Redbone

About this song

Ludwig Göransson, the song's producer, has said it was heavily inspired by Funkadelic, and Gambino sent him Funkadelic's music as a reference for the production, which was made mostly with live instruments. The song first premiered on BBC Radio 1 as Annie Mac's Hottest Record and reached #12 on Billboard's Hot 100. It became a meme after parodies spread almost four months later, and it was featured in the opening credits of Jordan Peele's film Get Out. The song won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 2018 Grammys.

What it's about

The song explores paranoia and infidelity in a relationship, with Gambino worried that his efforts to keep his partner satisfied will drive her away. It also uses the slang term "redbone", which refers to a lighter-skinned Black person of mixed race.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 20 other songs, like “1234 by Shirama, Big Pat & yani5000”.
• Covered 19 times, including “If You Want It by Wilkinson”.
• Written by Childish Gambino, Ludwig Göransson, Gary Mudbone Cooper, George Clinton and Bootsy Collins.
• Produced by Childish Gambino and Ludwig Göransson.
• Recorded at The Factory.