Childish Gambino Drops ‘Awaken, My Love!’ Album

Riding the momentum of his wildly successful TV series Atlanta, Childish Gambino releases his third LP, Awaken, My Love! You can stream the new project below.

The rapper's previously released tracks "Me and Your Mama” and "Redbone" appear on the effort, which is reminiscent of 1970's soul. "Redbone" is a jam that finds Gambino flexing his singing chops. "You can have it, you can have it/If you need it, you better believe in something," he croons. On the tinkling vibe of "Me and Your Mama," he reassures his significant other there's love to go around. "They wanna see us fallin' apart/You know that I love you," Gambino sings on the rock-inspired track.

Gambino has been in the rap game for some time, and with his quick wit and penetrating insight, he's shown he can go bar-for-bar with plenty of other great rappers. Awaken, My Love! finds Gambino diving into the realms of soul, R&B and funk instead of hip-hop.

In a recent interview, Gambino cited a love of his father's music selection as the inspiration behind his latest album. “I remember listening to songs my dad would play – albums by the Isleys or Funkadelic – and not understanding the feeling I was feeling,” Gambino explained. “I remember hearing a Funkadelic scream and being like, ‘Wow, that’s sexual and it’s scary.’ Not having a name for that, though; just having a feeling. That’s what made it great.”

Gambino went on to describe Awaken as an exercise in tone and that he wanted to capture the feeling of revolution he says characterized the 1970s. “It felt like people were trying to get out of their minds, with all the things that were happening – and that are happening right now,” Gambino says. “How do you start a global revolution, really? Is that possible with the systems we’ve set up? There’s something about that ’70s black music that felt like they were trying to start a revolution.”

Listen to the new album below.

Childish Gambino’s Awaken, My Love! Tracklist

1. “Me and Your Mama”
2. “Have Some Love”
3, “Boogieman”
4. “Zombies”
5. “Riot”
6. “Redbone”
7. “California”
8. “Terrified”
9. “Baby Boy”
10. “The Night Me And Your Momma Met”
11. “Stand Tall”

Here Are All the Hip-Hop Albums That Topped the Billboard 200 in 2016