Childish Gambino, the musical stage name of actor Donald Glover, is currently on his Camp tour promoting his album by the same name which was released on November 15, 2012.
Although Glover may be more well-known for his role as Troy Barnes in the hit NBC sitcom Community, he is quickly gaining popularity for his music ventures. He presents a unique style of hip-hop with witty lyrics and clever wordplay. He does not have your average rapper’s pedigree, which is part of what makes him unique.
Gambino graduated from New York University in 2006 with a degree in dramatic writing. His album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 with moderate album sales of approximately 160,000 copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan. “Camp” has already produced two singles, “Bonfire” and “Heartbeat.” The album was well received garnering mostly positive reviews from Metacritic. Publications such as XXL magazine say that “Camp” is “full of top-tier lyricism, honesty, uncertainty, and triumph.”
The Camp tour has already made stops in major cities such as Philadelphia on June 22, Baltimore, MD on June 23, New York City on June 25 and 26. Other notable stops that have yet to pass include Charlotte, NC on July 27; Detroit, MI on August 3; Chicago, IL on August 4; and Hollywood, CA on August 10. Tickets are still available for all of these shows and prices range from $23 to $35.
On June 16, he rocked a sold out House of Blues in Cleveland. According to clevescene.com, Gambino displayed “serious microphone skills” and a “tight live band.” Strobes, LED lights, and a huge video screen set the stage for an event where the fans sang along to almost all of his songs.
Reviews of his June 19 packed show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania show were very impressive. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette states that Gambino has “a frenetic energy on stage, and like any good artist, demands the audience keeps up with him.” The paper also labels him as one of rap’s “worthy princes”.
During his sold-out New York City shows Gambino was joined by up and coming artists ScHoolboy Q and Danny Brown. Danny Brown, who achieved XXL magazine “Freshman Class of 2012,” award is a very unique opening act from Detroit. After Brown and ScHoolboy Q performed, Childish Gambino delighted fans with hits from “Camp” and also previewed unreleased songs from his upcoming mixtape which is set to be released on July 4, according to Billboard.com.
In addition to his Camp tour, Gambino will be making stops in Chicago as a part of the lineup for the sold out Lollapalooza festival that is being held from August 3 through August 5. Gambino is one of many acts including headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Black Keys. Gambino is not the only hip hop act at the festival though. He is joined by such acts as Wale, J. Cole, and B.O.B.
During much of July and August Gambino will also be leaving the country to perform throughout Europe and Canada. On July 6 he will be a part of the BarclayCard Wireless Festival 2012 in London. This festival will be headlined by such acts as Drake, Rihanna, and deadmau5.
To see the full listing of Childish Gambino shows and to buy tickets to these event visit his official website.
