Hip Hop has had many homes since its birth in New York. Texas, Cali, Louisiana all held the crown at one point in time but next to NYC, none were ever held in as high regard as Atlanta. From TI to Outkast many of the greatest MCs of a generation called the 404 home. One of the greatest talents from Atlanta is actor turned rapper, Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino. This time Glover moves beyond the studio & the stage to behind the camera. He serves as show runner & star of the original series Atlanta. The premise of the show is Earn is a high functioning Atlantian who can’t quite succeed at life. We meet Earn at his baby mama’s house. It is immediately established that he is what one would simply consider a loser. He is without a significant job, in essence homeless and not processing the drive to change any of these. His baby mama, Van confesses her though doesn’t believe in Earn’s ability to succeed. Much of the first two episodes reiterate the uselessness of our main character. As this show is about hip hop there is potential for turning Earn’s life around when his cousin becomes an underground success with his song Paper Boi.
This show goes from potentially reiterating the normal tropes of much black comedy to an entirely different level. This show can be summed up as cerebral and intellectual with much of its comedy. There is no laugh track and you don’t hear any punch lines. This is to its credit and downfall. The worry is if we are ready for such a high concept show. Only time will tell. Check back with us around episode 4 and we will let you know our opinion on this show for the long haul.
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