Childish Gambino ‘This Is America’ video views explode in US, ‘Redbone’ hits 3x Platinum in Australia
The provocative clip has generated over 50 million views since its release.
Childish Gambino proves to be one of the most compelling artists capable of generating dialogue.
His provocative ‘This Is America’ video has generated 50.4 million YouTube views since its release on May 5 – breaking his own previous YouTube records.
According to Nielsen, 12.9 million of those views came within the first 24 hours of its release, making it one of the biggest off-the-box videos this year.
At its peak the video saw over 950,000 views in a single hour.
In the four-minute visual, Gambino tackles police brutality, gun violence, mass shootings and social media obsession as part of the African American malaise.
Lyrical inputs come from 21 Savage, Young Thug, Migos’ Quavo, Rae Sremmurd’s Slim Jxmmi and BlocBoy JB.
Reporting from inside the Australian music business since '94.
Gambino’s creative director Ibra Ake, a writer for creator Donald Glover’s FX’s TV series Atlanta, told New York radio that the video was specially constructed from a black mindset.
“We try to make stuff in a vacuum in a way where we’re not influenced by what was made before us, which usually ― in the media specifically ― comes from a white world and a white infrastructure.”
He revealed that Gambino’s facial expressions were partly inspired by Jim Carrey in his 1994 movie The Mask, and look and dance moves from the late Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti.
"Our goal is to normalize blackness,” Ake added. “This is how we would like to dance.
“But we have to be aware of the danger and the politics of how we’re perceived and the implications of the history of how we were treated.
“There’s all this math you’re constantly doing expressing yourself.
“We’re trying to not have to explain ourselves to others and just exist, and not censor what our existence looks like as people.”
Gambino’s influence remains as strong in Australia.
The video is #1 on the iTunes singles chart.
At the same time, the Grammy winning single ‘Redbone’ has been certified 3x Platinum in Australia, for sales of over 200,000 units.
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Reporting from inside the Australian music business since '94.
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