Childish Gambino 'Feels Like Summer' by Donald Glover, Ivan Dixon & Greg Sharp
David Knight - 4th Sept 2018
So how exactly do you follow up This Is America?
Childish Gambino's song Feels Like Summer has actually been out for a while, but now finally comes the visual which must be judged against the phenomenon of Hiro Murai's video for This Is America and Donald Glover has done the job, taking a very different, and entirely new approach, but still creating enough Easter eggs to satisfy the internet.
It's all quite straightforward, but also suffused with a subtle sense of gentle bliss that is entirely appropriate for the song: Glover/Gambino wanders down his suburban street, his eye wandering to watch his neighbours out in the afternoon sun doing their thing. And they nearly all happen to be other famous hiphop stars - nearly 60 of them. From Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott having a front lawn encounter, to an ostentiously anguished Drake, to a MAGA cap-wearing Kanye embraced by Michelle Obama.
And of course, this is possible because it's animation. Glover co-directed this with animators Ivan Dixon and Greg Sharp, and created something with a referential feel of old school TV cartoon that could easily sit within Glover's brilliant TV show Atlanta. And in its downbeat dry humour its thought-provoking about Gambino's attitude to his fellow celebrities. There's a lot of love there, some concern, a bit of teasing, and a very welcome absence of aggression, or being judgemental.
• Full list of celebrities featured in the video at Vibe.com
David Knight - 4th Sept 2018
Credits
Featured here in the credits?
Production/Creative
- Director
- Donald Glover
- Director
- Ivan Dixon
- Director
- Greg Sharp
- Co-Producer
- Fam Rothstein
- Production Company
- Wolf + Rothstein
Misc
- Character Design
- Justin Richburg
David Knight - 4th Sept 2018