Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” fights to make music videos relevant again. By using a platform targeted to such a wide variety of people, he is able to deliver a message that stimulates and intrigues viewers when they aren’t even expecting it.

“This is America” is layered with meaning on top of meaning on top of meaning, incorporating Jim-Crow-minstrel-show-esque movements into his dance choreography as well as countless callbacks to current political issues, according to The Washington Post; nods to the 2015 Charleston Church Massacre and the usage of cellphones to record acts of police brutality are referenced throughout the film.

Childish Gambino teamed up with director Hiro Murai to create "This Is America." Murai is an up and coming director with directing credits for HBO’s “Barry” and Donald Glover’s “Atlanta” on FX. Murai’s unique directing style and active choice to use as few cuts as possible offers a level of consistency and really let's audiences ponder the visuals.

The attention to detail and amount of care that went into the making of “This Is America” distinguish it from the other million formulaic videos that get pedaled and forgotten about within a week by everyone else.

It feels like the brunt of music videos we encounter today consist of mindless quick cuts of artists just singing their lyrics to the camera without much differentiation between videos. After its done a million billion times though, it gets boring and nobody wants to watch it anymore.

Interestingly, a different style of music video has emerged among the mediocre in an attempt to tell a story rather than just yell in my face. Several artists have created film accompaniments to their songs which can only be described as “intentionally absurd."

Most notably, Tyler, the Creator’s “Who Dat Boy” and J. Cole’s “ATM” music videos have utilized this concept, manipulating color and setting to produce surreal dreamscapes for their songs to come to life inside. These visuals work in tandem with the songs to create an out of the box experience that keeps audiences thinking "woah, that's crazy- I have to watch that again."

While the previous examples are a step in the right direction, “This Is America” stands really alone as a modern masterpiece. If Childish Gambino’s future work is anything like this, the world is in for a treat.