A man of many talents, Donald Glover is a singer, rapper, actor, writer, producer, director, and comedian. Donald Glover performs his music using his stage name Childish Gambino, which he got from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator. Some of his most popular work includes his songs “Redbone” and “This is America.”
Personal Life
Early Life
Donald Glover Jr. was born at the Edwards Air Force Base, California where his father was stationed on September 25, 1983. He was raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Donald Glover went to Lakeside High School and DeKalb School of the Arts. In his yearbook, he was voted “Most Likely to Write for The Simpsons. After high school, Glover got his degree in Dramatic Writing at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. He graduated from college in 2006. While in college, Donald Glover self-produced his mixtape called The Younger I Get. He also started to DJ under the stage name MC D.
Family
Donald Glover’s mother is named Beverly and is a retired daycare provider. Glover’s father was a postal worker. Glover’s parents were also foster parents for 14 years. Donald Glover has a sister named Brianne and a younger brother named Stephen who is a writer and producer that collaborates with Donald Glover today.
Relationships
Donald Glover tends to be pretty private about his personal life and relationships. Donald Glover’s partner is Michelle White, born May 18, 1989. The two have been together since 2016 and have three children together: Legend Glover, Drake Glover, and Donald Glover III.
Career
Acting
Over the years, Donald Glover has had a rich and fulfilling career. In 2006, Glover sent writing samples that he had written for the Simpsons to David Miner. Both David Miner and Tina Fey were impressed with his writing, which resulted in him being hired to become a writer for the comedy show 30 Rock. Glover wrote for 30 Rock until 2009 and had a few appearances on the show throughout his time working there.
In 2009, Glover starred on the NBC show, Community. He was on the show for 5 seasons, and while many believed he left the show for his music career, Glover set the record straight, saying he left for personal reasons.
In 2017, Glover played Aaron Davis in the film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. He has appeared in a variety of films, such as The Lazarus Effect and Magic Mike XXL.
Music
In 2011, Glover came out with his first studio album called Camp. A song on the album, “Heartbeat” made it to the number 18 spot on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and was number 54 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album earned the 11th spot on the Billboard 200 and sold 52,000 copies in a week, making his first album a very successful one
Because the Internet, his second album, was released in December 2013. The album made the number seven spot on the Billboard 200 chart and was filled with hit singles, including “3005,” “Crawl,” and “Sweatpants.”
Glover’s third album, Awaken, My Love!, was released in 2016 and became certified platinum. Rather than rapping, this album featured Donald Glover mainly singing. The album was influenced by other musical genres like R&B and funk. The album featured songs like “Redbone” and “Me and Your Mama.” The album was nominated for the 2018 Album of the Year Award at the Grammy’s, as well as Best Urban Contemporary Album. “Redbone,” a single from the album, won Best Traditional R&B Performance.
In 2018, Glover released his hit single “This is America,” which became his first number one single and top 10 single in the United States. The song is about being black and about gun violence in the U.S. The single won the Song of the Year award at the Grammy’s, as well as Best Music Video, Best Rap/Sung Performance and Record of the Year. “This is America” was the first rap song to win the Best Rap/Sung Performance and Recond of the Year award.
Writing and Producing
One of his most notable achievements, in 2013 Glover was signed on to create the show Atlanta, a music themed show about young rappers trying to build their career. The work of him and his team earned the show the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: New Series Award.
In the News
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