Damn, Donald. Just… DAMN! There is scope and depth and emotional weight. But more than anything, there's an acceptance of who he is and all that encompasses Donald Glover as a man and artist. He said making "Awaken, My Love" was the hardest thing he's ever done. But the album challenged him to push for the far reaches of his musical heroes and ancestral past. Meanwhile, a song like "This Is America" pushed him further in the direction of embracing the truth, history, and agony of living in this skin. All things culminated in this album, an album of dates and times and numbers that add up to the sum of his time on earth (or even just his time fully embracing the title "artist"). While many might consider this more poppy fare, they haven't fully melted into the parts to take in exactly what he's doing. Breaking the boundaries we put on what it means to be a Black artist and what Black artistry is. It's simple and elegant. Intricate and multidimensional. It can be playful. It can be emotional. It can be raw. It can be superficial. But whatever it is, it's all Black. The sheer Blackness of this album should be celebrated.
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