12.38

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"12.38"
Single by Childish Gambino featuring 21 Savage, Ink and Kadhja Bonet
from the album 3.15.20
ReleasedApril 14, 2020
Length6:32
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Childish Gambino singles chronology
"Time"
(2020) 		"12.38"
(2020) 		"Sweet Thang (24.19)"
(2020)
21 Savage singles chronology
"Immortal"
(2019) 		"12.38"
(2020) 		"Secret"
(2020)

"12.38" is a song by American rapper Donald Glover, performed under the stage name Childish Gambino, from his fourth studio album, 3.15.20 (2020). The song features guest vocals by rapper 21 Savage, American singer-songwriter Atia "Ink" Boggs, and American musician Kadhja Bonet. It was written by the artists and DJ Dahi who produced it with Gambino.

Glover sings about a psilocybin-induced trip with a girl, while 21 Savage raps about police harassment. Critics praised the song's comedic narrative and 21 Savage's guest appearance. "12.38" peaked at number 22 on the NZ Hot Singles published by Recorded Music NZ.

Background and recording[edit]

21 Savage holds a microphone and looks to his right
"12.38" is the third collaboration between Glover and 21 Savage after their 2018 tracks "This Is America" and "Monster".

Producer DJ Dahi called the creation of the song an evolving process.[1] Dahi had an initial beat with chords provided by Ely Rise.[1] Kadhja Bonet's vocals were for another track, but were chopped and reused for "12.38".[1] Dahi described the track as having "funky, odd, but feels good" energy. The song was momentarily put to the side, but Gambino continued writing his verse.[1] Rapper 21 Savage recorded his guest verse and American singer-songwriter Atia "Ink" Boggs was invited to co-write on the song.[1] Glover and 21 Savage previously collaborated in 2018 on the former's single "This Is America" and the track "Monster" from the latter's second studio album I Am > I Was.[2][3]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

"12.38"
Audio sample of "12.38". Glover sings about a girl feeding him psilocybin, though he is unaware of the drug's effects.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Noah Yoo of Pitchfork described the production of "12.38" as a "sensual, minimalistic bounce."[4] The song interpolates André 3000's song "Vibrate".[4] In the song, a girl feeds Glover psilocybin, who is unfamiliar with the psychedelic drug.[5] Sexual tension builds up as his girlfriend keeps texting him, causing his phone to vibrate.[5] Glover uses humorous lines such as "Why your cat looking at me sideways?" in place of a hook and chorus.[4] His verse continues as a beat-by-beat breakdown of the psilocybin use, until he wakes up alone.[6] He name-checks multiple female artists, including Toni Braxton, SZA, and Chaka Khan.[4]

21 Savage raps about police harassment; he was previously detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in February 2019.[7] 21 Savage also raps about Popeyes' chicken and cartoon character Popeye's spinach.[8] By the end, the song "devolves into spirals of vocal echoes" as a result of the psilocybin trip kicking in.[4]

Release and promotion[edit]

The song originally surfaced under the unofficial title "Vibrate" when Glover streamed 3.15.20 on his website on March 15, 2020.[9] The track was titled "12.38" upon the album's official release on March 22, 2020.[10] Only the tracks "Algorythm" and "Time" have proper names; the rest, such as "12.38", are marked by their respective timestamps.[10] "12.38" was released as a single to urban adult contemporary radio on April 14, 2020, along with "Sweet Thang (24.19)".[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Kitty Empire of The Guardian called the song excellent and described it as having "the feel of narrative fiction".[5] Empire stated that the song "could be an episode of Atlanta," an American comedy-drama television series created by Glover.[5] Rowan5215 of Sputnikmusic called the song hilarious and wrote that Glover "[weaponizes] his full range to spin some The Love Below-style seduction."[6] Okla Jones of Consequence of Sound called the song witty and sonically-pleasing as Glover "taps into his prowess as both a writer and a comic."[8] Jones wrote that 21 Savage's verse had Southern charm and was must-needed.[8] Noah Yoo of Pitchfork praised 21 Savage's "particularly on point" guest appearance.[4] Yoo wrote that as the song ends in spiraling echoes, "it's 21's lyrics you’re left thinking about."[4]

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[12]

  • Childish Gambino – lead artist, producer, lyricist, composer
  • 21 Savage – featured vocals, lyricist, composer
  • Atia "Ink" Boggs – featured vocals, lyricist, composer
  • Kadhja Bonet – featured vocals, lyricist, composer
  • DJ Dahi – producer, lyricist, composer
  • Chukwudi Hodge – drums
  • Kurtis McKenzie – drums
  • Carlos "Loshendrix" Munoz – guitar
  • Ely Rise – keyboards
  • James Francies, Jr. – synthesizers
  • Riley Mackin – recording, mixing

Charts[edit]

Chart (2019) Peak
position
NZ Hot Singles (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 22

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Elias Leight (March 24, 2020). "Donald Glover's Surprise Album Is a Mystery. DJ Dahi Has (Some) Answers". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "Here's Everyone Who Features On Childish Gambino's 'This Is America'". Cool Accidents. May 7, 2018. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  3. ^ Matt Miller (December 21, 2018). "Childish Gambino's Verse on 21 Savage's 'Monster' Explains Why He Wants to Retire From Music". Esquire. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Noah Yoo (March 24, 2020). ""12.38" by Childish Gambino Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Kitty Empire (March 28, 2020). "Childish Gambino: 3.15.20 review – a deep-dive made for self-isolation". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Review: Childish Gambino - 03.15.20". Sputnikmusic. March 30, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Eddie Fu; Tia Hill; Joe Ali (March 22, 2020). "21 Savage Raps About Police Harassment On Childish Gambino's "12.38"". Genius. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Okla Jones (March 23, 2020). "Childish Gambino's 3.15.20 Revels in Its Perfect Timing". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  9. ^ NavJosh (March 15, 2020). "Donald Glover Releases New Album Through Live Stream". HipHop-N-More. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  10. ^ a b James Rettig (March 22, 2020). "Stream Childish Gambino's New Album 3.15.20". Stereogum. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  11. ^ "Ubran/UAC Future Releases". All Access. April 9, 2020. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  12. ^ "Credits / 3.15.20 / Childish Gambino – TIDAL". Tidal. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  13. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 30, 2020. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
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