10 Concept Albums That Make Absolutely No Sense
4. Because the Internet - Childish Gambino
Over the years, Donald Glover has really turned himself into a renaissance man in the world of entertainment. Aside from his usual amazing material put out as Childish Gambino, his role on both Atlanta and as the voice of Simba in the new version of the Lion King has put him in demand as one of the most interesting creatives working today. However, the first real delve into the multi-media experience was supposed to happen on Because the Internet.
Being the second fully-fledged album under the Gambino title, Glover really put his all into creating a story to go along with Because the Internet, going so far as to write a screenplay along with the music. The original plan for it was for Glover to play the role of 'The Boy' both on screen and on the album, with the songs acting as an extension of the character's inner thoughts. Since the screenplay never really took off though, most of the songs come off as somewhat disjointed, with lyrics that don't make any essence unless you know where you are in the story.
For instance, the fact that the boy is having problems with dealing with the death of his father is cut and dry in the screenplay, but doesn't hold any water when just listening to the track Urn. Though Donald did an amazing job trying to sell his new vision, he clearly had a lot of work to do before he was ready to take on something this extravagant.