Galba
6th Emperor of the Roman Empire
Bust of Galba
Reign	8 June 68 – 15 January 69
Full name	Servius Sulpicius Galba (at birth); Lucius Livius Ocella Sulpicius Galba (until ascension); Servius Sulpicius Galba Caesar Augustus (as emperor)
Born	24 December, 3 BC
Birthplace	Near Terracina, Italy
Died	15 January 69(69-01-15) (aged 72)
Place of death	Rome
Predecessor	Nero
Successor	Otho
Consort to	Aemilia Lepida
Dynasty	None
Mother	Mummia Achaica

Galba (Latin: Servius Sulpicius Galba Caesar Augustus;^[1] 24 December 3 BC – 15 January 69), was Roman Emperor for seven months from 68 to 69. Galba was the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, and made a bid for the throne during the rebellion of Julius Vindex. He was the first emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors.

Origins and rise to power[link]

He was born as Servius Sulpicius Galba near Terracina, "on the left as you go towards Fundi" in the words of Suetonius.^[2]

Through his paternal grandfather ("more eminent for his learning than for his rank — for he did not advance beyond the grade of praetor" and who "published a voluminous and painstaking history", according to Suetonius), who predicted his rise to power (Suetonius, 4), he was descended from Servius Sulpicius Galba. Galba's father attained the consulship, and although he was short, hunchbacked and only an indifferent speaker, was an industrious pleader at the bar.

His mother was Mummia Achaica, the granddaughter of Catulus and great-granddaughter of Lucius Mummius Achaicus. They only had one other child, an elder son called Gaius who left Rome after squandering the greater part of his estate, and committed suicide because Tiberius would not allow him to take part in the allotment of the provinces in his year. On his father's remarriage to Livia Ocellina, Galba was adopted by her and took her names, remaining Lucius Livius Ocella Sulpicius Galba until becoming emperor.

He came from a noble family and was a man of great wealth, but was unconnected either by birth or by adoption with the first six Caesars. In his early years he was regarded as a youth of remarkable abilities, and it is said that both Augustus and Tiberius prophesied his future eminence (Tacitus, Annals, vi. 20; Suet. Galba, 4).

His wife, however, was connected at least by the marriage of some of her relatives to some of the Julii-Claudii. The couple had two sons, Galba Major and Galba Minor who died during their father's life. Galba Major was the elder son and born circa 25 AD. Hardly anything is known about his life as he died young. He was engaged to his stepsister Antonia Postuma, but they never wed, which leads modern historians to believe that he died during this time. Their engagement is dated to 48, and that is generally believed to be his time of death. Galba Minor was the younger son. His date of birth was later than 25 but before 30. This Galba outlived his older brother, but did not live a long time. He was a quaestor in 58, but he was never seen in politics after that. Suetonius mentions that "Galba Minor had discovered his father's affair with a male slave and threatened to tell his stepmother, which led to death of him." His time of death is generally believed to be around 60 AD. Galba Minor was never married and had no children.

In addition, Suetonius's description of Galba was that In sexual matters he was more inclined to males, and then none but the hard bodied and those past their prime.^[3] This seems to be the only case in Roman history where a named individual male is stated to prefer adult males.^[4]

He became Praetor in 20, and consul in 33; he earned a reputation in the provinces of Gaul, Germania, Africa and Hispania (Iberia, comprising modern Spain and Portugal) for his military capability, strictness and impartiality. On the death of Caligula, he refused the invitation of his friends to make a bid for the empire, and loyally served Claudius. For the first half of Nero's reign he lived in retirement, until 61, when the emperor bestowed on him the province of Hispania Tarraconensis.

In the spring of 68, Galba was informed of Nero's intention to put him to death, and of the insurrection of Julius Vindex in Gaul. He was at first inclined to follow the example of Vindex, but the defeat and suicide^[5] of the latter renewed his hesitation.

The news that Nymphidius Sabinus, the Praetorian Prefect, had given him his favour revived Galba's spirits. Until now, he had only dared to call himself the legate of the senate and Roman people; after Nero's suicide, he assumed the title of Caesar, and marched straight for Rome.

Following Nero's death, Nymphidius Sabinus sought to seize power prior to the arrival of Galba, but he could not win the loyalty of the Praetorian guard and was killed. Upon Galba's approach to the city in October, he was met by soldiers presenting demands; Galba replied by killing many of them.

Rule and fall[link]

Rule[link]

Galba's primary concern during his brief reign was restoring state finances, and to this end he undertook a number of unpopular measures, the most dangerous his refusal to pay the praetorians the reward promised in his name. Galba scorned the notion that soldiers should be "bribed" for their loyalty. He was notoriously cruel throughout the Empire; according to the historian Suetonius, Galba levied massive taxes against areas that were slow to receive him as Emperor.^[6] He also sentenced many to death without trial, and rarely accepted requests for citizenship.^[6] He further disgusted the populace by his meanness and dislike of pomp and display. Advanced age destroyed his energy, and he was entirely in the hands of favourites. Three of these — Titus Vinius, who became Galba's colleague as consul, Cornelius Laco, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, and Galba's freedman Icelus Marcianus — were said to virtually control the emperor.^[6] The three were called "The Three Pedagogues" because of their influence on Galba. All this made the new emperor gravely unpopular.

