Childish Gambino's New Hit-And-Miss Mixtape
Connor Strange
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Rapper Childish Gambino rose to mild fame with the successful album “Because the Internet”, including popular singles such as “3005” and “Sweatpants”.
He’s followed up the album’s achievements with a new mixtape: a two-parter by the name of “STN MTN/Kauai”. Its odd name serves as an excellent herald of the tone throughout the tape.
The division between “STN MTN” and “Kauai” serves to warn the listener of how hugely different the two are.
“STN MTN” focuses mostly on rap, and is disappointingly mediocre by Gambino’s standards. Its songs range from disturbing to odd, and the featured artists only qualify as artists in loose terms.
There is one diamond in the rough from that half, however - or perhaps half a diamond in the rough. “U Don’t Have To Call” begins with a pointless twenty-second skit and a whole minute of mildly creepy dialogue, but it also features some incredible singing at a couple intervals. If it had lasted throughout, it would’ve made an excellent song. But alas, it was forced to wrestle with “STN MTN’s” eccentric nature.
On the other side of the coin, “Kauai” brought attention to Childish Gambino’s ever-improving singing voice and had some terrific songs. “Sober”, “Retro” and “Pop Thieves” (featuring Jaden Smith of all people, who actually isn’t that bad) were all examples of how well the mixtape could’ve turned out.
“Sober” and “Pop Thieves” didn’t even contain Gambino’s trademark lyrical cleverness or absurd one-liners. They weren’t rap, and it’s a stretch to call them hip-hop. But they were excellent nevertheless.
“Retro” harkened back to his more highly-praised stuff earlier in his career with actual rap within the verses. However, it retained the lighter, more melodic feel he aimed for throughout “Kauai” and combined the two together very well.
It’s a shame that the whole mixtape couldn’t be in the same vein as those three songs, but it definitely was not. A lot of potential was shown, and a lot wasted, but “STN MTN/Kauai” is still worth a listen to anyone who doesn’t mind wading through a swamp of unabashed weirdness for a few wonderful tracks.
