Donald Glover is finally proclaiming his genius as an artist. Pity that luxury only exists for Black men.
After years of hard work, Donald Glover is finally allowed to claim his status as a polymathic genius. Yet we don’t seem to grant Black women artists the same privilege.
With the success of his FX show Atlanta and his 2016 album Awaken My Love, Donald Glover has been embraced by the same entertainment industry of which he’s remained a stern critic. In a recent profile by writer Tad Friend in The New Yorker, the actor, writer, and comedian reflected on his career so far, opening up about his frustration at his talent being overlooked, and detailing how racism has been an obstacle to his creativity.
It’s a profile worth reading, especially if you’ve witnessed Glover mature from a geeky sketch comic with musical ambitions, to a polymathic talent who’s positioned himself as a pioneer of high Black art. The opening scene of the second season of Atlanta revealed the mind and sensibility of an artist keenly aware of who they are and what they are striving to accomplish.
But what’s most striking about the reception to Glover’s recent status as a midcult darling is the right he’s been given to proclaim his genius along with any unpleasantness that might come with it. Later in the The New Yorker profile, Glover states that he “feel[s] like Jesus” because of a self-imposed obligation to use his “humanity to create a classic work” even though us mere mortals might not be worthy of this sacrifice.
In light of the response to Oscar-winning actress and comedienne Mo’Nique’s criticism of the $500,000 Netflix offered her for a stand-up special, it’s been interesting to witness how Glover’s lofty ideas about his talents are framed as bold, affirming, and even charming. Especially when that privilege would never be afforded to a Black woman who heralded herself a genius. Though she’s been publicly scolded by Whoopi Goldberg on The View and belittled on radio by The Breakfast Club host Charlamagne tha God, Mo’Nique has displayed nothing but grace and patience for people intent on undermining her fight for equal pay for women of color entertainers.
While the Sheryl Sandbergs of the world can quite literally afford to lean in, Black women know that adopting that can result in being labeled as “difficult” and “angry.” There was a time where cockiness and self-aggrandizement was the province of Black athletes, rappers, and musicians whose braggadaccio and machismo was treated as thrilling entertainment. This form of confidence was often regarded as nothing more than a performance of the kind of self-assurance we sometimes associate with powerful white men.
The rapper, producer, and fashion designer Kanye West was arguably one of the first Black male celebrities to create a lane for the nerdy arrogance which Glover has made his own. Over the course of his career, West has been outspoken about his greatness as a musician and cultural tastemaker. He’s likened himself to a god and appointed himself our generation’s answer to Shakespeare. And while West almost experienced career-ending moments when he criticized former president George Bush and interrupted Taylor Swift’s speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, he’s managed to convince the world of his brilliance to the point where his questionable behaviour is consistently excused and justified.
His bizarre meeting with president Donald Trump in August 2017 has almost been erased from public memory despite the angry reaction it first generated. And while Glover laments his status as a “woke bae,” he doesn’t seem to mind that people haven’t brought up comments from his 2012 stand-up special “Weirdo,” where he describes how awesome he felt when an Armenian woman asked him to “f**k [her] harder with that n-word dick.”
In a world where artists are undervalued, it’s necessary for creatives to be allowed to delight in their talent. When we impose gendered and racialized conditions on who can express their brilliance, we defeat the purpose of the celebrating artists it in all their iterations. That Black women with equal talent, equal drive, and equal ingenuity are forced to be meek and grateful about their achievements illustrates how the idea of genius remains elusive to a demographic of women who’ve long been trailblazing and innovative.
