Childish Gambino Sheds Light On Leaving Rap Name Behind In New "Hot Ones" Episode

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.9K Views
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Donald Glover at the Tyler the Creator LV Men's Launch held at Louis Vuitton Men's on March 21, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WWD via Getty Images)
The fiery wings of spicy, well-researched death had Childish Gambino reflecting on that moniker's history and what story it represents.

Donald Glover was the latest spice-ridden guest on Hot Ones with Sean Evans, and it was a very fun and compelling conversation to watch go down. Moreover, he compared the process of eating ten increasingly spicy chicken wings and answering Evans' questions to ayahuasca, and we still don't know if he meant that in a good or bad way. Jokes aside, this new episode lands right before the release of Glover's new album, Bando Stone & The New World, which will seemingly be his final effort under the Childish Gambino moniker. During this interview, he remarked on what this name means to him, how he sees its retirement, and who contributed to these conclusions.

"A collaborator of mine, fam and I, we talked about the death of Superman a lot," Childish Gambino said on Hot Ones. "I always knew Childish Gambino was like a character, and on some level, I wanted it to end. I almost feel like Childish Gambino is like the boss from The Office. Like, ‘That stuff worked 10 years ago.’ All that stuff worked, but now it’s like a different thing. It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a little sad.' But it's like, wow, the cycle kind of continues, which is great, I think."

Childish Gambino On Hot Ones

"The Childish Gambino story from the Wu-Tang Clan," the multi-hyphenate said towards the end of the Hot Ones episode, explaining the meaning of his rap name (taken from a Wu-Tang name generator) that he's come to understand. "RZA told me it’s a story of a child turning into a boss. This last sunset walk is for the fans. This is for you."

"If this isn’t the best live show you’ve seen," Childish Gambino joked about his upcoming world tour, which begins in Oklahoma on August 11 and will get support from WILLOW and Amaarae. "After the first song, if you’re like, ‘I gotta go,’ you can leave and I’ll give you your money back. That’s how much I care about all of this. That’s not a joke. My lawyers will be like, ‘It’s a joke,’ but it’s not a joke. I will set it up so you can go."

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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