"To call GoldLink an aspiring rapper would not do him justice. The DMV-bred emcee accrued over one million plays on his Soundcloud and captured the attention of an entire industry with the first six songs he ever released.
Tyler The Creator made history with his fifth studio album IGOR, becoming the first solo rapper to land a #1 album without any co-production or outside producer credits. Now, on the heels of a headlining set at this year's Governor's Ball, Tyler is taking his universally-acclaimed album across the country, continuing a prolific career that the New York Times describes as "one of the decade's most vivid transformations."
Two-time Grammy-nominated artist GoldLink first broke into the mainstream behind his now triple-platinum single "Crew," and his critically-acclaimed album At What Cost. His new album Diaspora shifts its focus far beyond his home of the DMV area, creating a convergence of global sounds that celebrate the musical legacy of Africa in what Pitchfork calls "the best music of his career."
GoldLink's sound doesn't throw it all the way back to the boom-bap, New York style, nor is it entirely a product of digital production. Instead, the music mixes the buttery grooves of 90's R&B with classic hip-hop breaks to give it an essence of nostalgia, and then turns on its head with bouncy, forward-thinking production style led by the likes of Ta-Ku and Kaytranda. Add that to GoldLink's ability to fill every pocket of the dynamic instrumentals he tackles with a roller-coaster delivery, and suddenly your head is bobbing to the self-proclaimed "future-bounce" genre.
~~~~~~~~~
https://soundcloud.com/goldlink
https://twitter.com/GoldLink
https://www.facebook.com/goldlink/
GoldLink's sound doesn't throw it all the way back to the boom-bap, New York style, nor is it entirely a product of digital production. Instead, the music mixes the buttery grooves of 90's R&B with classic hip-hop breaks to give it an essence of nostalgia, and then turns on its head with bouncy, forward-thinking production style led by the likes of Ta-Ku and Kaytranda. Add that to GoldLink's ability to fill every pocket of the dynamic instrumentals he tackles with a roller-coaster delivery, and suddenly your head is bobbing to the self-proclaimed "future-bounce" genre.
The racing mind of a 20-year old is usually not a romantically stable place, so you will often hear GoldLink battling the worries and woes of his love life. However, with the mental and social acuity of someone far beyond his years, it is not out of the ordinary to find GoldLink tackling a larger social injustice. Whether it be dealing cocaine, gun-toting friends, an absent father, or the general hardship of growing up in the ghetto, there is substance behind the sound.
GoldLink has only one full project, (The God Complex), under his belt and has still been able to receive the support of outlets like FADER, Complex, Noisey, and Shade 45. The recognition spread further than the web though, as GoldLink played several showcases at SXSW including one alongside the future-bounce conglomerates at Soulection.
The short career of GoldLink thus far has shown him relative success, and with the release of The God Complex on April 1st, we are all excited to watch, experience, and dance to his progression."