Mutiny[link]

On 1 January 69, two legions in Germania Superior refused to swear loyalty to Galba. They toppled his statues, demanding that a new emperor be chosen. On the following day, the soldiers of Germania Inferior also rebelled and took the decision of who should be the next emperor into their own hands, proclaiming the governor of the province, Vitellius, as Emperor. This outbreak of revolt made Galba aware of his own unpopularity and of the general discontent. In order to check the rising storm, he adopted as his coadjutor and successor L. Calpurnius Piso. The populace regarded the choice of successor as a sign of fear and the Praetorians were indignant, because the usual donative was not forthcoming.

Assassination[link]

M. Salvius Otho, formerly governor of Lusitania, and one of Galba's earliest supporters, disappointed at not being chosen instead of Piso, entered into communication with the discontented Praetorians, and was adopted by them as their emperor. Galba at once set out to meet the rebels, though he was so feeble that he had to be carried in a litter. He was met by a troop of Otho's cavalry and was killed near Lacus Curtius. One guard, centurion Sempronius Densus, died defending him. Piso was killed shortly afterwards. According to Plutarch, during Galba's last moments he offered his neck, and said, "Strike, if it be for the good of the Romans!" According to Suetonius, Galba prior to his death had put on a linen corset—although remarking that it had little protection against so many swords. After his death, Galba's head was brought to Otho, who gave it to his camp followers who paraded and mocked it—the camp followers' mocking was their angry response to a remark by Galba that his strength was unimpaired. The head was then bought by a freedman so he could throw it on the place where his former master had been executed on Galba's orders. Galba's steward buried both head and trunk in a tomb by the Aurelian Road.

Altogether, around 120 people claimed the credit for killing Galba, being anxious to win Otho's favour and hoping to be rewarded. A list of their names was drawn up, which fell into the hands of Vitellius when he succeeded Otho as emperor. Every one of them was executed.

During the later period of his provincial administration, Galba was indolent and apathetic, but this was due either to a desire not to attract Nero's favor or to the growing infirmities of age. Tacitus says all pronounced him worthy of the empire, until he became emperor ("omnium consensū cāpax imperiī nisi imperasset").

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

See also[link]

• Sulpicia (gens)
• Galba (Suessiones)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Galba

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Galba

Primary sources[link]

• Galba.net: researching Galba's heritage
• Life of Galba (Suetonius; English translation and Latin original)
• Life of Galba (Plutarch; English translation)
• Cassius Dio, Book 63

Secondary material[link]

• Galba at RomansOnline
• Biography at De Imperatoribus Romanis

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2010)

Wim Mertens
Born	(1953-05-14) 14 May 1953 (age 59) Neerpelt, Belgium
Nationality	Belgium
Occupation	musician

Wim Mertens (born 14 May 1953) is a Flemish Belgian composer, countertenor vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist.

Life and work[link]

Mertens was born in Neerpelt, Belgium. He studied social and political science at the University of Leuven (graduating in 1975) and musicology at Ghent University; he also studied music theory and piano at the Ghent Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

In 1978, he became a producer at the then BRT (Belgian Radio and Television, now called Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep). For Radio 2 (Radio Brabant) he produced concerts by Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Meredith Monk, Urban Sax and others, and hosted a program called Funky Town together with Gust De Meyer (with whom he recorded the experimental album For Amusement Only).

Known primarily as a composer since the early 1980s, Mertens is best known for his opus "Struggle for Pleasure". He is also well known for his piece "Maximizing the Audience", which was composed for Jan Fabre's play The Power of Theatrical Madness, which premiered in 1984 in Venice, Italy.

Mertens' style has continually evolved during the course of his prolific career, starting from downright experimental and avant-garde, always gravitating around minimalism, usually, however, preserving a melodic foundation to the forays that he makes into the worlds that he is exploring. His compositional quality has often overweighted the "labelling issue" and reached wider audiences although stemming from a far-from-mainstream musical context (see section In popular culture). One can follow three separate threads of musical styles throughout his work: a) Compositions for ensemble, perhaps his most accessible and "commercial" material; b) Solo piano and voice compositions, which features haunting keyboard melodies accompanied by Mertens' unique high-pitched tenor voice singing in an invented, personal language; and c) Experimental minimalist "cycles" for single, dual, and sometimes more instruments.

Mertens has released more than 50 albums to date, the majority of which were issued by Les Disques du Crépuscule from 1980 until 2004. Mertens also produced a number of Crépuscule releases and consulted with the label on its choice of works by contemporary composers such as Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars, and Glenn Branca. Mertens also curated a series of releases for a Crépuscle imprint, Lome Armé, that featured works from the classical era as well as contemporary jazz.

