Farewell to Childish Gambino: Why Donald Glover Is Exiting the Music Scene

Donald Glover, known by his musical alias Childish Gambino, has announced his intention to retire from the music industry. This decision marks the end of a critically acclaimed and influential career that has spanned over a decade. Childish first hinted at his retirement from music in 2017 during the Governor’s Ball Music Festival in New York City.

“There’s nothing worse than like a third sequel, like a third movie and we’re like, ‘Again?’” Childish said (per REVOLT). “You know, I like it when something’s good, and when it comes back, there’s a reason to come back; there’s a reason to do that.”

Since then, the entertainer has doubled down on his assertion that his run as a rapper is coming to an end. Here’s what we know about the Grammy winner’s plans for the future and the fate of his music career.

Donald Glover excels at acting, writing, directing, and producing. However, he is preparing to retire from music despite a successful run under the Gambino moniker. In interviews, Donald has often expressed that he views Gambino as a chapter in his life. The artist, now in his 40s, feels that it is time to evolve and explore new creative avenues. In a July 18 interview with The New York Times, the entertainer opened up about his decision to step away from the music spotlight after dropping five studio albums.

"It really was just like, 'Oh, it’s done,'" Donald told the outlet. "It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore."

He went on to suggest that the changes in the music industry have also influenced his retirement. Donald cites touring difficulties, fatherhood, and the shortened attention span of listeners as reasons for his exit.

Following Childish’s revelation, fans took to social media to share their opinions on the rapper’s swan song.

“This being the last Childish Gambino album feels bittersweet. Hope he doesn’t fully retire,” one fan tweeted, while others refused to accept that Donald was retiring, writing, “Maybe this is copium, but I've heard this for a decade, and he is still releasing music, so I'll believe it when nothing new comes down the pipe.”

Donald released his final Gambino album in July 2024. Bando Stone and the New World is a 17-track project that features the eclectic sound that Gambino has become known for. Donald’s unique blend of genres is evident throughout the album’s tracks. Early reviews both praised and criticized Gambino.

Rolling Stone gave Bando Stone and the New World three stars, suggesting that the album feels “overproduced” at times. “His pop-rock songs ('Lithonia,' 'Real Love,' 'Running Around') are overproduced and emo-fried into oblivion — the latter sounds like Fall Out Boy covering Bon Jovi’s 'Runaway,' the review stated. However, NME said the album serves as a “bittersweet farewell to the legend.”