Rapper Donald Glover reveals why he is retiring his stage name Childish Gambino

American rapper and actor, Donald Glover has announced that he is retiring his stage name Childish Gambino after over a decade of music.

The 40-year-old will retire the name after he releases his sixth album, Bando Stone & the New World, on Friday.  

‘It really was just like, “Oh, it’s done,”‘ the rapper told The New York Times. ‘It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore.’

Donald, who shares three sons, Legend, Drake, and Donald Glover III, with wife Michelle White reflected on how becoming a parent impacted his decision. 

‘I’m not 25 anymore, standing in front of a boulder like, “This has to move,”‘ the former 30 Rock writer said. ‘You give what you can, but there’s beauty everywhere in every moment. You don’t have to build it. You don’t have to search for it.’

Donald added, ‘When I put my son on my shoulders, I feel deep joy. That’s real. No one on their deathbed is going to look back and say, “Thank God I avoided being cringe.”‘ 

The artist rose to fame with six albums and five Grammys but says his definition of success has changed over the years. 

‘Success to me is, honestly, being able to put out a wide-scale album that I would listen to,’ Donald explained to the outlet. For this album [Bando], I really wanted to be able to play big rooms and have big, anthemic songs that fill those rooms, so that people feel a sense of togetherness.’

‘If people listen to this album, and it becomes a part of their identity, if they look back a year later and are reminded of how much they listened to it and what that felt like in the summer of ’24 – that kind of real estate is way more valuable to me [than chart metrics],’ continued the Mr. & Mrs Smith actor.