“This Is America” — The Conclusive Analysis

(This article will address the song and video together as a whole. **SPOILER** Recommended for readers fully familiar w/ song lyrics and official music video.)

A true understanding of the song, and the movement that has inevitably followed Childish Gambino’s This Is America begins with the end of the music video. As the camera pans out and the visual transitions to a higher level of the warehouse (perhaps signifying levels of conciousness), the character we saw down below has changed completely. He is no longer the jovial, sinister trouble-maker. He’s…