Donald Glover, commonly known as Childish Gambino, dropped his new single, “This is America,” on May 5th. The song, as well as the music video, gave Gambino fans, as well as hip hop fans quite the stir, after the violence that Gambino portrayed in the video.

    In the first scene of the video, Gambino is seen shooting another man at point blank range in the back of the head. This graphic scene sets the serious tone that is kept throughout the video.

   After the immediate shock of the opening scene violence, it becomes quite clear to the viewer that Gambino is mocking America and shedding light to the corrupt ways of its past, as well as its effect on the present. It is unavoidable, upon viewing the video, to notice the depictions of racial themes that the video, and the lyrics, display.

   It is theorized that Gambino makes references to the Jim Crow era and the injustices that black people faced during that time period. However, Gambino has declined to talk about the song’s significance.

  “It was a great way to represent American society,” said junior Mya Murphy. “It shows how we’re blind to the real problems, like discrimination and shootings.”

   Gambino also uses the lyrics to depict what is wrong with America’s history and its present, with lyrics like, “Get your money, black man,” and “I just checked my following list and you motherf***ers owe me.”

   Gambino is undoubtedly calling out America for it’s ways of discriminating against black people, even though the Jim Crow era is long over. He even references race targeted shootings and police brutality in a unique way.

   Whether it causes change or not, “This is America” has gotten a lot of publicity in the media this past week. Even though it is a touchy subject, there are many ways to appreciate the art and its thought provoking lyrics and video, or even just in it’s catchy beat.

   “I thought it was good and I definitely appreciated its significance,” said civics teacher Mr. Campbell.

The video is linked below, but be wary of potentially disturbing content.