Donald Glover Says He Wants to Split With His Record Label

Donald Glover has had a remarkably busy year: First he quit NBC’s Community, the most prominent acting gig of his career. Then in December he dropped his second studio album, Because the Internet, which proved to be as much a multimedia experience as it was a hip-hop record. Now, he’s in the midst of a lengthy tour to promote that album, but it looks like he’s making one more change in his career: dropping label Glassnote Records.

The artist (known musically as Childish Gambino) dropped the video for Because the Internet track “Sweatpants” and unveiled a new blog on Monday, but he made it fairly apparent that there was turmoil behind the scenes:

Glassnote also released Glover’s debut studio album, Camp, in 2011.

What will actually come of Glover’s statements remains to be seen, but he’s made it clear in the last year that he’s willing to make major professional moves if he doesn’t feel adequately served.

It’s not the first time that Glover has taken to social media to share his feelings — even on this particular subject. Perhaps the most significant development, however, is that he specifically mentions Atlantic and Def Jam as potential destinations. Glover has always maintained an independent vibe, despite his celebrity and burgeoning popularity in the hip-hop world. A move to a large, more commercially-driven label could mean less creative control for an artist who has always done his best to maintain it.