LOS ANGELES, CA — In an interview yesterday, rapper Childish Gambino said he “couldn’t wait” to perform at the alma mater of his favorite musician, Chet Haze. “When the people at A&O invited me to perform at Northwestern, I took it without a second thought. I mean, how could I not? Chet Haze got his start there! He’s one of my idols.”

Childish Gambino, whose real name is Donald Glover, stated he has been strongly influenced by Chet Haze, whose real name is Chester Hanks. Haze graduated from Northwestern University in 2013 with a degree in theater. Demonstrating a strong knowledge of Haze’s discography, Gambino stated that Haze’s debut single, “White and Purple,” was a musical triumph that inspired the award-winning writer and comedian to focus seriously on his rap career.

“I heard his brilliant wordplay and just knew that rap could be a medium for me to demonstrate my own cleverness and writing talents. And when I found out that ‘White and Purple’ was his first song ever, I was absolutely astonished. Obviously I’ll never be the wordsmith that Chet is, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the conceptual space that he’s forged for intellectuals like us in the mainstream hip hop industry,” Gambino said.

However, Gambino said that his favorite song was definitely “Do It Better,” and that the track’s strong beat was definitely the inspiration for the rapper’s own “Heartbeat.” Gambino continued, “Northwestern is Chet Haze’s landmark, just like Chicago for Kanye or Detroit for Eminem. Me? Getting to perform at the place where Chet Haze got his start? It will be such a life-defining moment.”

Gambino alluded to hopes that his upcoming performance could lead to a collaboration between himself and Haze. “Obviously Chet doesn’t go to Northwestern anymore, but I’m praying that this could still open up lines of communication between me and him. I’d be so intimidated, I don’t even know what I would say to him! He’s just such an expert in the hip hop genre. Hopefully he takes notice of me somehow, and maybe I can feature on one of his songs. That’d really be a dream come true, the chance to collaborate with my biggest idol. Chet featuring Childish–I like the sound of that!”