Summary

The music video for “This is America” by Childish Gambino begins with a shot of a guitar set on a chair in an empty warehouse while a choir sings over an African beat in the background. 

A man walks into frame, sits on the chair, and starts playing the guitar, while the camera shifts to show Gambino standing with his back to the camera behind the guitar player. Gambino turns around and starts dancing to the song that mentions wanting to party and dance. The frame pulls back to reveal the man on the chair but this time he has a white hood over his head and is no longer playing the guitar. Gambino pulls out a gun and shoots him. A child runs in to wrap the gun for protection and carries it away.

The music shifts to a more intense electronic beat as Gambino proclaims “this is America” and starts danci...