Childish Gambino

The Lion King: The Return of Simba

The best part of first grade, or any grade after that, was when we used to see the teacher wheeling in the tv/vcr on that black cart. Grant it they had no idea how to use, by the way. But, this action alone that let you know that you were in for a fun day, regardless of what movie was going to be played. The Lion King is one that we watched that’s pretty memorable for me. The range of emotions from beginning to end was something I don’t think any of us who grew up in the 90’s will ever forget. One of the best animated movies I’ve ever seen, even as an adult. And in the era of remakes, it was only right for Disney to remake it and modernize it. 

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Baj: Decatur At Heart

“What’s most important to me is to be relatable. I don’t want to be out of reach, I want people to know that I am a regular person...I’m not out here to compete with anyone.

I’m going to try to outdo myself every single time.”

-Baj

Introverted, laid back and down to earth, she is the epitome of a “girl next door.” At 5’4 and 125 pounds, the singer/dancer/songwriter is simple and low key, embracing her very own authentic flavor and style.

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This is America: Home of the Yin & the Yang

With more than 65 million views just five days after its release, Donald Glover’s “This is America,” has the internet buzzing. The video, which has been repeatedly called “genius, shows Glover as his alter ego “Childish Gambino” dancing with a group of African children while violent, terroristic and war-like incidents are taking place all around them.

Left open-ended and with little resolve, the video ends with Gambino running from the madness as a mob chases him (which resembles a scene  in Jordan Peele’s Get Out). It’s jarring and disturbing yet intriguing and compelling as well. The lyrics, like the video, tell a story of complicated contrasts. There are parties and guns, guerilla warfare and dancing, high-class consumerism and contraband, all in one video.  “What Gambino put together is a true picture of America where so many of us get to dance and sing and laugh and create,” journalist Isaac Bailey of CNN explained. “All the while others are largely ignored and trapped in the background, struggling and sometimes dying in a sea of ugliness that many of us would rather not acknowledge, knowing it would ruin the pretty pictures we’d rather focus on.” Evoking the transformative power of art and dance,  Glover as Childish Gambino puts America on display and instead of home of the free and the brave, we’ve become home of the ying and the yang.

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JD McCrary: A New Generation of Talent

JayDon “JD” McCrary was sharing  his vocal chords with the world long before he was dubbed the “New King of Pop” on Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots back in May 2017. In fact, the 10-year-old-triple-threat entertainer was the high pitched voice featured on Childish Gambino’s “Terrified.” But even before that, he was singing his favorite Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder songs. “I’ve been singing since I was about two-years-old and dancing since I was three,” McCrary told Justin Davis of Complex Magazine. Today, he’s not only singing and dancing, but he is known for his acting skills as well. Regardless of whether McCrary is dancing across a stage, reciting lines behind a camera or bellowing notes from behind a microphone, it’s clear to see he represents a new generation of talent.

Born and raised in Granada Hills, a Los Angeles California suburb known as “The Valley’s Most Neighborly Town,” to a family full of singers (including Josh McCrary, his young brother who also sings). It’s almost as if McCrary was destined to entertain. He’s talented, friendly, loves to socialize and is not afraid to shine. In fact, despite only being 10-years old, he’s quick to admit that he’s not shy about being in the spotlight. “I don’t think I ever get nervous,” he explained to J’Na Jefferson of Vibe. “...I always feel like I’m just performing for people,” he continued, admitting that “we’re all [just] human.” He’s just as easy-going when it comes to his acting as well. Whether he’s being featured in a commercial or working alongside Zendaya in KC Undercover, McCrary is smiling big all while remaining cool, calm and collected. In fact, he was filming a scene as Kenny on Tyler Perry’s “The Paynes,” when his mother informed him of what would become his biggest gig yet - young Simba in Disney’s The Lion King Live Action remake. 

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