“12.38” by Childish Gambino (ft. 21 Savage and Kadhja Bonet)

The permeating theme throughout Childish Gambino‘s “12.38” is that of a romantic relationship. So basically we have the vocalists giving their different takes on the matter. Gambino drops a rather-lengthy narrative, filled with plenty of metaphors. But what it seems to boil down to is him and a certain lady desiring to get into a deep yet fleeting romance. 

And in the bridge that follows Kadhja Bonet buttresses this storyline by proclaiming that the featured relationship “ain’t special” but rather an exercise in “fun”. Meanwhile during the first half of 21 Savage’s verse, he is rapping about his dealings with a certain “girl in Harvard”. Of course he flexes throughout, and by the time the passage ends he’s straight-up bragging about his wealth. Meanwhile Ink concludes the track by trying to convince her lover to come “back to the crib”, as in spend time with her at home. 

So all lyrics considered, the central theme of this track appears to be the singers being engaged in romantic relationships which they are more intent of enjoying in the present than perpetuating into the future.

Facts about “12.38”

This is the first time Childish Gambino has teamed up with either Ink or Kadhja Bonet. However, he worked with 21 Savage a couple of times in the past, most notably on Savage’s 2018 track “Monster”.

“12.38” is actually named after the timestamp on Childish Gambino’s “03.15.20” album upon which the track is featured. And the song was indeed released by RCA Records on the date of 15 March 2020.

“12.38” was produced and co-written by DJ Dahi and Gambino.

The other co-writers are 21 Savage, Ink and Kadhja Bonet.

Actually the original title of this song was “Vibrate”. But for some reason it was changed to “12.38” shortly before it’s official release.