Apparently, Childish Gambino wanted all the smoke with Drake, which is how “This is America” was birthed.
The rapper and actor made the stunning revelation during his recent GQ cover story. Going by Donald Glover in his interview, the “Atlanta” star says the 2018 hit record was initially a way to bait the OVO frontman into a lighthearted rap beef.
“It started as a Drake diss, to be honest, as like a funny way of doing it,” he revealed, though the idea was originally spawned four years earlier.
During a 2014 show in Australia, Glover teased that his rap alter ego, Childish Gambino, was a better lyricist than Drizzy. During that set, he also said he was better than Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. However, Glover let it be known the jabs were all in good fun. Once “This Is America” was birthed, he again tried to get a rise out of the “Her Loss” rapper before realizing that the record had a more significant meaning.
Putting his Drake beef to bed, the 39-year-old soon decided he wanted to make “This Is America” a “moment” to reflect on things that happened that year. 2018 was a dramatic year for the U.S., with Donald Trump and North Korea nearly coming to nuclear blows and the now infamous false missile alarm that went out over Hawaii. When it was time to shoot the dynamic video, it was inspired by none other than Michael Jackson and his “Thriller” visual.
Drake has yet to respond to the beef that never quite got off the ground. Nevertheless, don’t be surprised if there’s a Childish Gambino line in the next Drake project.
