12.38

"12.38" is the third collaboration between Glover and 21 Savage after their 2018 tracks "This Is America" and "Monster".

Producer DJ Dahi called the creation of the song an evolving process.[1] Dahi had an initial beat with chords provided by Ely Rise.[1] Kadhja Bonet's vocals were for another track, but were chopped and reused for "12.38".[1] Dahi described the track as having "funky, odd, but feels good" energy. The song was momentarily put to the side, but Gambino continued writing his verse.[1] Rapper 21 Savage recorded his guest verse and American singer-songwriter Atia "Ink" Boggs was invited to co-write on the song.[1] Glover and 21 Savage previously collaborated in 2018 on the former's single "This Is America" and the track "Monster" from the latter's second studio album I Am > I Was.[2][3]

Noah Yoo of Pitchfork described the production of "12.38" as a "sensual, minimalistic bounce."[4] The song interpolates André 3000's song "Vibrate".[4] In the song, a girl feeds Glover psilocybin, who is unfamiliar with the psychedelic drug.[5] Sexual tension builds up as his girlfriend keeps texting him, causing his phone to vibrate.[5] Glover uses humorous lines such as "Why your cat looking at me sideways?" in place of a hook and chorus.[4] His verse continues as a beat-by-beat breakdown of the psilocybin use, until he wakes up alone.[6] He name-checks multiple female artists, including Toni Braxton, SZA, and Chaka Khan.[4]

21 Savage raps about police harassment; he was previously detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in February 2019.[7] 21 Savage also raps about Popeyes' chicken and cartoon character Popeye's spinach.[8] By the end, the song "devolves into spirals of vocal echoes" as a result of the psilocybin trip kicking in.[4]

The song originally surfaced under the unofficial title "Vibrate" when Glover streamed 3.15.20 on his website on March 15, 2020.[9] The track was titled "12.38" upon the album's official release on March 22, 2020.[10] Only the tracks "Algorythm" and "Time" have proper names; the rest, such as "12.38", are marked by their respective timestamps.[10] "12.38" was released as a single to urban adult contemporary radio on April 14, 2020, along with "Sweet Thang (24.19)".[11]

Kitty Empire of The Guardian called the song excellent and described it as having "the feel of narrative fiction".[5] Empire stated that the song "could be an episode of Atlanta," an American comedy-drama television series created by Glover.[5] Rowan5215 of Sputnikmusic called the song hilarious and wrote that Glover "[weaponizes] his full range to spin some The Love Below-style seduction."[6] Okla Jones of Consequence of Sound called the song witty and sonically-pleasing as Glover "taps into his prowess as both a writer and a comic."[8] Jones wrote that 21 Savage's verse had Southern charm and was must-needed.[8] Noah Yoo of Pitchfork praised 21 Savage's "particularly on point" guest appearance.[4] Yoo wrote that as the song ends in spiraling echoes, "it's 21's lyrics you’re left thinking about."[4]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[12]