[12] The latter and its political music video went viral, achieving widespread success and critical acclaim, giving him his first song to reach No.

[18] A Google Pixel 3 advertisement debuted during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards featuring Donald Glover and using the previously teased song "Human Sacrifice.

"[19] Glover also a debuted a trailer for his musical film Guava Island at his PHAROS event in December 2018, which leaked online.

Glover performed a new record at his Pharos festival called “Warlords” that featured Kid Cudi, which attenders described as ambient, chill, and had an 808s & Heartbreaks inspired production.

[20][21] The musical film Guava Island contained several unreleased songs, including "Time", "Die with You", and "Saturday", hinting at their inclusion on the album.

[23] The website featured a collection of songs, including a few previously performed and teased tracks, playing live on a loop which were subsequently removed 12 hours later.

[23] Following the concluded countdown, the website updated with the same looped stream of songs with a handwritten note from Glover about his inspirations behind the album.

[24] In an interview with Complex in 2023, when reflecting on how the album's lack of traditional release, art style, and tracklist may have impacted its reception, Glover said "I had just lost my father, I had just had a kid, and I was going through a lot.

"[26] "0.00", 3.15.20's original opener would later be developed into the track "We Are God" from Glover's final Gambino album Bando Stone & the New World.

[32] AllMusic's critic Tim Sendra wrote in his review that "the 2020 Childish Gambino record 3.15.20 is an expansive, mind-bending trip that never takes an expected step."

Sendra continued by comparing the album to other artists' work, stating that "The end result is a challenging, hooky, mysterious and odd record that feels like it was built out of pieces left over from a collision between Outkast, David Bowie, Sly and the Family Stone, and Prince."

Nguyen further stated that the themes of the album fits to the present day insecurities with the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that "The disruption caused by the coronavirus forces us to question how strong the foundations of civilisation really are.

Thompson, alike other reviewers, praised the song "47.48", saying that the track "sounds like a locked-in house band; the lyrics are actually about a crushing and ever-present violence, and the tension mesmerizes.