Gerald Allen

November 18, 2015

            With developments in technology, humans are always finding new and creative ways to present stories. Multimedia stories were ground breaking when they first arrived on the scene because for the first time we were able to combine many different forms of media to tell a single story. Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience (Jenkins). An extremely common practice of online publications is to include a video that coincides with the written story; before the advent of the internet, writers were not able to include videos with their articles. Transmedia takes multimedia to new heights, authors are able to tell one story in an eventful way.

BTI Album Cover

            One of the most creative ways that transmedia has been used to tell a story was done by entertainer Donald Glover. Glover is an accomplished screenwriter turned rapper (under the stage name Childish Gambino) and his creativity and knowledge about media were on full display when he released his Grammy-nominated album Because the Internet in December 2013. Before the album’s release, Glover wrote and starred in a short film called Clapping for the Wrong Reasons in August—approximately four months before the release date. Though the film was met with positive reviews, it was definitely not something that a typical rapper would do—the film depicted Glover and his friends during an ordinary day in Los Angeles mansion, however, there were many strange occurrences in the film that left viewers confused. Around the same time Glover inexplicably started to wear the same outfit every day and his typically upbeat demeanor changed to a somber one.

            The album was released and it was actually accompanied by a 72-page screenplay, in which the album was supposed to serve as a soundtrack to. In fact, the screenplay and album answered a lot of the questions that fans asked. It turned out that Glover, an actor, was playing a role in real life. He was playing a character known as the Boy in the screenplay and everything he had done up until that point was him getting in the role. The Boy was a young man who spent his time smoking marijuana with his friends and partying in his mansion. One day, he receives a phone call from someone saying his father died, which was his main source of income. This prompts him to start selling drugs and the story ends with him getting involved in a shootout with the cops.

            The album, itself, explored several themes that are relatable to the younger generation, like how prevalent the internet is in our daily lives, how the internet allows people to be connected but not connected at the same time, and how people have dealt with these changes in communications. In a review of the album by Phillip Cosores, the Glover’s goal is further explained. “With the announcement that there is actually a script based on the songs of Because the Internet (or, more likely, vice versa) and the convincing theory that Glover has been living the plot over the course of the last year (creating a “concept world” rather than a mere concept album), Childish Gambino fans now have all the more reason to proclaim his genius. Likewise, his detractors now have all the more reason to question everything about him. When, as has been suggested, Glover is using interviews, social media, and every other public communication to actually create the multimedia concept art, there has to be a reason for it” (Cosores).

Clapping for the Wrong Reasons Scene

            Most musicians are aware of the benefits of using social media to connect with their fan base, however, Glover took this idea to the next level during the album’s release. On his website, Glover also used strategically-placed computer code to alert fans of upcoming concerts and other pertinent information. Essentially he used a web-based scavenger hunt to help promote his album. He connected with fans on various levels, although, he had hidden messages encoded in his website, he still utilized Twitter and Instagram to his advantage. 

            Henry Jenkins sums it up perfectly in Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, he says that “you pitch a world because a world can support multiple characters and multiple stories” (Jenkins Pg. 116). Glover took a major risk by taking a transmedia approach to releasing his album, however, he did successfully manage to create a world where fans can experience and speculate about the story in many different ways.

            Although the album’s release was met with varying degrees of acceptance, it’s hard not to commend Glover on his successful attempt to create something more than a rap album. Because the Internet was an extremely immersive project that allowed fans to follow the story of the album in many different ways and most of the different components of the story can be consumed by themselves but when viewers/readers/listeners combine all the different stories together it really creates an experience that has not been done in hip-hop before.

Works Cited

Cosores, Phillip. "New Childish Gambino Album’s Fatal Flaw: It’s Just Not Cool | TIME.com." Entertainment New Childish Gambino Albums Fatal Flaw Its Just Not Cool Comments. Time, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Jenkins, Henry. "Transmedia Storytelling 101." Confessions of an AcaFan. N.p., 22 Mar. 2007. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2006. Print.