Although he skipped the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Donald Glover set a new record with his hit song “This is America,” clinching song of the year award, the first time in the Grammys history a rap song won the award.
Using his alter ego Childish Gambino, Glover starred in the song’s video alongside numerous celebrities and video vixens meant to highlight different vices in America. The song went viral instantly and has since then amassed nearly 500 million views on YouTube.
On Sunday, Glover outdid fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar who had been nominated for his song, “All the Stars”, as featured in the Marvel franchise Black Panther. He also outdid rapper Drake who was nominated for “God’s Plan.”
Other artists nominated for the same award were Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper for “Shallow”, Shawn Mendes for “In My Blood” and “The Joke” by Brandi Carlile.
With Glover absent, Alicia Keys accepted the award for him.
Besides song of the year, “This is America” also won
Cardi B also made history when her album Invasion of Privacy won the album of the year award, becoming the first female, solo rap artist to do so.
