However, pettiness can often become a powerful motivator, even if it is viewed as a negative trait. Take Childish Gambino for example.
A trailer for The Shop season 5 shed some light on the inspiration behind Awaken, My Love, and how he made the Grammy-winning album to prove a point.
“Did you ever tap into something that you feel is kinda bad to, like—it’s in you to win,” he said in a clip shared by UNINTERRUPTED. “Because I struggle with that. I am naturally, like, petty. Like, extremely petty. Awaken, My Love was literally because somebody was like, ‘Oh, he can’t make a hit.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, not only will I make a hit, I won’t make a video for it.’
Quinta Brunson, creator and star of Abbott Elementary, said: “Pettiness has it’s place.”
“It makes you stronger,” Gambino continued. “But I also know it’s dark. It’s not something that you should be—it’s not something that it should be [the main motivator], ’cause it’s bad.”
Gambino's debut album was released in 2016 and debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200, marking the artist's highest charting album. Among the eleven tracks were the Grammy-winning single "Redbone" and contributions from Ludwig Göransson, Gary Clark Jr., and Zac Rae.
Gambino revealed during an interview with triple j in 2016 that recording 'Awaken, My Love' was far from enjoyable.
“To be completely honest, it wasn’t a lot of fun, it was actually really hard,” Gambino said. “I was going through a lot and I also think in America we’re going through a lot right now with everything that’s going on, so I was just trying to play what I felt, but I was doing it with friends, so at the end of the day, that’s what matters.”
The Shop's fifth season premieres this weekend on UNINTERRUPTED's YouTube channel.