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GoldLink
GoldLink performing in 2017
Background information
Birth name	D'Anthony William Carlos
Born	(1993-05-17) May 17, 1993 (age 31) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Genres	Hip hop alternative hip hop R&B electronica
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2013–present
Labels	RCA Soulection Squaaash Club
Website	goldlink.info

D'Anthony William Carlos (born May 17, 1993), better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer from Washington, D.C. He gained recognition following the release of his debut mixtape The God Complex (2014), which was met with critical acclaim. In 2015, he was chosen as part of the XXL Freshman Class and released his second mixtape, And After That, We Didn't Talk—supported by the singles "Dance on Me" and "Spectrum". He signed with RCA Records to release his 2016 single "Crew" (featuring Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy), which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, received sextuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. It preceded the release of his debut studio album At What Cost (2017), which was met with continued positive reception despite trailing the single's commercial success. His second album, Diaspora (2019), entered the Billboard 200 at number 77.

Early life

GoldLink's father was a parks and recreation worker and his mother a secretary at a law firm. After his parents separated, GoldLink moved to Bowie, Maryland with his mother and eventually settled in Virginia. He graduated from Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Virginia.

Career

2013–16: Beginnings and breakthrough

GoldLink began his career performing under his birth name D'Anthony Carlos. He began making music as a hobby after graduating high school at Hayfield Secondary School, eventually recording tracks in a local studio in Falls Church, Virginia named Indie Media Lab. He released his first tracks on Bandcamp under the name Gold Link James. It was in 2013 that he began performing as GoldLink, releasing several free tracks on SoundCloud.

GoldLink released his first mixtape The God Complex in July 2014. Complex named it one of the best projects released during the first half of 2014, Spin placed it at number 19 on its The 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2014, Clash ranked it at number 7 on their Top 10 Mixtapes of 2014 and Pitchfork Media gave the mixtape a 7.9 rating.

GoldLink began collaborating with producer Rick Rubin in 2015. In November 2015 he released the mixtape After That, We Didn't Talk, much of which was considered a follow-up to questions left unanswered from The God Complex. Pigeons & Planes placed it at number 19 on its Best Albums of 2015 list. GoldLink was also named a member of the XXL Freshman Class in 2015. In 2016, GoldLink signed a major deal with RCA Records and revealed he is working on his debut album for the label. He released the single "Fall In Love" featuring rapper Cisero and produced by Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD and Canadian producer and DJ Kaytranada. He later released the song "Untitled" with TDE rapper Isaiah Rashad. In December of that year, he saw his furthest commercial success following the release of his single "Crew" (featuring Shy Glizzy and Brent Faiyaz). It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 45, received six-times platinum certification by the RIAA, and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration; the single also spawned a remix by Georgia rapper Gucci Mane.

2017–present: At What Cost and Diaspora

In February 2017, Goldlink took part in "Red Bull Sound Selects" 3 Days Miami among artists Kelela, Angel Olsen, Brika, and others. On March 24, 2017, he released his debut album, At What Cost. It featured guest appearances from Wale, Shy Glizzy, Steve Lacy, Jazmine Sullivan, Kaytranada, Mýa, Ciscero, Kokayi, Hare Squead, Radiant Children, April George and Lil Dude. The project debuted at number 128 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Apart from "Crew", it also spawned the single "Meditation".

On June 7, 2018, GoldLink was featured on the song "Like I Do" by American singer Christina Aguilera from her eighth studio album, Liberation, which was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

On June 12, 2019, GoldLink released his second studio album Diaspora. In an interview with Wonderland Magazine, he said that he considered "At What Cost" to be his breakout mixtape due to a label agreement and "Diaspora" as his debut album.

On June 18, 2021, GoldLink released his third studio album Haram!. In the run up to the album release, GoldLink began trolling some of his fellow rappers, tweeting insults and threats at Sheck Wes and sporting a fake facial jewel on his forehead in a July 13, 2021 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon appearance, in apparent mockery of the facial jewelry trend popularized by Lil Uzi Vert and Sauce Walka. In the album's first single, "White Walls," GoldLink continued his disses of Sheck Wes. The feud with Wes dates back to 2019 when GoldLink's then-girlfriend Justine Skye accused Wes of abuse, stalking, and harassment.

