Childish Gambino’s ‘This Is America’ Returns to Spotlight Amid Capitol Riot

January 6, 2021, 10:36pm

Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” has made a return to the spotlight amid the riots at the U.S. Capitol. On Wednesday, election-results protests turned violent, when Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building, smashing through security barricades and clashing with law-enforcement personnel. The pro-Trump rioters eventually broke into the building and occupied the Senate chamber after a gun-drawn standoff with Capitol police.

Gambino’s song, which conveys the rapper’s perspective of what it’s like to be a Black man in America, has since started popping up on social media quite a lot. Many seem to feel that much of the song articulates how they too feel about the chaos around them, with lyrics such as, “Police be trippin’ now / Yeah, this is America / Guns in my area.” The music video for “This Is America” is also important to the tone of the song’s message, as it features a lot of juxtaposed and violent imagery. Scroll down to see what Twitter users are saying and how they’re sharing the song title to convey their feelings.

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Childish Gambino | This Is America pic.twitter.com/C3nosEoNSW
— HipHopHotspot (@HipHopxHotspot) January 6, 2021

in summer 2020, i watched people lose eyeballs, teeth, and their lives as cops stood armed to defend the shops on melrose.

today, there are terrorists in the capitol building and cops are empty-handed except for phones to take selfies.

this is america.
— CHIKA 🏆 (@oranicuhh) January 6, 2021

In the words of Childish Gambino :

This is America. pic.twitter.com/asLgK6FVsv
— Thomas Raffy (@ThomasRaffy) January 6, 2021

This IS America …. play that Childish Gambino!!!!
— Kojo Ebro (@oldmanebro) January 6, 2021

THIS IS AMERICA. https://t.co/bv8dPnd2qg
— Melanie Roussell Newman (@MelanieRNewman) January 6, 2021

cant wait for this is america by childish gambino to start trending on tik tok y’all know they making those edits right now
— shi 🦋👁 (@moonlighttange1) January 6, 2021

This is America. pic.twitter.com/8q9v9mNbm7
— Stefan Urquelle (@GreshamDC) January 6, 2021

Hey Siri. Play “this is America by @donaldglover”
— Uplift Black Women (@blackboarder) January 6, 2021

George Floyd was killed for an alleged fake $20 Bill. He was unarmed.

A white man can literally POINT A WEAPON at US House Members and is not shot at.

This is America. pic.twitter.com/wz4kUALvI9
— Londyn Robinson (rheuminate) (@londyloo) January 6, 2021

My black kids won’t be able to safely wear a hoodie in their own community but these terrorists are able to walk calmly (and freely) around a Capitol they have forcibly overtaken.

This is America.#whiteprivilege #CapitolBuilding #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/vbbzoSe4Vp
— Jahnisa (@SimplyJahnisa) January 6, 2021

“Stand back and stand by.”

These are terrorists. These are fascists.

This is America. pic.twitter.com/PJNGHXHrkO
— Alex | Haruspis (@haruspis) January 6, 2021

BLM Protest vs Pro-Trump Protest.

This is America 2021. #WashingtonDC #CapitolHill #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/EmDAjoX2Sr
— Taylor Geedey (@worthalooksie) January 6, 2021