Childish Gambino’s ‘Bando Stone and the New World’: All 17 Songs Ranked

Rappers who announce their retirement often end up like that one friend who declares, “I’m never drinking again” — then, weeks, maybe months later, are found on Instagram chugging an entire bottle of Casamigos. Not to say they weren’t sincere about quitting; it’s just, more often than not, they needed a break, a pause, a chance to reset, to recalibrate. Musicians are no different.

Donald Glover, since 2017, has teased the retirement of his rap alias Childish Gambino. This wasn’t the same Glover who spent the early 2010s rhyming for respect as a world-building, punchline-pushing actor-turned-rapper but a highly successful multi-hyphenate soaring on the wings of several career milestones: a hit television show (FX’s ATLANTA), a hit record (“Redbone”) and a starring role in a hit film franchise (Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story), not to mention a loyal fanbase who watched his every move and knew his every rap.

Seven years later, the accolades in film, music, and television have increased, but his commitment to retiring the alter-ego born in an NYU dorm room has remained unchanged. The signs of change have been prevalent — none greater than in Gambino’s 2020 album, Atavista, an experimental offering where conventional song structure was melted into a psychedelic free-form acid trip that felt like the work of an adventurous artist searching for a future unlike his past work.

That future, to the disappointment of many, begins with an ending. Glover intends to complete the Childish Gambino arc with the final album, Bando Stone and the New World, released on RCA Records today (July 19). Although he’s detailed the reasons why in various interviews, his desire for a definitive, conclusive moment feels proper for a man who creates memorable characters like Troy Barnes and Earn Marks but has never committed to any one creation eternally. Gambino is no different.

Childish Gambino won’t be remembered as the greatest rapper. Still, his improvement as a singer and songwriter and consistent evolutions as an artist have made him one of the most unexpected sensations in rap over the last 15 years. Knowing how much Glover enjoys twisting expectations and distorting reality, he wouldn’t raise Gambino’s jersey to the rafters without 17 more reasons why the game should put some respect on his Wu-Tang-generated name. Here is a ranking of every song on Bando Stone and the New World.