Controversy

Mac Miller comments

On November 26, 2019, GoldLink wrote a post on Instagram that outlined both his appreciation for Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller, who died of an accidental overdose in 2018, and his belief the late star intentionally cribbed the sound of And After That, We Didn't Talk for Miller's album The Divine Feminine. GoldLink claimed he showed Miller his album while they were on tour together for Miller's previous album GO:OD AM and wrote the rapper loved it and had him play it for the whole touring crew. GoldLink pointed to similarities in the albums' structure and use of singer Anderson .Paak for a lead single. Paak responded in an Instagram post of his own, slamming GoldLink for having a "God Complex" and being disrespectful in the wake of their friend's death. On November 28, 2019, GoldLink spoke on the war of words at a concert in Hamburg, Germany, focusing on the love he expressed in the post for Miller and emphasizing he never accused the deceased rapper of stealing or copying.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other certified songs

Guest appearances

Awards and nominations

References

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2. "ACE Repertory". Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
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9. "Best Albums of 2015". Pigeons & Planes. December 23, 2015. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
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19. ^ Tigg, FNR (June 9, 2021). "GoldLink Disses Sheck Wes on "White Walls," Announces New Album". Complex. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
20. ^ Renshaw, David (November 27, 2019). "Anderson .Paak criticizes GoldLink over "disrespectful" Mac Miller tribute". The Fader. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
21. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (November 27, 2019). "Anderson .Paak Responds To GoldLink's 'Disrespectful' Mac Miller Post". UpRoxx. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
22. Findlay, Mitch (November 28, 2019). "GoldLink Speaks On His Controversial Mac Miller IG Post". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
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24. "ARIA Chart Watch #530". auspOp. June 22, 2019. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
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26. "Discografie GoldLink". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
27. ^ "American certifications – Goldlink". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
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29. "Stream Goldlink's New Album 'Haram!' f/ Flo Milli, NLE Choppa, and More". Complex. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
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36. "British certifications – GoldLink". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 17, 2024. Type GoldLink in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
37. "Got Friends (feat. Miguel) - Single by GoldLink". iTunes. June 15, 2018. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
38. "Loud - Single by Silk City, GoldLink & Desiigner". iTunes. August 2, 2018. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
39. "Silk City - Record Store Day". recordstoreday.co.uk. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
40. "Zulu Screams (feat. Maleek Berry & Bibi Bourelly) – Single by GoldLink". iTunes. May 13, 2019. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
41. "Joke Ting (feat. Ari Pen-Smith)". iTunes. May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
42. "U Say (feat. Tyler, The Creator & Jay Prince) – Single by GoldLink". iTunes. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
43. "Aquafina (feat. GoldLink & Chaz French) - Single by Falcons". iTunes. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
44. O'Connor, Samantha (April 28, 2016). "George Maple shares 'Sticks and Horses' featuring GoldLink". The Four Oh Five. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
45. "Boo You Know (feat. GoldLink) - Single by Falcons". iTunes. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
46. "Far Gone (feat. Johnny Yukon & GoldLink) - Single by BURNS". iTunes. August 25, 2017. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
47. "Through Enough (feat. GoldLink) - Single by VanJess". iTunes. September 2017. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
48. "Wide Open (feat. GoldLink)". iTunes. October 13, 2017. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
49. "Nobody (feat. Goldlink) - Single by Niia". iTunes. September 29, 2017. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
50. "Function (feat. GoldLink, April George & Cheakaity) - Single by Ciscero". iTunes. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
51. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
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53. "ALWAYS SOMETHING - EP by ADÉ". Apple Music. February 15, 2019. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
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56. "Grammy Nominations 2019: See The Full List Here". Pitchfork. December 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.

External links

• Official website

• 1993 births
• 21st-century American male musicians
• 21st-century American rappers
• African-American male rappers
• American male rappers
• American hip-hop singers
• Living people
• Rappers from Washington, D.C.
• RCA Records artists