Childish Gambino Drops ‘Because the Internet’ Album – Today in Hip-Hop

On this day, Dec. 10, in hip-hop history...

2013: Actor/rapper Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover) dropped his sophomore album, Because the Internet, under Glassnote Records on December 10, 2013. Though he had established himself in TV roles and had a growing fanbase with his debut project, 2011's Camp, Because the Internet was undoubtedly Gambino's breakthrough.

Features on the 19-track LP include Chance The Rapper, Jhené Aiko and Azealia Banks, and although it was executive produced by Gambino himself, Stefan Ponce, Thundercat and Ludwig Göransson had a hand in providing the project's spacey production.

The LP was preceded by the lead single, "3005," which went on to go platinum in sales, and was followed up by three more single releases including "Sweatpants," "The Worst Guys" and "Telegraph Ave."

To promote the album, Gambino took some unconventional measures, dropping a short film and 72-page screenplay designed to sync up with the album. His unorthodox approach raised awareness of the project in an oddly intriguing way for what was going on in music at the time, and needless to say, it worked.

Because the Internet debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, and was met with positive reviews across the board. The project went on to be nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards and is considered to be a commercial success, having been certified gold by the RIAA in 2016.

Childish Gambino's sophomore effort showed off a wide range of musical growth and proved that the "This Is America" artist, who recently portrayed a young Lando Calrissian, was a force to be reckoned with.

See Photos of Childish Gambino's Different Looks Over the Years