“3005” by Childish Gambino
The easiest way of describing the song “3005” is as it being a love song, Childish Gambino style. That is to say the sentiment being expressed in this piece, one of eternal devotion, is far from anything new in the grand scheme of things. But the metaphors and terminology the vocalist uses to convey his points, some of them are quite unconventional.
And so it can be deemed for instance with the title, in which Gambino is pledging to “be right by” the addressee’s “side until 3005”. Within the realm of romance, dedicating yourself to someone for an entire millennium is basically another way of saying that he or she is your spouse.
However, Childish has proceeded to explain that his song is supposed to be “kind of an existential thing” and isn’t as much about romance as it is his fear of loneliness, or something like that. That’s what we mean by referring specifically to his particular style.
Gambino is a more artsy and introspective rapper than the norm. So for instance, even though he does resort to alluding to his wealth a couple of times, he doesn’t come off as if he has a superiority complex.
There’re also some parts which leave something to be desired in terms of gender specificity, especially considering the fact that Glover is kinda gay. Whereas there is what can be deemed at least one solid sexual reference, the lyrics of this piece are far from NSFW.
And regardless of what Glover may have been thinking when he originally composed “3005”, in its finished form, the lyrics do strongly imply that he’s addressing a romantic interest.
Childish Gambino
Gambino’s official discography dates back to 2005. This was around the time he started off by self-releasing mixtapes. Not too long thereafter, under his birth name Donald Glover, he actually established himself as a well-known actor, as one of the regular cast members of the well-liked sitcom Community.
With his acting career alive and kicking, Childish commenced the dropping of studio albums in 2011.It is from the second of those efforts, “Because the Internet”, that we get the song “3005”.
Release of “3005”
This is the lead single of the aforementioned album (“Because the Internet”). It was released on 22 October 2013.
And to note, the album version of this track officially goes by the title “V. 3005”.
“3005” tastes Success
This song was a notable success, in that it has thus far gone double-platinum in Australia and Canada and platinum in the UK and US.
Furthermore it also represents one of Childish Gambino’s first Grammy nominations. This feat occurred in 2015 under the Best Rap Performance category. The award eventually went to Kendrick Lamar for “Alright“.
The Credits
The music video to this track was directed by one Hiro Murai. It received an MTV VMA nomination in 2014 for Best Hip-Hop Video. However, it ultimately lost out to Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home”.
The writing and producing of this song is a result of the teamwork among the following:
- Childish Gambino (USA)
- Ludwig Göransson (Sweden)
- Stefan Ponce (USA)
Ludwig would later go on to co-write and co-produce Gambino’s 2016 song “Redbone“. It is worth noting that “Redbone” is considered one of the greatest songs of all time!
“Because the Internet”
Gambino released “Because the Internet” on December 10 of 2013 as his 2nd studio album. The album is a 19-track hip hop album with a total runtime of 57 minutes and 52 seconds.
“Because the Internet” was recorded at The Temple, a recording studio located in Los Angeles, California. Gambino started recording songs for the album in 2012. By 2013, all 19 tracks were done and ready for release. The American rapper, who happens to be a record producer himself, worked with a team of highly rated record producers to produce the album.
A number of big names on the music scene including Azealia Banks, Chance the Rapper and Jhené Aiko threw their support behind Gambino as features on the album.
In addition to “3005”, three other singles released as a means of supporting the album.
Besides the singles, a short film titled “Clapping for the Wrong Reasons” was also released in support of the album.
The film was written by Gambino himself and directed by Hiro Murai, a Japanese-American film producer.
Success of the Album
“Because the Internet” was a commercial success. In the US, it sold close to 100,000 copies within its 1st week alone. It featured on many prominent album charts globally, including the Billboard 200, where it peaked at No. 7. It reached No. 6 and No. 3 on the UK’s OCC and Australia’s ARIA respectively.
By the close of 2016, the album had recorded sales of over a million album-equivalent units in the US alone.
It has received a number of certifications globally, including platinum in Canada and gold in the US, UK, Denmark as well as Australia.
“Because the Internet” has received enviable accolades and commendations from music pundits, music publications and the likes. Notable amongst them is a nomination for “Best Rap Album” award at the 57th edition of the annual Grammy awards held in 2015. Unfortunately for it “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” by American rapper Eminem took home the award on the night.
