Sam Kane

Childish Gambino’s breakout EP from 2011, now re-released on all streaming platforms. hypebeast.com

Donald Glover has officially re-released his 2011 EP on all streaming services, paying homage to his choice to retire the moniker “Childish Gambino.”

“Ep – EP” consists of 5 tracks; “Be Alone”, “Freaks and Geeks”, “My Shine”, “Lights Turned On”, and “Not Going Back”, totaling 20 minutes. Glover recently announced that he was retiring the moniker “Childish Gambino” and confirmed it at the Grammys this year.

Ep – EP was the breakout EP for Gambino in 2011 and gave him his start. It was previously not available on streaming platforms but has now been re-released for almost all services. This release really serves as an eye-opener to Glover’s fans, showing them how much he has changed since 2011.

These 5 tracks are similar to his 2013 studio album, “Because the Internet.” It was Gambino’s most popular and well-rounded album in terms of sound and content. Ep – EP is a lot like the tracks from “Because the Internet” such as “The Worst Guys,” “Life the Biggest Troll,” and “3005.”

Flash forward to 2016, Donald Glover releases “Awaken, My Love!” Glover could not have made this album much more different from Ep – EP if he tried. “Awaken My Love!” has no rapping and no harsh beats which is something “Ep – EP” is completely filled with.

Glover has changed a lot over the years, not only as an artist but also as a person. He has started acting and producing and has quit rapping as Childish Gambino. His main goal by re-releasing his EP was to show his listeners his growth over the past 7 years. He went from fast-paced, harsh beats with choppy rap vocals to slow, funky beats with soulful vocals, basically becoming a completely new artist in a few years.

This re-release serves the purpose of showcasing Glover’s personal growth and to paying  homage to the moniker “Childish Gambino.” This EP was refreshing and reminded people of Gambino’s greatness after all these years.