Childish Gambino made Grammys history on Sunday (Feb. 10) – and he didn’t even show up to the ceremony.
With “This Is America,” Childish Gambino (born Donald Glover) won Song of the Year, marking the first time that a rap song has won the award in the 61-year history of the Grammys. He beat out Drake (“God’s Plan”), Kendrick Lamar and SZA (“All the Stars”), Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (“Shallow”), Ella Mai (“Boo’d Up”), Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey (“The Middle”), and Brandi Carlile (“The Joke”).
Song of the Year is the third award that the song has received this year so far, along with Music Video of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance.
According to reports, Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake all refused to appear at the Grammys this year, continuing a longstanding conflict with hip-hop and the Academy. If they’re making a statement, the message is clear.
Though Childish Gambino didn’t attend the Grammys, fans still got a glimpse of the musician/actor/writer in a new commercial for the Google Pixel Playmoji, that showed him and an animated version of him dancing. According to Pitchfork, the song is “Human Sacrifice,” which he has apparently been performing on tour for several months.
