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Breaking Down “Bando Stone” and the Magic of a Moment in Music
Since Donald Glover announced that “Atavista” would be his penultimate album under the stage name Childish Gambino, I have been anticipating his so-called final project. I say “so-called” because we know that when an artist declares their upcoming album will be their last, especially early in their career, it’s likely not the final album. Consequently, many critics have predicted that this might mark the end of the Childish Gambino era, but that doesn’t mean Donald Glover won’t release music under his original name.
This shift from Childish Gambino makes sense from a marketing and creative perspective because following the Childish Gambino and Donald Glover YouTube platforms for the past few weeks as I waited for the next project was a hassle. But I was not disappointed when I started to see the music and videos dropped for “Bando Stone & the New World” following the online success of the song “Lithonia,” colloquially known as “Nobody Gives a F***.”
After releasing the album, Glover announced his plans also to release a feature-length film of the same name. The songs hint at this future film, with cryptic lines that resemble a screenplay and spark thought, creating synergy for the next project. What excites me the most about these projects is how Glover blends the relationship between film and music. While we often see movies and music combined in musicals or other theatrical genres, “Bando Stone & The New World” draws from a legacy of Black Horror and Glover’s comedy catalog to create content that resonates with fans.
So, today, I want to explore how Donald Glover’s latest album, the music video, and the following film reflect a longer lineage of Black cultural production and fandom. Specifically, I will discuss the similarities between how…
