I think Childish Gambino’s Culdesac is objectively a better album than Drake’s Thank Me Later.
“Well,” I hear you mumbling under your breath to your Tumblr dashboard, “of course the kid who posts to Multitrack is going to think that. Between his background in Derrick Comedy and as a writer for 30 Rock, his regular appearance on Community, and his spokesmanship for men’s high-fashion brand Band of Outsiders, Donald Glover—who raps under Childish Gambino—is kind of a hipster icon.” And you’d be right: he’s got a huge social media following (as evidenced by the #Donald4Spiderman campaign), and if there’s one thing hipsters love to hate/hate to love, it’s the Twitters and the Facebooks.
But hear me out: as indifferent I am toward Lil Wayne’s talent and fame, I’m a huge fan of his Young Money group, and Drake is at least the second strongest member of his team (behind Nicki Minaj, ahead of Tyga). Musik Iz Me writes that Thank Me Later was the most-anticipated hip-hop album since 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Trying. I know I was incredibly stoked for Thank Me Later. Pitchfork—Pitchfork—gave the album an 8.4 review, lauding Drake’s lyrical balance between “artful navel-gazing” and “struggle.” In Thank Me Later we get glimpses of Drake figuring himself out as he’s catapulted to stardom at the tender age of 23.
The comparisons are inevitable, and will inevitably stem from the fact that they’re both young, hip black dudes, but even beyond that they’re definitely fair. Donald’s not much older than Drake—he turns 27 in September—and his story so far is similar. Community premiered a little under a year ago. His first Comedy Central stand-up special aired just this past March. Things are coming up for Donald, and coming up fast. The Childish Gambino project is almost a secret compared to Donald’s rise from YouTube to television—just like Drake’s history as an actor (ahem, Jimmy from Degrassi) is almost an afterthought to his new rap career (or at least, it’s trying hard to be).
The songs on Thank Me Later are thematically complex. Drake’s just as excited for his new fame as he is terrified of it; just as superficially appreciative of the strippers and video chicks as genuinely appreciative of the “student working weekends in the city.” And it’s not a double life: they’re both a part of this young Toronto native finding himself tossed between cities making TV appearances and recording singles and features, and as such, they’re both a part of each song. The consequence of his contemplative, sensitive, deeply personal lyrics, though, is that the songs seem kinda messy, kinda tentative. It’s a pretty far departure from the exercises in escapism we see in typical mainstream hip-hop, and a departure that can swim freely (Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP) or tragically sink (Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreak).
The songs on Culdesac make clean breaks. He’s got songs about his swagger (“I Be On That,” “Let Me Dope You”), songs about his background (“Difference,” “Hero,” “I’m Alright,” “The Last”), and oh, so many songs about girls (“Got This Money,” “So Fly,” “Do Ya Like,” “Put It In My Video,” “These Girls”). There are personal songs and party songs. It risks cohesiveness as an album, but functions much better as a demonstration of his range.
Same goes for the beats: I was so into the first few tracks of Thank Me Later, but as “Fireworks” transitioned into “Karaoke,” then “The Resistance,” then “Over,” I wondered when the album was going to pick up speed. And you know what? It sort of didn’t. Midway through the album we have the amazing slow jam “Shut It Down” (featuring R&B genius The-Dream)—and it’s amazing!!—but not much sonic variety on either end of it. Culdesac, on the other hand, ranges from bangin’ homemade beats (try “I Be On That”) to rearranged Adele samples (“Do Ya Like”) to an adorable—and it’s adorable!!—appearance from YouTube ukulele sensations Garfunkel and Oates. Donald’s interests span an enormous cultural range,
Thank Me Later is solid. It’s a pensive glimpse into the improbable life of a young, incredibly bright artist. But it falls short in its entertainment value. Culdesac has got lots of great things to say—Donald comes from a slightly less improbable background, but his insight is just as invaluable—but manages to be a much more entertaining album. As Donald himself boasts on “Fuck It All,” “to all my fans saying Donald Glover ‘bout to blow/just give me six months so you can say I told you so.” Drake’s here to stay, but Donald’s ready to join him, just around the corner.
