Why Donald Glover’s “3.15.20” is Better Than You Thought
Since the early days of his career, Donald Glover has always fought to not be placed in a box. He often, in interviews, spoke about his displeasure with being labeled. By that, I don’t mean him being labeled something he is not, but instead, Glover has made it abundantly clear that he does not like the idea of being labeled at all, as they are often limiting, especially for black artists. This is reflective of the career he’s made for himself, at this point he is the definition of multi-hyphenate, having success in multiple fields. I don’t think a work of his represents that better than his polarizing 2020 album “3.15.20.”
At the start of the pandemic, Glover uploaded his fourth studio album to the website donaldgloverpresents.com. The date was March 15, 2020, a Sunday. As abruptly it was posted, it was equally abrupt when it was taken down. Many were confused, many speculated what this could mean. In most leaks you could find in the aftermath, people had given these songs titles and even called the album “Donald Glover Presents.” What the world received that Friday, March 22, 2020, on streaming services left us scratching our heads even more. Here was the album, but only two tracks had titles, the rest just having the timestamps of where they start in the total runtime of the album. The title: simply the date it was first posted online “3.15.20.”
Truly a bizarre choice, it felt completely unceremonious. This was Glover’s return to music after dropping the excellent “Awaken My Love,” an album that included “Redbone,” one of the biggest singles in his career. Not to mention in the time between these albums, Glover dropped the cultural phenomenon that was “This Is America.” A song that went #1 in the country and amassed over 800 million views on YouTube. Despite this Glover dropped the album out of nowhere and then quickly disappeared again. Many wrote the album off, saying it came and went. Many pointed out the songs seeming to drag on, disjointed song structures, and a lack of focus or anything to really latch on to.
In hindsight, it makes sense why the public would view the album this way. The album had a blank white cover, no real title, no real hit single, and was rough around the edges. It’s no wonder why this album just came and went for most. I mean most people couldn’t even remember the title, or even talk about the songs. Somehow, I still enjoyed the listen, I took it as me being biased as I am a pretty big fan of Gambino. However, as I got to spend time with the album, I began to think that maybe we were just missing something. Maybe there is a method to Glover’s madness. This album has some great songs from Gambino, whose songwriting here is a bit underrated in my opinion. I’ve come to the conclusion that the album was Glover’s way of displaying his artistic versatility; why he could never be placed in a box.
Down to the album cover (which may or may not have served as inspiration for another rapper’s all-black blank cover on their album that would drop a year later), Glover is leaving this work out in the open, up to your interpretation. Then there’s the fact that the album has no title, probably the biggest clue into what Glover’s doing here. He covers many different genres on this album, he has a huge pop balled with Arianna Grande then follows that song with a late-night RnB track that features a 21 Savage verse. And those are probably two of the most orthodox songs on the album.
Glover bounces from folksy songs about the world’s violence, to funky anthems about finding love in the world and love for oneself. This is a far more mature Glover, one who is a father. One that can say “I love me” in a song openly now. It’s a beautiful sentiment when you consider the other albums and statements Glover has said in past interviews. “3.15.20” feels like the cumulation of all the past styles and themes that Glover has covered in his past work. I think this is why he thinks so highly of this album.
In a now-deleted Twitter post from 2021, Glover referred to this album as his best work yet, while also promising that the new music he is working on will blow us all away. When I listen to “3.15.20,” I picture Glover flexing on us, telling us all that he been said it: he is not a rapper. He is not whatever predetermined label you’ve given him, and you should give up on labeling him at all. I agree that the album is rough around the edges, some songs are a bit longer than they need to be, but I believe there are so many great moments throughout the album that it’s unfair to write it off for these faults. No, it’s not a classic, but it’s an artist showcasing his immense talent and versatility that allows him to be whatever he chooses to be. I can’t help, but to admire that and to wait, with anticipation, for what Glover will do next.