Mertens' music was used in the 1987 Peter Greenaway film The Belly of an Architect, along with that of Glenn Branca also in the Dutch-British film Shadow Man (1988), directed by Piotr Andrejew, as well as in the Brazilian documentary Nós que Aqui Estamos por Vós Esperamos (Here We Are Waiting for You), directed by Marcelo Masagão.

Mertens is the author of American Minimal Music,^[1] which looks at the school of American repetitive music and the work of LaMonte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass.

In March 1998 Mertens became the Cultural Ambassador of Flanders.

Mertens can be heard on the CD Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses of Glenn Branca, which published an interview of Mertens with John Cage.

In August 2007 Mertens signed a contract with EMI Classics for his entire catalog.^[2] The label re-released his entire back-catalog beginning in January 2008. EMI Music Belgium has also released Mertens' new work, beginning with the 9-track album Receptacle on 24 September 2007. For this album Mertens decided to work with an orchestra consisting of only women, 17 in total. It is not the first time that Mertens has worked together with EMI. Already in 1999 Mertens released the soundtrack to the Paul Cox film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien via EMI Classics.

New work released in 2008 includes the CD L'heure du loup which, similar to some of his experimental works, contains a series of tracks based on variations around one composition, the previously released Hors nature. Mertens also released a box set of six volumes from his live Years Without History series, the sixth volume of which (The Promise Kept in Advance) is only available with the box set. A seventh volume, Nosotros, was also released in 2008. It contains a recording from July 2002 at the Kasteeldomein van Gaasbeek in Belgium, the live premiere of material that would later be released on the Skopos CD. Other live albums and a DVD concert performance have been released as well.

In April 2010 Mertens released his first new compositions in several years on the CD Zee Versus Zed.

Discography[link]

• 1980 - For Amusement Only - The Sound of Pinball Machines
• 1982 - At Home - Not At Home
• 1982 - Vergessen
• 1983 - Close Cover
• 1983 - Struggle for Pleasure
• 1984 - The Power of Theatrical Madness (Limited Edition Single)
• 1984 - A Visiting Card
• 1985 - Usura (under the band name Soft Verdict)
• 1985 - Maximizing the Audience
• 1986 - Close Cover (2)
• 1986 - A Man of No Fortune, And with a Name to Come
• 1986 - Hirose
• 1986 - Instrumental Songs
• 1987 - Educes Me
• 1987 - The Belly of an Architect
• 1988 - Whisper Me
• 1988 - After Virtue
• 1989 - Motives for Writing
• 1990 - No Testament
• 1990 - Play for Me
• 1991 - Alle Dinghe Part III: Alle Dinghe
• 1991 - Alle Dinghe Part II: Vita Brevis
• 1991 - Alle Dinghe Part I: Sources of Sleeplessness
• 1991 - Stratégie De La Rupture
• 1991 - Hufhuf (Single taken from Stratégie De La Rupture, including previously unreleased material)
• 1992 - Houfnice
• 1992 - Retrospectives Volume 1
• 1992 - Shot and Echo
• 1993 - A Sense of Place
• 1994 - Epic That Never Was
• 1994 - Gave Van Niets [Promo] [1994-11]
• 1994 - Gave Van Niets Part IV: Reculer Pour Mieux Sauter [1994-11]
• 1994 - Gave Van Niets Part III: Gave Van Niets [1994-11]
• 1994 - Gave Van Niets Part II: Divided Loyalties [1994-11]
• 1994 - Gave Van Niets Part I: You'll Never Be Me [1994-11]
• 1995 - Jeremiades [1995-04]
• 1996 - Entre Dos Mares [1996]
• 1996 - Lisa [1996-04]
• 1996 - Jardin Clos [1996-10]
• 1996 - As Hay in the Sun [1996-10]
• 1996 - Piano & Voice [1996-12]
• 1997 - Sin Embargo [1997-10]
• 1997 - Best Of [1997-11]
• 1998 - In 3 or 4 Days (Single taken from Integer Valor, including previously unreleased material)
• 1998 - Integer Valor
• 1998 - And Bring You Back
• 1999 - Father Damien
• 1999 - Integer Valor - Intégrale
• 1999 - Kere Weerom Part III: Decorum
• 1999 - Kere Weerom Part II: Kere Weerom
• 1999 - Kere Weerom Part I: Poema
• 2000 - If I Can
• 2000 - Rest Meines Ichs (Single accompanying Der Heisse Brei, not sold separately)
• 2000 - Der Heisse Brei
• 2001 - At Home - Not At Home
• 2001 - Aren Lezen [Promo]
• 2001 - Aren Lezen Part I: If Five Is Part Of Ten
• 2001 - Aren Lezen Part II: Aren Lezen
• 2001 - Aren Lezen Part III: Kaosmos
• 2001 - Aren Lezen Part IV: aRe
• 2002 - Years Without History Volume 1 - Moins De Mètre, Assez De Rythme
• 2002 - Years Without History Volume 2 - In The Absence Of Hindrance
• 2002 - Years Without History Volume 3 - Cave Musicam
• 2002 - Wim Mertens Moment Box set featuring Vergessen, Ver-Veranderingen (Previously recorded 1981 but unreleased), The Belly of an Architect, Struggle for Pleasure, Motives for Writing, Maximizing the Audience, Instrumental Songs, If I Can, For Amusement Only, Educes Me, At Home - Not At Home, After Virtue, A Man of No Fortune, And with a Name to Come
• 2003 - Years Without History Volume 4 - No Yet, No Longer
• 2003 - Skopos
• 2004 - Years Without History Volume 5 - With No Need For Seeds
• 2004 - Shot and Echo/A Sense of Place (including previously unreleased material)
• 2005 - Un respiro
• 2006 - Partes Extra Partes
• 2007 - Receptacle
• 2008 - Platinum Collection
• 2008 - L'heure du loup
• 2008 - Years Without History vol. 1-6 boxset (vol. 6 available only in this boxset)
• 2008 - Years Without History Volume 7: Nosotros
• 2009 - Music and Film (3-CD boxset with over 20 unreleased tracks)
• 2009 - The World Tout Court
• 2009 - QUA (37-CD reissue of the complete cycle previously known as Alle Dinghe)
• 2010 - Zee Versus Zed
• 2011 - Series of Ands/Immediate Givens (2-CDs, two separate albums released together)
• 2011 - Open Continiuum / Tenerife Symphony Orchestra(OST) (2-CDs and one DVD)

