Childish Gambino Takes on Gun Violence as Donald Glover Drops Surprise 'This Is America' Video

The versatile performer made a shocking and powerful statement about America's love for guns and the violence they can wreak by joyfully mowing down scores of people.

It's how he presented the mayhem that got the message across. The video for "This Is America" opened with Glover dancing joyously to an acoustic jam before he casually and still joyously opens fire on the man who was playing, now hooded and tied up.

Immediately, the joyful tribal music drops and Glover raps, "This is America / Don't catch you slippin' up." He dances with a group of school kids, before taking a moment to mow down a gospel choir before the chorus kicks in a second time.

Glover dances and grooves to the music throughout the rest of the video, until the closing moments when we seeing him running from a mob made up of the same people he'd once been grooving with. He also performed the song as his second number on "Saturday Night Live."

He couldn't have picked a more poignant time to throw his hat into the discussion on gun violence in America. In the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, the survivors organized the "March for Our Lives" on Washington as politicians and pundits on both sides of the aisle have retreated into their rhetoric. Many Americans want gun reform, while others vow to fight for their Second Amendment rights.

Is this latest music video a statement on how quickly mob mentality can turn -- as the very people he was celebrating life with were suddenly seeking to end his -- or perhaps Glover is saying that there will be consequences for America's laissez-faire attitudes about guns.

It's a powerful video with some strong imagery that sticks with you after you've finished watching it, including some of Glover's erratic facial expressions (representing mental instability) and the sheer joyfulness of the dance juxtaposed with the casual killing.