Stephen Glover (screenwriter)

Atlanta

Though he had no prior experience writing for television professionally, Glover was hired by his older brother to write with him for Atlanta out of his sibling’s desire for the show to have an all-black writing team (something that Vulture noted is completely new for the industry)^[1] of mostly Atlanta citizens in order to achieve an accurate portrayal.^[3] As the lead writer of four episodes in Atlanta's first season, publications such as GQ and The Daily Beast have noted in their observations of the show that Stephen Glover’s personal experiences with,^[2] and first-hand perspective on black culture in the city of Atlanta is evident within the show’s writing, and have praised this creative approach as being new and fresh for television.^[4]

Glover’s musical background has also played a substantial role in the creation of one of Atlanta's main characters played by Brian Tyree Henry, aspiring rapper Alfred Miles who assumes the rap alias of Paper Boi.^[5] In an interview with The Fader,^[6] Glover discusses how in the event that Henry could not rap well, the writing staff did not want to force him to rap as his character, and so Glover’s brother requested that he instead provide the rapped vocals for the character’s song “Paper Boi” that is featured throughout the pilot episode. The instrumental of the song was a beat inspired by Atlanta trap rap production that was made by music producer Chemist, whom Glover considers his go-to producer for his own music outside of Atlanta.^[6]

Although his writing has received praise from various outlets for its creativity, experimentation, and the basis of its humor in reality,^[7] Glover’s writing has also provoked minor controversy. The fifth episode of Atlanta, “Nobody Beats the Biebs,” in which Glover worked as lead writer,^[8] features a fictional depiction of the pop star Justin Bieber being portrayed in an exaggerated and negative light, and by a black actor, Austin Crute, rather than a white actor. Writing for Slate, journalist Aisha Harris accused Glover of being “coy” while explaining his reasoning for this creative decision in an interview with Vulture.^[8] She also noted his reluctance to comment on the matter in more detail.^[9]

Music

GQ describes Glover’s music as being more influenced by the grittier and harder elements of Atlanta trap music in comparison to his brother’s R&B and indie-inspired work in hip hop under the alias Childish Gambino, with fellow Atlanta writer Swank joking in the very same GQ interview that Glover’s mother does not understand why his music differs so drastically from that of his brother’s.^[2] Glover has been featured as a guest rapper under the name Steve G. Lover on every Childish Gambino outing since Gambino’s 2012 mixtape Royalty. Glover’s first feature on a mainstream studio album was Childish Gambino’s 2013 album Because the Internet, and his most recent appearance to date on any work other than his own was on the 2014 Kauai EP from his brother as well.

Though Glover has stated that he has been making music since the age of 17,^[2] the only music he currently has immediately available for listening are three albums on his official Bandcamp page. The first of these albums is the 2011 Frequent Flyer LP featuring production from Chemist and Alias Amazin, followed by Summer of Steve released in 2012 and featuring production from solely Chemist, and the most recent 2016 album DJ Rhetorik Presents: Rich Black American which features a variety of guests including his brother under his regular alias, Childish Gambino.

Television