 in
 social
 location.
 Tupac
 raps:
 “So
 many
 questions,
 and
 they
 ask

me
 if
 I’m
 still
 down/I
 moved
 up
 out
 of
 the
 ghetto,
 so
 I
 ain’t
 real
 now?”
 (McLeod,

1999.)
 In
 hip-­‐hop,
 selling
 out
 and
 leaving
 the
 streets
 is
 equivocated
 with
 being

“fake”
 and
 not
 “keeping
 it
 real.”
 Moreover,
 when
 hip-­‐hop
 artists
 try
 to
 appeal
 to

other
 audiences
 such
 as
 suburban
 kids,
 they
 are
 categorized
 as
 inauthentic.
 When

the
 Black
 Eyed
 Peas
 added
 Fergie
 to
 the
 group
 in
 2003,
 the
 band
 started
 to
 move

away
 from
 its
 hip-­‐hop
 roots
 and
 instead
 align
 itself
 with
 pop
 and
 radio
 friendly

music.
 The
 band
 went
 from
 an
 underground
 look
 (left)
 to
 a
 pop,
 high
 fashion

appearance
 (right).

Photo
 retrieved
 from:
 www.bep.wikia.com

 Photo
 retrieved
 from:
 www.searchenginepeople.com

Similar
 to
 LL
 Cool
 J,
 Tupac
 and
 the
 Black
 Eyed
 Peas,
 the
 focal
 point
 of
 my

research,
 Childish
 Gambino,
 is
 affirmed
 and
 challenged
 by
 the
 social-­‐psychological,

gender-­‐sexual
 and
 social-­‐locational
 dimensions
 of
 authenticity.
 Gambino
 is
 not
 the

typical
 black,
 hard
 gangster
 rapper,
 which
 poses
 the
 essential
 question:
 through

what
 means
 does
 Gambino
 achieve
 authenticity
 in
 the
 hip-­‐hop
 world?
Honesty
 is
 often
 regarded
 as
 the
 best
 policy.
 Ideally,
 the
 most
 honest
 form
 of

authenticity
 would
 come
 down
 to
 our
 true,
 individual
 existence,
 not
 as
 it
 may
 be

perceived
 or
 presented
 to
 others
 (Handler,
 1986).
 However,
 is
 this
 form
 of

authenticity
 truly
 possible?
 How
 can
 we
 show
 the
 world
 who
 we
 really
 are
 when

that
 person
 only
 knows
 that
 true
 self?

“Keeping
 it
 real”
 is
 the
 valorization
 of
 individualism
 and
 the
 demonization
 of

conformity;
  this
  is
  ironic
  because
  you
  have
  to
  follow
  the
  same
  patterns
  of

authentication
 to
 be
 accepted
 and
 valued
 as
 a
 rapper,
 but
 those
 evaluating
 your

authenticity
 want
 you
 to
 “keep
 it
 real”
 and
 stay
 true
 to
 yourself
 (McLeod,
 1999.)

How
  does
  an
  artist
  “keep
  it
  real”
  when
  he/she
  is
  required
  to
  follow
  culturally

constructed
  ideas
  of
  authenticity?
  The
  ultimate
  way
  to
  authenticate
  oneself
  is

representing
 who
 oneself
 is,
 but
 characterizing
 this
 concept
 into
 a
 limited
 category

seems
 to
 contradict
 “keeping
 it
 real.”
 Artists
 must
 fit
 into
 the
 “boundaries
 set
 by

institutionalized
 notions
 of
 authenticity”
 to
 be
 recognized
 as
 authentic
 by
 others

(Yuen,
 2008).
 No
 matter
 how
 technical
 this
 analysis
 of
 the
 dimension
 may
 seem,
 the

irony
 and
 contradiction
 are
 unavoidable.

Individualism

Authenticity
 is
 a
 cultural
 construct
 of
 the
 Western
 world
 that
 is
 closely
 tied
 to

Western
 notions
 of
 individualism
 (Handler,
 1986).
 In
 order
 to
 stay
 true
 to
 oneself,

he/she
 has
 to
 focus
 on
 him/herself.
 In
 hip-­‐hop,
 a
 rapper
 has
 to
 assert
 him/herself

against
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 world
 in
 order
 to
 establish
 individuality.
 There
 is
 no
 room
 for

conformity
 in
 individualism
 (Handler,
 1986;
 Armstrong,
 2004;
 Quick,
 2011;
 Yuen,

2008.)
 How
 artists
 conceive
 their
 own
 identities
 and
 self-­‐concepts
 often
 contradicts
the
 established
 measurements
 of
 authenticity
 set
 before
 them
 (Yuen,
 2008).
 Again,

this
 proves
 problematic
 and
 ironic.
 How
 does
 an
 artist
 authenticate
 his/her
 true
 self

when
 he/she
 must
 adhere
 to
 institutional
 dimensions?
 Again,
 the
 contradictions

never
 cease.
 Hip-­‐hop
 musicians
 stay
 true
 to
 themselves
 when
 they
 “defy
 commercial

interests
 and
 pressures”
 by
 producing
 music
 that
 is
 not
 mainstream
 (McLeod,
 1999;

