Review Summary: 'Camp' is the sound of an artist knowing what they to do, but not how they want to come across.
Donald Glover is a man who has explored several personalities and fictional characters throughout his life. He's initiated laughs as a writer for '30 Rock', an actor in 'Community' and by just being himself as a stand up comedian. As an experienced and successful man in the entertainment industry, it would be easy to expect Donald to provide the same consistency under his rapper alias 'Childish Gambino' that he does in other areas, such as portraying 'Troy Barnes'. But in his latest effort as 'Childish Gambino' entitled 'Camp', Donald shows that although his musical explorations are fuelled with passion and enthusiasm, he can't separate sound from screenwriting.
The main problem with 'Camp' is that the album doesn't feel like it's done by the same artist. Donald has treated this album like it was a pilot for an upcoming television series, he's introduced several interesting personas into an environment rather than capitalising on his own passion for Hip Hop. On 'Backpackers', he's a quirky and creative lyricist backed up by a dark, ominous instrumental. On 'Bonfire', he's skilled in similes and wordplay, fuelled by a repeating beat reminiscent to Lil Wayne's 'A Milli'. On 'All The Shine', he's a rapper stripped of cockiness and burning with determination, lead by a Neyo-esque sung chorus and a atmospheric beat. While all three of these songs have a sense of enjoyment, They also are thoroughly different in style. Donald has tried to create an album that considers all styles of rap music, rather than aiming at a particular audience. This makes it hard to recommend as a whole, and easier just to listen to the songs suited to your style on Youtube.
On the plus side, Donald proves that he does have potential in the rap scene, demonstrating his talents of literature and rhyming on each track. While every song on the album differs in style, Donald's passion stays the same. On songs like 'Heartbeat', the emotion in his vocals saves the song from being another Dance-based single on the radio. Donald's passion for success in the rap game is best demonstrated on the track 'Hold You Down', where he preaches;
"Yeah, these n***** wanted Cookie but instead I gave 'em Loch Ness
Sick Boi for life, my swag is in a hospice
Aiming' for the throne, Jay and Ye said to watch that
They ask me what I'm doin', I say I'm stealin' rock back"
Donald has also crafted a solid array of beats for 'Camp'. With long time collaborator Ludwig Göransson, Donald has successfully demonstrated his talents throughout unique electronics, with the only negatives being the lack of a particular direction. 'You See Me' is essentially a Trap inspired beat, with the song being lead by repeated, gritty horns. 'Les' is a soulful and dreamy beat, lead by mesmerising keys. 'Sunrise' is a very peculiar instrumental, with the synths demonstrating a sound stuck between melody and aggression. Every beat on this album differ in extreme ways, making 'Camp' sound like more of a compilation of different producers rather than a focused, solo effort.
'Camp' isn't an album worth buying, but it is an album worth listening to in order to get glimpse into the potential of Donald becoming a great rapper in the future. This album demonstartes a multi-talented man in the prime of his career in film & television, who can't seem to seperate his passion for Hip Hop and his comfortability in character creation apart. While 'Camp' shows that Donald has talent in lyricism and style, it still feels like he's acting throughout the 13 tracks. As Donald's career in usic progresses, the less 'Childish Gambino' will feel like a character in 'Community'.
