Childish Gambino performs “This is America” – Saturday Night Live
What happened: Ahead of his fourth (and likely his last) album, Childish Gambino, known to some of us as Donald Glover, dropped his politically-tinged single “This Is America.” Although the actor, producer, and singer has hosted the show before, this particular turn garnered quite a lot of attention for his stellar performance, and most notably, the content of the single. Critics disagree about a lot of its symbolic meanings, but almost everyone agrees it is an important indictment of life in contemporary America.
Why it’s important: I’ll just say it right here: Donald Glover is a big deal. He’s proven his comedy chops with his role as Troy on the hilarious, and woefully under-watched, Community. In 2016, he proved his merit as a writer, creator and executive producer on the critically acclaimed Atlanta. Last year, he conquered the Star Wars universe, playing the iconic Lando Calrissian.
His appearance on Saturday Night Live was among the best in an otherwise lackluster season, but his doubling as both host and musical guest was pretty cool in itself. But his choice to premiere the controversial “This is America” proved to be an important moment in protest discourse.
How to watch it: You can watch clips of the show on YouTube, including his monologue and moments from the musical performances. However, you should definitely do yourself a favor and watch the whole episode on NBC.com. You’ll get to see his swipe at friends Migos and his reprising his role as Lando.