Review: Childish Gambino - Kauai EP
- Oct 10, 2014
- 3 min read
By Xavier Veccia, Managing Editor
[Glassnote Records; 2014]
Rating: 6.5/10
Key Tracks: “Sober,” “Retro [ROUGH]”
Childish Gambino is one of those artists who is constantly changing his style. Starting out as a witty, clever lyricist, Gambino has worn many different hats in his surprisingly long six-year career, ranging from gritty Southern rapper on Royalty to futuristic, spacey, synthy singer on Because the Internet. On Kauai Gambino flips the script again, producing some of his most mellow creations to date.
Kauai is part of a double-release by the great Gambino. Before he released the EP, the artist also known as Donald Glover dropped the mixtape STN MTN (pronounced “Stone Mountain”). The mixtape featured multiple tracks from other artists, including Future’s “Move That Dope” and Rich Kids’ “Partna Dem.” There were also some original songs, including the banger “Candler Road.”
STN MTN seemed to represent Glover’s appreciation for his home, Stone Mountain, Georgia, a city near Atlanta. As he’s gotten bigger, Gambino has faced criticism for how little he represents Atlanta rap, often being compared to Drake as a mainstream rapper. However, Gambino is not playing to his strengths when he’s spitting over trap beats, which is probably why he doesn’t show this side of himself too often. Luckily, Gambino does play to his strengths on Kauai.
Kauai and STN MTN are complete opposites. The former is a falsetto-filled walk on the beach compared to the latter’s down and dirty stroll through Atlanta. The former is about love while the latter is about lust. This explains the yin-and-yang cover of the two.
Kauai starts off with the super cheery “Sober.” With a basic bass line and an organ-like synth, Gambino is able to express his happiness with his love and how she makes him “so high.” However, it wouldn’t be a true Gambino track without a massive bass drop. The song, along with most of the EP, serves as a good follow-up to Because the Internet, which is great considering the rapper’s second album is his most polished piece of work to date.
“Poke” is one of the more intriguing tracks on Kauai, as Glover gets a little of Motown-esque soul in his voice. With the help of modern technology, Gambino also serves as backup singer. Some Santana-like guitar is a nice touch as Gambino's little bro Steve Glover delivers a fire verse.
Despite being only seven songs, the EP still manages to be chock full of quality tracks. “Retro [Rough]” is a classic Gambino track, featuring the artist singing a falsetto hook with a sick verse, including lines like, “Girl, you sweeter than mango / How we cool and confident with hair like Django.” And then there’s the remix of “V. 3005” that fits the beachy mood ‘Bino creates on Kauai.
However, while Glover is certainly playing to his strengths by choosing a more calm path for the EP portion, it’s still not quite the level one would like to see him. Ideally, he’d mix aspects of both projects to create a full one that truly represents Gambino as a whole. To quote the legendary Ron Swanson, “Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing."
If I were grading both projects, the score would be lower. But if you seperate Kauai from STN MTN, it becomes obvious that it is yet another Gambino project that furthers both his career and his ever-evolving sound.
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