Childish Gambino – Camp, London
Words Poppy McPherson
Like Moses banishing the Red Sea, Childish Gambino parts the crowds that pack out this grimy East London basement with impressive ease — the ‘waters’ in this analogy being mostly a mix of pallid indie boys and faux ‘ballers’ wearing baseball caps backwards like it’s 1993. Adulation for the tiny rapper, who found his moniker on a Wu-Tang name generator and now has his sights set on Kanye’s mantle, borders on Biblical.
Gambino has a head-start on the adoration front. Fan of US TV comedy Community? Didn’t think so. Still, apparently people love it — and besides the show, the actor/comedian real name Donald Glover has written scripts for the NBC series ‘30 Rock’. But since he turned his hand to rap and released free mixtapes and an LP, Camp, he’s become the latest hip hop newcomer to marry street rhymes with hipster glasses and ties.
His violin and tambourine backing might look more hillbilly than hood, but when he announces that he wants to “burn this place to the ground,” he’s surprisingly convincing. A dynamo onstage, he whips the crowd into a sweat within minutes of bouncing in, all wide-eyed and spitting snappy lyrics. Familiar territory — college girls, blowjobs and ghetto dreams — but his ferocious delivery commands attention. The crowd convulse with every beat of the best known songs (the brilliantly catchy ‘Firefly’) and when he wades in to meet them, his buzz is electric whilst limbs and damp palms clutch at his six-pack.
Anyone who came expecting wit is well rewarded. Jokes that fall slightly flat on record are resurrected by his stage presence. He even attempts a short but fairly sweet freestyle. It’s cute and charming, like the summertime electro vibe of the album’s strongest songs.
Sure, Camp is laced with cheesy R&B hooks that slow the set, some jarring ’90s club beats and a spot of slightly disingenuous whining (“sometimes I feel like I don’t wanna be here”) But sharp, lusty tracks soon re-ignite the mood. “I rap about my dick and talk about what girls is fly. I know it’s dumb that’s the fucking reason I’m doing it,” he confesses.
Glover’s at his best when he’s playing dumb. “You better shut your mouth, before I fuck it,” he jibes on the vitriolic ‘Backpackers’. It’s crude, but somehow, coming from this eminently charismatic performer, it’s funny. And who said hip hop had to be serious?