In popular culture[link]

• With that same title, the collection of electronic music Café del Mar features in its 5th volume "Close Cover", one of the most melodic and, in a way, classical pieces of the author.
• "Struggle for Pleasure" was directly covered by Belgian dance music project Minimalistix in 2000 and reached the Top 40 in the charts in many European countries including the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands. The group also did a successful cover of, again, "Close Cover".
• A cover appeared in 2001 on Gatecrasher Digital. Elastica presents Jesus Elices 'Maximizing the Audience'.
• The James Bond novel High Time to Kill (Raymond Benson, 1999) contains a passing reference to the music of Wim Mertens, in which characters in the novel comment on the music playing in a cafe. Benson, the fourth official James Bond novelist, is a fan of Mertens' music. The reference is somewhat ironic given the interest in James Bond culture shown by Michel Duval, the founder of Les Disques du Crépuscule.
• "Struggle for Pleasure" also inspired one of the most influential Electronic dance music tracks - Energy 52's trance music project called "Café Del Mar", firstly released on Eye Q Records in 1993. It became a successful hit in 1997 with Three 'n One remix, and Nalin & Kane remixes in 1998. In April 2011, the song was voted number one in Pete Tong's Top 20 Dance Tracks of the last 20 years.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wim Mertens at WimMertens.be (official website)
• Wim Mertens at Allmusic
• Wim Mertens discography at Discogs

Donald Glover (Childish Gambino)
Glover at PaleyFest 2010
Born	Donald McKinley Glover (1983-09-25) September 25, 1983 (age 28) Edwards Air Force Base, California, U.S.
Residence	Silver Lake, California, U.S.
Other names	Childish Gambino
Occupation	Actor, writer, comedian, musician
Years active	2002–present
Home town	Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S.
Website
http://www.iamdonald.com/

Donald McKinley Glover^[1] (born September 25, 1983) is an American actor, writer, comedian, and musician. Glover first came to attention for his work with Derrick Comedy. He is best known for being a writer for 30 Rock, and for his role as college student Troy Barnes on the NBC comedy series Community. In 2011, Glover signed to Glassnote Records under the stage name Childish Gambino; his first studio album, Camp, was released on November 15, 2011.

Early life and education[link]

Glover was born on September 25, 1983 on Edwards Air Force Base, California^[2] to parents Beverly and Donald Sr. and raised as a Jehovah's Witness in Stone Mountain, Georgia.^[3] Contrary to a persistent rumor, he is not related to actor Danny Glover.^[4] In addition to a biological brother and sister, Glover grew up alongside foster children taken in by his parents.^[3] Glover attended Rockbridge Elementary School and DeKalb School of the Arts before studying at New York University, graduating with a degree in Dramatic Writing in 2006.^[5]

Career[link]

TV and Film[link]

Glover is known for his work on the NBC show Community with Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. Glover was a writer for the NBC series 30 Rock from 2006 to 2009, where he also had an occasional cameo appearance. He was presented the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Candace Comedy Series at the February 2009 ceremony for his work on the third season of 30 Rock.^[6]

In 2008, rumors surfaced that Glover was to become a cast member of Saturday Night Live and that he would portray Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Glover denied the SNL rumors on his Facebook profile, stating, "Just to let people know. I was NOT asked to SNL. I just auditioned and there's been a rumor spreading around the web. Just trying to clear the air."^[7]

Glover's stand-up special aired on Comedy Central on March 19, 2010.

In May 2010, Glover started a campaign on Twitter to be allowed to audition for the role of Peter Parker in the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man film, encouraging his supporters to retweet the hashtag "#donald4spiderman".^[8] The campaign, originally started to see how far social networking could carry a message, quickly gained a large following.^[9] The call for Glover to be allowed to audition for the role was supported by Spider-Man creator Stan Lee.^[10] Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis, who announced an African-American version of Spider-Man a year later, said he had conceived of the character before Glover's campaign went viral.^[11] Bendis gave credit to Glover for influencing the new hero's looks; on seeing him dressed as Spider-Man on Community (a nod to the campaign) Bendis said, "I saw him in the costume and thought, 'I would like to read that book.'".^[12]

In June 2010, it was announced that Glover would receive the Rising Comedy Star award at the Just for Laughs festival in July.^[13]

Glover was featured in Gap's 2010 Holiday ad campaign.

On March 16, 2011, Glover hosted the mtvU Woodie Awards held live at South By Southwest.

On March 24, 2011, Glover taped his one hour comedy special Weirdo for Comedy Central; it aired on November 19.^[14][15]

Donald appeared at the 2011 Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 9 in the 'This Tent' as Childish Gambino and June 11 at 'The Comedy Theater' with Bill Bailey performing stand up. Comedy Central streamed the comedy live on their website.^[16]

Derrick Comedy and other projects[link]

Glover is a member of the sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy, along with Dominic Dierkes, Meggie McFadden, DC Pierson, and Dan Eckman. Derrick's YouTube videos gained the group nationwide attention^{[citation needed]} and have contributed to Donald Glover's recognition, as well as his newfound success in the television business. The group wrote and starred in a feature-length film, Mystery Team, released in theaters in 2009.

In January 2012, Donald made a cameo as himself in the YouTube webseries (Episode 12) "The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl". He was on the show to meet the main character who is a big fan of Donald Glover and was taken backstage at one of his concerts.^[17]

Music[link]

Childish Gambino in concert at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City (October 17, 2010)

Donald Glover DJs and produces his own music under the moniker "mcDJ". His music is of the electronic/remix variety and is often made available for free download via his official site. His current album releases include Love Letter in an Unbreakable Bottle and Utterances of the Heart.

Glover raps and performs under the stage name Childish Gambino,^[18] a name he found from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator.^[19] He released an album entitled Sick Boi on June 5, 2008. On September 17, 2009, Childish Gambino released the album Poindexter. A pair of mixtapes entitled I Am Just A Rapper, and I Am Just A Rapper 2 were released in close succession in early 2010. Robert Scahill added his producing expertise helping with the majority of the tracks. The track listings for those albums consist of the name of the song "he" raps, followed by the song he raps over. His third album, Culdesac, was set to be released on July 2, 2010, but a couple of last minute additions caused the album to be delayed for a day. The album was made available on July 3.^[20] Glover has stated in interviews that on Sick Boi and Poindexter he felt he had to hide behind gimmicks, such as pink hoodies, but with his subsequent projects, he has touched on more personal subject matter, including family, schoolyard bullying, troubled romantic relationships, suicidal thoughts and alcoholism. He has disowned his 2005^[21] album, The Younger I Get, as the too-raw ramblings of what he calls a "decrepit Drake."

On December 1, 2010, Glover released the first track off of his EP titled "Be Alone". He released the next track, "Freaks and Geeks", as well as a five-song track list, on February 11, 2011. On February 25, Donald released the dates for the IAMDONALD tour and also his very first music video for "Freaks and Geeks".^[22] The music video was shot by Dan Eckman, the director of the DerrickComedy troupe. This song would later be used in an Adidas commercial featuring Dwight Howard which brought the song, and Donald, more recognition. On March 8, 2011 Donald released his newest EP via his official website.^[23]

On May 4, 2011, in an interview with TheHipHopUpdate, Glover revealed that he was working on an LP, to be released in September.^[24]

During the weekend of the 2011 San Diego Comic Con, Donald performed with his band and his DJ, SoSuperSam, at the House of Blues in San Diego.^[25] Donald performed a new song from his LP and explained why he had not used Twitter or Tumblr in a while.^[26]

On July 25, 2011, Donald Glover announced that his new album would be entitled Camp. On October 8, 2011, during his Orlando concert, he announced Camp would be released on November 15, 2011.

On August 20, 2011, at the Los Angeles Rock The Bells concert, he gave an interview to allhiphop.com, and announced to the crowd that he had signed with Glassnote Records.^[27] This means that his music will be published onto physical media for the first time including cds and vinyl.

In September 2011, Childish Gambino played at the BruinBash festival at UCLA. On September 20, he released his first official single, "Bonfire". It received much praise on blogs and music message boards.^{[citation needed]}

On November 15, 2011, he performed "Heartbeat" from his album Camp on Conan.

On January 11, 2012, Childish Gambino announced on his website that a new mixtape would be coming out soon. Pictures of Stone Mountain appear to be the cover for his mixtape. On April 2, he released a new song, "Eat Your Vegetables", through his website IAmDonald.com. He said that he has recorded 25 songs for the mixtape and that it will be released "extremely soon." Because of his frequent use of the word on his site and Twitter account, many believe the new mixtape will be titled "Royalty". This was later cleared up by Donald on the BET show, 106 & Park, on May 1, where he stated that "Royalty" was just the name he gave to the group of his friends/musicians that he travels and performs with. On May 14, Funkmaster Flex premiered "Unnecessary", featuring Schoolboy Q. On May 16, Gambino released an untitled track (dubbed "We Ain't Them" by fans) through his website, produced by himself and frequent collaborator Ludwig. On May 22, Donald appeared on Das Racist's radio show "Chillin' Island" where he premiered a new song, "Tell Me", which featured Himanshu Suri, aka Heems from Das Racist. On May 26, Donald released another untitled track (dubbed "Black Faces" by fans) through his website, featuring Nipsey Hussle and produced by Boi-1da. On May 30, he released a third track through his website which he named "Silk Pillow" (via his Twitter account), featuring Beck and produced by both Glover and Beck.

Tours[link]

IAMDONALD Tour[link]

The IAMDONALD tour made 23 stops in 33 days, beginning with Ames, IA on April 16, and finishing with Minneapolis, MN on May 19. In between, this included performances in music venues in cities such as Las Vegas, Houston, Washington, and Atlanta. The tour's shows in New York at the Bowery Ballroom on May 10, and in Brooklyn at Williamsburg Music Hall on May 14, both sold out in three hours after tickets were released on March 4.^[3]

Sign-Up Tour[link]

The Sign-Up Tour was Donald's next pre-tour. He visited 11 cities over the course of 38 days in October and November 2011.^[28]

CAMP Tour[link]

Donald's next tour will be nationwide. He made a website for the tour called "Camp Gambino" on November 19, four days after his album released.^[29] The tour will also feature special guest Danny Brown. The tour will make 20 stops during the course of 32 days along a dates in California in December.^[30] As reported on his website on March 14, 2012, several dates on the CAMP tour have been postponed due to a fractured foot Donald Glover suffered on March 10, while performing in Tampa, Florida. The tour will now begin in Austin, Texas on April 5 and end August 3 in Detroit, Michigan.

Filmography[link]

Discography[link]

As Childish Gambino[link]

Studio albums[link]

Independent Albums[link]

• Sick Boi (2008)
• Poindexter (2009)
• Culdesac (2010)

Extended Plays[link]

• EP (2011)

Mixtapes[link]

• I Am Just a Rapper (2010)
• I Am Just a Rapper 2 (2010)
• Unknown Title (2012)^[38]

Singles[link]

• Break (AOTL) (2011)
• Untouchable
• It's On
• The Longest Text Message
• Eat Your Vegetables (2012)
• Unnecessary (ft. ScHoolboy Q) (2012)
• Tell Me (ft. Heems) (2012)
• Black Faces (ft. Nipsey Hussle) (2012)
• Silk Pillow (ft. Beck) (2012)

Collaboration Songs (as featured artist)[link]

• Who Dat Pt. 2 with J. Cole & Spencer Datt (2011)
• Womyn 2 with Heems (2012)
• Level Up (International Remix) with Sway (2012)
• Tricks with Ludovin (2012)
• Giants with Josh Osho (2012)

mc DJ[link]

• Love Letter in an Unbreakable Bottle
• Utterances of the Heart
• Fuck Yaselves
• The Works
• New Year's Eve Mix
• Illin-Noise
• Apple Sauce: Fiona Apple Remix Album
• A Charlie Brown X-mas EP

As An Actor[link]

• "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" from 30 Rock: Official Soundtrack (2010)
• "101 Rap", "Somewhere Out There" from Community: Music from the Original Television Series (2010)
• "Troy and Abed's Christmas Infiltration Rap" Community (2011)

References[link]

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External links[link]

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Javed Ahmad Ghamidi (Urdu: جاوید احمد غامدی) (born 1951) is a well-known Pakistani Muslim theologian, Quran scholar and exegete, and educationist. A former member of the Jamaat-e-Islami, who extended the work of his tutor, Amin Ahsan Islahi,^[1] Ghamidi is the founder of Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences and its sister organization Danish Sara.^[1] He is a member of Council of Islamic Ideology since January 28, 2006,^[2][3] a constitutional body responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to Pakistan Government and the Parliament. He has also taught at the Civil Services Academy from 1980 until 1991.^[1] He is running an intellectual movement similar to Wastiyya in Egypt on the popular electronic media of Pakistan.^[4]

Ghamidi's discourse is primarily with the traditionalists on the one end and Jamaat-e-Islami and its seceding groups on the other.^[4] In Ghamidi’s arguments, there is no reference to the Western sources, human rights or current philosophies of crime and punishment.^[4] He comes to conclusions which are similar to those of Islamic modernists on the subject, but he never goes out of the traditional framework.^[4]

Early life[link]

Ghamidi was born on April 18, 1951 in a peasant family of Kakazai tribe from Jiwan Shah near Lahore, Pakistan.^[4] His early education included a modern path (Matriculation from Islamia High School, Pakpattan in 1967), as well as a traditional path (Arabic and Persian languages, and the Qur'an with Mawlawi Nur Ahmad of Nang Pal).^[4] He later graduated from Government College, Lahore, with a BA Honours in English in 1972.^[5] Initially, he was more interested in literature and philosophy. Later on, he worked with renowned Islamic scholars like Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi and Amin Ahsan Islahi on various Islamic disciplines particularly exegesis and Islamic law.^[1]

In his book, Maqamat (مقامات), Ghamidi starts with an essay "My Name" (میرا نام) to describe the story behind his surname, which sounds somewhat alien in the context of the Indian Subcontinent. He describes a desire during his childhood years to establish a name linkage to his late grandfather Noor Elahi, after learning of his status as the one people of the area turned to, to resolve disputes. This reputation also led to his (grandfather's) reputation as a peacemaker (مصلح). Subsequently, one of the visiting sufi friends of his father narrated a story of the patriarch of the Arab tribe Banu Ghamid who earned the reputation of being a great peacemaker. He writes, that the temporal closeness of these two events clicked in his mind and he decided to add the name Ghamidi to his given name, Javed Ahmed.^[6]

Interaction with other Islamic scholars[link]

Ghamidi worked closely with Abul Ala Maududi (alternative spelling Syed Maudoodi; often referred to as Maulana Maududi) (1903–1979) for about nine years before voicing his first differences of opinion, which led to his subsequent expulsion from Mawdudi's political party, Jamaat-e-Islami in 1977. Later, he developed his own view of religion based on hermeneutics and ijtihad under the influence of his mentor, Amin Ahsan Islahi (1904–1997), a well-known exegete of the Indian sub-continent who is author of Tadabbur-i-Qur’an, a Tafsir (exegeses of Qur'an). Ghamidi's critique of Mawdudi's thought is an extension of Wahid al-Din Khan’s criticism of Mawdudi. Khan (1925- ) was amongst the first scholars from within the ranks of Jamaat-e-Islami to present a full-fledged critique of Mawdudi’s understanding of religion. Khan’s contention is that Mawdudi has completely inverted the Qur’anic worldview. Ghamidi, for his part, agreed with Khan that the basic obligation in Islam is not the establishment of an Islamic world order but servitude to God, and that it is to help and guide humans in their effort to fulfill that obligation for which religion is revealed. Therefore, Islam never imposed the obligation on its individual adherents or on the Islamic state to be constantly in a state of war against the non-Islamic world. In fact, according to Ghamidi, even the formation of an Islamic state is not a basic religious obligation for Muslims.^[7]

Ideology[link]

Ghamidi’s understanding of Islamic law has been presented concisely in his book Mizan. Ghamidi's inspiration from his mentor, Amin Ahsan Islahi and non-traditionalist approach to the religion has parted him from traditionalist understanding on a number of issues, but he never goes out of the traditional framework.^[4]

Jihad[link]

Ghamidi believes that there are certain directives of the Qur’an pertaining to war which were specific only to the Prophet Muhammad and certain specified peoples of his times (particularly the progeny of Abraham: the Ishmaelites, the Israelites, and the Nazarites). Thus, the Prophet and his designated followers waged a war against Divinely specified peoples of their time (the polytheists and the Israelites and Nazarites of Arabia and some other Jews, Christians, et al.) as a form of Divine punishment and asked the polytheists of Arabia for submission to Islam as a condition for exoneration and the others for jizya and submission to the political authority of the Muslims for exemption from death punishment and for military protection as the dhimmis of the Muslims. Therefore, after the Prophet and his companions, there is no concept in Islam obliging Muslims to wage war for propagation or implementation of Islam. The only valid basis for jihad through arms is to end oppression when all other measures have failed.^[8] According to him Jihad can only be waged by an organized Islamic state. No person, party or group can take arms into their hands (for the purpose of waging Jihad) under any circumstances. Another corollary, in his opinion, is that death punishment for apostasy was also specifically for the recipients of the same Divine punishment during the Prophet's times—for they had persistently denied the truth of the Prophet's mission even after it had been made conclusively evident to them by God through the Prophet.^[9]

The formation of an Islamic state is not a religious obligation per se upon the Muslims. However, he believes that if and when Muslims form a state of their own, Islam does impose certain religious obligations on its rulers as establishment of the institution of salah (obligatory prayer), zakah (mandatory charity), and 'amr bi'l-ma'ruf wa nahi 'ani'l-munkar (preservation and promotion of society's good conventions and customs and eradication of social vices; this, in Ghamidi's opinion, should be done in modern times through courts, police, etc. in accordance with the law of the land which, as the government itself, must be based on the opinion of the majority).^[7]

Social laws[link]

Head covering for women is a cherished part of Muslim social custom and tradition, but it is not a directive of the shariah (Divine law). The Qur'an states norms for male-female interaction in surah An-Nur.^[10] While in surah Al-Ahzab, there are special directives for wives of Muhammad^[11] and directives given to Muslim women to distinguish themselves when they were being harassed in Medina.^[12][13] The Qur'an has created a distinction between men and women only to maintain family relations and relationships.^[14]

Penal laws[link]

• The Islamic punishments of hudud (Islamic law) are maximum pronouncements that can be mitigated by a court of law on the basis of extenuating circumstances.^[15]
• The shariah (Divine law) does not stipulate any fixed amount for the diyya (monetary compensation for unintentional murder); the determination of the amount—for the unintentional murder of a man or a woman—has been left to the conventions of society.^[15]
• Ceteris paribus (all other things being equal), a woman's testimony is equal to that of a man's.^[16]
• Rape is hirabah and deserves severe punishments as mentioned in the Quran 5:33. It doesn't require four witnesses to register the case as in the case of Zina (Arabic) (consensual sex). Those who were punished by stoning (rajm) in Muhammad's time were also punished under hirabah for raping, sexually assaulting women, and spreading vulgarity in society through prostitution.^[15]

Sources of Islam[link]

• All that is Islam is constituted by the Qur'an and Sunnah. Nothing besides these two is Islam or can be regarded as its part.^[17]
• Just like Quran, Sunnah (the way of the prophet) is only what Muslim nation received through ijma (consensus of companions of the prophet) and tawatur (perpetual adherence of Muslim nation).^[17]
• Unlike Quran and Sunnah, ahadith only explain and elucidate what is contained in these two sources and also describe the exemplary way in which Muhammad followed Islam.^[17]
• The Sharia is distinguished from fiqh, the latter being collections of interpretations and applications of the Sharia by Muslim jurists. Fiqh is characterized as a human exercise, and therefore subject to human weakness and differences of opinion. A Muslim is not obliged to adhere to a school of fiqh.^[4]

Views on Ghamidi[link]

Ghamidi has earned criticism from traditionalist Muslim scholars in Pakistan for his interpretation of certain Islamic values.

Morals & Ethics[link]

Ghamidi is known for his stress on morals and ethics in Islam. He has raised concerns on moral and ethical issues in Muslims.

A translated snippet from his book "Ikhlaqiyat":

Resignation from Council of Islamic Ideology[link]

Javed Ahmed Ghamidi resigned in September 2006^[18] from the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII),^[3] a constitutional body responsible for providing legal advice on Islamic issues to the Pakistani government. His resignation was rejected by the President of Pakistan.^[19] Ghamidi's resignation was prompted by the Pakistani government's formation of a separate committee of ulema to review a Bill involving women's rights; the committee was formed after extensive political pressure was applied by the MMA. Ghamidi argued that this was a breach of the CII's jurisdiction, since the very purpose of the council is to ensure that Pakistan's laws do not conflict with the teachings of Islam. He also said that the amendments in the bill proposed by the Ulema committee were against the injunctions of Islam. This event occurred when the MMA threatened to resign from the provincial and national assemblies if the government amended the Hudood Ordinance,^[20] which came into being under Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization. The Hudood Ordinances have been criticised for, among other things, insisting upon an exceptionally difficult and dangerous procedure to prove allegations of rape.^[21]

Media[link]

Ghamidi had appeared on several TV Channels and appears regularly on dedicated programs. His television audience consists of educated, urban-based middle-class men between the ages of 20-35, as well as lay Islamic intellectuals and professionals. Ghamidi's religiously oriented audience tends to be dissatisfied with the positions of traditional ulema and Western-eudcated secular-liberal elite, and find his interventions and ideas more sensible, moderate, and relevant.^[22]

• Alif on Geo TV (In multiple airings)
• Ghamidi on Geo TV (First season while the second season is on schedule)
• Live with Ghamidi on AAJ TV (Usually Q/A format but with occasional special programs)
  • AAJ TV also airs other Islamic programs by Javed Ahmad Ghamidi and his associates.
• And other channels like PTV.
• Al-Mawrid has video recording setup of its own. http://www.al-mawrid.org/
• The official website of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi is www.javedahmadghamidi.com which is linked to his official Twitter (@javedghamidi) and Facebook pages.

Ghamidi on the Taliban's Islamism[link]

Ghamidi is one of the Pakistani religious scholars who, from the beginning, has been opposing this kind of Islamism. One of his recent essays on this subject Islam and the Taliban^[23]

Bibliography[link]

Primary sources[link]

• Revamped personal website
• Al-Mawrid Website
• Al-Mawrid International
• Al-Mawrid Multimedia
• Ghamidi, Javed (2001). Mizan. Dar al-Ishraq. OCLC 52901690.  — A comprehensive treatise on the contents of Islam
• Ghamidi, Javed (2000) (in Urdu) (pdf). Burhan. Danish Sara. OCLC 50518567. http://ghamidi.org/Books/Ghamidi/Bk_burhan.pdf.  — A dissertation in which contemporary religious thoughts have been critically analyzed
• Ghamidi, Javed (2000). Al-Bayan. Danish Sara.  -- An annotated translation of the Divine message with a view to unfold its coherence^[24]