On Afro-pessimism and Afrofuturism: The Black “Boogeymen” of Childish Gambino and Ghali

This article examines the socially conscious creations of Black “boogeymen” by two artists of widespread appeal and noteworthy success: African American actor, writer, producer, and rapper Donald Glover, and second-generation Italian rapper of Tunisian parents, Ghali. Contributing to ongoing conversations sparked by Afropessimists and Afrofuturists, I aim to show that Glover’s and Ghali’s respective artistic interventions recenter the historically dismissed Black presence in history and culture in the U.S. and Italy from the perspective of Black men. First, an analysis of song lyrics and audiovisual elements in both artists’ versions of “Boogieman” elucidates a shared Afropessimistic impulse imploring the listener to acknowledge and confront the structures of racism that have shaped negative perceptions of Black communities, particularly Black men. Next, through observations of the Afrofuturistic elements experimented with by Glover and Ghali, I illustrate the performers’ active and imaginative (re)creations of the “boogeyman” legend, through a Black cultural lens. I close this article by sharing additional examples of Ghali’s recent and ongoing contributions to the Afrofuturism movement in Italy and beyond, underscoring his role in expanding its reach and resonance across diasporic contexts.