[.::BeatFactory::.]

By Rya Backer

I've been wanting to go on a First Date with Childish Gambino forever. And who could blame me? The 28-year-old's single, "Freaks and Geeks" is one of those tracks you could play on repeat forever and not get sick of it. A closer listen also shows that the song is emblematic of the man he (otherwise known as Donald Glover) is: hilarious, smart, talented, and quick-thinking. The last trait was especially helpful during our jaunt to Ninja New York, a restaurant in Tribeca where you're served (and totally scared) by... wait for it... Ninjas.

It was a fitting place to go, considering Glover is at the center of a grass-roots fan campaign to star as Donatello in the live-action remake of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie (no doubt inspired by his owncrusade to nab the title role in "The Amazing Spider-Man"). Midway into the meal, he resolved that he'd make a good Donatello, as he tongue-in-cheekily bragged about his prowess in instilling fear in others. But a role as a hero in a half-shell isn't the only aspiration on his horizon.

When asked where he sees himself in five years, he said, "I hope just successful. Still doing stuff I want to do. I always wanted to just do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I never really expected rap to be anything, I don't know if I'll still be rapping, but it'd be nice to still be making music on some level."
We can't wait to see — and hear — how he'll get there.

View the full article