We’ve seen Childish Gambino cover PM Dawn’s classic “I’d Die Without You” like a champion, and we were impressed by his lyrical takedowns of Drake, Kendrick Lamar and more – but today, we’re finally taking the former “Community” actor seriously as a bona fide crush-spitting rapper.
Gambino, real name Donald Glover, sidestepped the familiar Kanye-lite style he’s employed over two albums to deliver a jawdroppingly awesome freestyle at Peter Rosenberg’s Hot 97 show this week. He starts off a little skittish and unsure, before finding the perfect entrypoint over Hit-Boy’s “Grinding My Whole Life”. It’s a little hard to believe that this flow is purely off the top of his head, but whether preconceived or spontaneous, it’s one hell of a moment.
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During the interview with Rosenberg, Gambino expressed some frustrations over the continual testing of his “street cred” by online media, and questioned Drake’s comparative experience. Check out the entire conversation below:
