Claim: Donald Glover uses a stage name.

Donald McKinley Glover -LRB- -LSB- ˈɡlʌvər -RSB- born September 25 , 1983 -RRB- is an American actor , writer , producer , comedian , rapper , singer , and songwriter . As a recording artist , he usually performs under the stage name Childish Gambino , and as a disc jockey , he performs under the name mcDJ .   He first came to attention for his work with Derrick Comedy and , with the help of Tina Fey , was hired at the age of 23 to become a writer for the NBC comedy series 30 Rock . He later portrayed community college student Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community . He currently stars in the FX series Atlanta , which he also created . He will appear in Spider-Man : Homecoming , and has been cast as the young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming , untitled standalone Han Solo Star Wars movie . He will also provide the voice of Simba in a remake of the Disney film The Lion King .   After several self-released albums and mixtapes , Glover signed to Glassnote Records in 2011 . He released his first album , Camp , on November 15 , 2011 to generally positive reviews . His second studio album , Because the Internet , was released on December 10 , 2013 . Glover was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2015 , Best Rap Album for Because the Internet and Best Rap Performance for his single `` 3005 '' . Glover 's third album , `` Awaken , My Love ! '' , was released on December 2 , 2016 .