Yuen,
 2008).
 This
 brings
 the
 hip-­‐hop
 industry’s
 lingering
 question
 of
 how
 much

influence
 an
 artist
 has
 over
 the
 music
 and
 image
 that
 he/she
 produces,
 especially

when
 working
 with
 a
 record
 company.
 Music
 and
 trends
 are
 mainstream
 because

people
 like
 them;
 does
 an
 artist
 have
 to
 prove
 his/her
 authenticity
 by
 producing

only
 underground,
 unpopular
 music?
 The
 importance
 of
 the
 individual
 in
 hip-­‐hop

cannot
 be
 denied,
 but
 the
 concept
 of
 the
 individual
 can
 be
 buried
 under
 the
 needs

and
 desires
 of
 the
 audience
 (Yuen,
 2008;
 Moore,
 2002).

Authenticity
 in
 Hollywood

  It
 appears
 that
 Hollywood's
 standard
 of
 authenticity
 “constrains
 actors
 from

expressing
 their
 artistic
 and
 personal
 identities”
 (Yuen,
 2008).
 However,
 rappers

have
 the
 ability
 to
 express
 their
 realities
 to
 an
 audience,
 while
 filmmakers
 attempt

to
 construct
 such
 realities
 to
 sell
 to
 audiences.
 In
 many
 cases,
 rappers
 are
 able
 to

portray
 their
 rapper
 personas
 in
 films;
 rappers
 such
 as
 Snoop
 Dogg
 and
 50
 Cent

have
 proved
 this
 time
 and
 time
 again
 in
 films
 such
 as
 Soul
 Plane
 and
 Get
 Rich
 or
 Die

Tryin’.
 On
 the
 flipside,
 there
 is
 an
 elite
 group
 of
 rappers
 who
 transform
 themselves

into
 characters
 “unlike
 their
 true
 or
 music
 marketed
 selves”
 (Tyree,
 2007).
 This

group
 includes
 LL
 Cool
 J,
 Queen
 Latifah,
 Ice
 T,
 Ice
 Cube,
 Mark
 Wahlberg,
 Snoop
 Dogg,

Will
 Smith,
 Mos
 Def
 and
 others.
 These
 rappers-­‐turned-­‐actors
 have
 shown
 that
rappers
 can
 “progress
 in
 the
 Hollywood
 movie
 system,
 transcend
 their
 Rap

personas
 and
 become
 accepted
 actors”
 (Tyree,
 2007).

  Hollywood
 often
 holds
 actors
 to
 standards
 of
 authenticity
 based
 more
 on

biographical
 factors
 such
 as
 social
 status
 and
 life
 experiences
 than
 their
 talent.

These
 means
 of
 authentication
 are
 similar
 to
 those
 set
 in
 hip-­‐hop
 (Yuen,
 2008).

 As

in
 acting,
 rapping
 is
 often
 about
 where
 you’re
 from,
 how
 much
 money
 you
 have
 and

how
 offensive
 your
 lyrics
 are
 (McLeod,
 1999).
 Both
 actors
 and
 rappers
 alike
 are

made
 most
 aware
 of
 authenticity
 when
 their
 self-­‐concepts
 are
 challenged
 or
 called

into
 question
 in
 some
 way
 (Yuen,
 2008).

Methods

In
 order
 to
 answer
 these
 questions,
 I
 examined
 scholarship
 on
 hip-­‐hop
 and

authenticity.
 Sources
 included,
 but
 were
 not
 limited
 to,
 discussions
 on
 the
 social

construction
 of
 authenticity,
 identity
 construction
 in
 hip-­‐hop
 and
 Hollywood,
 and

the
 categorization
 of
 authenticity.
 I
 then
 analyzed
 the
 music
 and
 acting
 career
 of

Childish
 Gambino.
 I
 listened
 to
 his
 albums
 and
 mixtapes,
 dissecting
 his
 lyrics.

Specifically,
 I
 examines
 Gambino’s
 studio
 album,
 Because
 The
 Internet.
 Do
 his

references
 to
 his
 acting
 career
 imply
 struggle
 with
 authenticity
 and
 ‘keeping
 it
 real’?

I
 watched
 Gambino’s
 stand-­‐up
 comedy
 special
 on
 Comedy
 Central.
 I
 deliberated
 the

differences
 and
 similarities
 between
 his
 actor/comedian
 persona
 and
 his
 rapper

persona.
 I
 also
 looked
 at
 his
 individual
 projects,
 such
 as
 his
 screenplay
 that
 shares
 a

name
 with
 his
 album.
 I
 also
 examined
 articles,
 blogs
 and
 interviews
 talking
 about

and
 with
 Gambino.
 What
 does
 the
 public
 think
 of
 his
 as
 an
 actor
 and
 rapper,
 both