Later today Donald Glover A.K.A Childish Gambino’s new TV show ‘Atlanta’ will premier on the North American ‘FX’ channel. As well as being the show’s creator, Glover co-directs, co-writes and acts on ‘Atlanta’. This is just the latest instance of the star showcasing his many talents, having appeared in last years box office hit ‘The Martian’ and perhaps most notably playing fan-favourite, ‘Troy’, on NBC’s ‘Community’. As well as his successes on screen, Glover has already released 3 Hip-Hop albums under the pseudonym Childish Gambino, and just this last weekend premiered his mysterious new album at a self-curated festival in Joshua Tree, California. This new album is yet to be released to the public and feedback from the secretive show has been minimal due to security measures taken by Glover himself.
Donald Glover’s creative capabilities seem endless but is this latest product what all his work has been leading to? Donald Glover is a celebrity that has never really revealed himself to the public eye, sticking to only a few interviews and managing to remain mostly out of the way of the Paparazzi and gossip culture. Up until now, we have only known the various characters he has played, rather than the real Donald Glover. Now that he has the opportunity to create and star in his own TV show, will the world finally get to know the real Donald Glover?
“Atlanta” has been described as more of an insight into Black culture than anything Glover has previously worked on. The show focuses on two cousins striving for success in the Atlanta Hip Hop industry and sits in a curious genre somewhere between an easy going comedy and a David Lynch style drama. The general plot of the show has remained intriguingly secretive.
Glover has described his own life as an “ever-evolving balancing act between his origins and a life often spent in predominantly White settings.” “Atlanta” has provided Glover with the opportunity to step away from this “predominately white” setting and create something that is presumably taken entirely from his own perspective and experiences. This opportunity for self-expression invites Glover to make a big impact on society, surely he will give every part of himself he feels is needed to do so.
While the show premiers tonight in America, Irish fans will have to wait a little longer with an unspecified UK and Ireland release date. Hopefully Childish Gambino will stay true to his September album release date so we have something to busy ourselves with until ‘Atlanta’ hits our screens.
