5 Christian Artists for Fans of Childish Gambino
At the end of this article is a playlist with all the artists listed (and more).
What would you see if you pulled up Childish Gambino’s profile on any streaming platform? You would see top streaming songs like Redbone, Me and Your Mama, and 3005.
If Spotify implemented a Christian filter feature, where you would get recommendations based on Christian artists similar to Childish Gambino, what artists would you see then?
Don’t worry because I did the work.
I have compiled a list of Christian artists and bands you might like if you enjoy Childish Gambino.
Because every new album by Gambino represents a different collage of sound, ideas, and attitude, I prioritized these artists by the various projects Childish Gambino has released over the past few years.
*DISCLAIMER
These artists are the Christian version of Childish Gambino.
These artists have their own IDENTITY. Please respect them as such.
Despite the article’s title, not all of these artists are overtly Christian but are presumed to practice Christianity daily. Therefore, their music emanates the themes and principles that resonate with the commandments and philosophies of Yahweh as articulated in the Sacred Hebrew Texts.
1. The New Respects
For fans of Awaken, My Love!
The New Respects are an alternative funk-pop band based in Nashville, Tennessee. This group’s eclectic earworm sensibilities make it difficult not to smile ear to ear as you bop your goofy butt down to the campus coffee shop. Good Lord. Can you walk like an average person?
Similar to how Glover channeled the heartfelt do-gooder youthful wisdom found in the soul music of the 60s and the 70s, The New Respects offer a blend of pop-rock and soul-funk jams to meditate on self-love, love for one another, and not so surprisingly the love of God.
Of course, when you look at them, maybe your first immediate thought is Jackson 5. Sure, the influence is there. However, this pop-funk outfit has a lot more to offer than homage. There is an eclectic, colorful sense of sound that ranges from stomp-clap songs (you know, the ones that you hear on a promo FX television series, about a bunch of cool white guys about to do something illegal) to funky 80s rock-hybrid jam, “Struttin”.
Other Songs to listen to:
Say What You Want
We ain’t Going Nowhere
Coffee in the Morning
Something to Believe In
2. Tragic Hero
For fans of Camp and 3.15.20
Tragic Hero. Childish Gambino. Tragic Hero. Childish Gambino.
Even their names sound the same. Case closed. Now go listen to “Nothing You Can Do” and be amazed.
He is what I like to call “responsibly emo.” Positing himself as an outlier in his subgenre, Tragic Hero takes an open-book approach to his discography. He offers a very transparent look into his life, retrospectively, of course. You will hear songs in his discography addressing his divorce and relationship with his abusive father. That being said, there are some beautiful songs concerning reconciliation, having internal resolve, not to mention his new marriage.
His 2018 release, Slow Motion, sounds like a time traveler glitching through our reality to warn us of the mistakes that led him to this timeline. On the other end of the spectrum, you can find him singing melancholically over instrumentals that sound like something that would play during the end credits to a mumblecore A24 summer flick.
Slightly unrelated note, I think he is a youth pastor now. So, though he is not the typical “Christian rapper,” that is a pretty on-the-nose thing to do.
Here is one of my favorites of his, “Blackhole.”
Other Songs to listen to:
Slow Motion
The Great Reset
In My Mind
MPH
By Your Side
Blackhole
3. Aaron Dews
For fans of Because the Internet and Royalty
If you take the journey to the maturation of Donald Glover’s Camp, the contemplative bravado of Royalty, and the existential musings of Because the Internet, Aaron Dews is where my money is double or nothing.
Channeling the spirit of Timbaland and the Neptunes, Dews crafts eargasmic rap tunes that sound otherwordly yet accessible down to earth. His topics range from trying to be the standard yet still falling into the pitfalls he preaches against to the plight and criticisms of his demographic. In his 2018 single “Trends,” he reflects on his disdain for certain aspects of his generation’s culture that perpetuates dehumanizing stereotypes that reflect negatively on young black men.
Aaron Dews is that suburbanite kid you don’t suspect will do anything wild, but as it turns out, he’s planning something sinister involving a spaceship. That’s right. Aaron Dews is the Christian Rap Elon Musk. Somebody stop him before he makes a much better version of Chance the Rapper’s The Big Day.
Other Songs to listen to:
DUB
DNA (feat. Battz)
Arkham Knights
Peace of Mind
Upper E
4. RED HANDS
For fans of Standing Tall
I don’t feel like I need to say much. Red Hands’ most recent full-length LP, The Family Album, was just a delightful modern gospel soul record with a lot of bounce. Make sure you check that out. What you see is what you get. It is a bunch of talented black men making elevated black cookout music.
One of the annoying questions you used to see Christian rappers get asked in interviews is whether or not they would do a song with Lecrae. For the longest time, it was a pervasive question. (The man gave us the Misconception series. That should be enough.) Few rappers could offer a fruitful collaboration that would be particularly interesting. If you were to do an NPR Tiny Desk concert with Lecrae with Red Hands as the backup band… I’m just saying that it would be a collaboration worth seeing.
They’ve got a live groove session with gospel R&B artists Tim Bowman Jr. and Demetrius Beasley. It is 9 minutes long, and it is glorious!
Be Alright
NO WORRIES
CAN’T WAIT
Monday
No Rush
Be Alright
5. IMRSQD
(pronounced “I Am Rescued”)
For fans of Kauai
This Mild-mannered introspective rapper by day and funky pop fusion singer by night, IMRSQD, crafts these delicious pop melodies accompanied by self-aware laments that make the savviest listener groove and cry simultaneously.
There are two sides to his music. There is the fun Christian TikTok-friendly side. This angle reflects his collaborative projects with Moflo Music. See records, Guitars, Trumpets, the Gospel & Encantado. It sounds like the music we expected Chance the Rapper to make following the Coloring Book.
Then…
This emotionally Complex, nearly satirical, darker side of his music almost sounds like an entirely different artist. These are your traditional I’m a tortured soul type songs, but they articulate a more self-aware and nuanced perspective. In songs like “Frederick,” he tries to reconcile the tumultuous relationship between him and his father, which has resulted in PTSD, thus preventing him from engaging with the concept of God as a father.
He maintains excellent pride and passion for independent artists. Much of his subject focuses on imploring indie artists to sustain their ambition and work ethic. His single Run It Up is well represented. Dr. RSQD M.D. is handing out prescriptions. He recommends that independent artists continue to Be consistent in their work because their preparation will meet opportunity.
Other Songs to Listen to:
Tom Morello Strat
Daisies
Frederick
Thunderball
Indie
Wrist
Poison
