On The Come Up: GoldLink

HotNewHipHop's On The Come Up series profiles rising stars in the rap game that show strong promise and the will to succeed. Most of the time, they're new to the site but deserve some shine. We will profile artists and producers ranging from those in the deep underground to artists just about to bubble up into the mainstream that you may have missed. You'll be able to check out some of their best work, and we'll break down what makes them great by category. Throughout the article, you'll find links to hear more from the artist or producer, and make sure you go follow our official Soundcloud for more new music.

This week we head to the DMV to learn a little more about Virginia rapper GoldLink. The young artist has notoriously been just as much mysterious as he is talented. It wasn't until this summer that he even revealed his identity to the public, in an on-camera TV interview with Revolt, and even then it was pretty hard to see him. Up until that point, fans had only heard some sporadic Soundcloud remixes and his debut LP, The God Complex. The 9-track free version gave way to the 11-track deluxe edition that was available on iTunes, but since then we've only gotten 2 promo singles (here and here) from the reclusive MC. If you're looking to delve a little deeper into GoldLink, you're in luck, as we'll tell you everything you need to know. Hit us up in the comment section to let us know what you think of him, and make sure you get at us on Facebook and Twitter to let us know who we should feature in future editions of OTCU.

Nice To Meet You

"Nice To Meet You" is a bit of a stretch. To be brutally honest, not that many people even know GoldLink at all. The select few producers he works with and those that have been lucky enough to catch one of his live shows have seen him in action, but that's about it. He says that even some close friends and family still don't even know that he is GoldLink, or even a rapper at all. 

What we do know is that he was born in our Nation's capitol, and moved from motel to motel after his childhood home burned down. He eventually moved to Maryland, and then subsequently Virginia, where he resides currently. He has said before in interviews that he doesn't smoke, drink or do drugs and that 50 Cent's Get Rich Or Die Trying is his favorite album. A DMV lifer, his music bears the raw storytelling nature of traditional East Coast hip-hop, but with none of the traditional-ness. He's carefully crafting his own individual sound, and he seems to be evolving within that soundscape with every new release.

Hiding his identity from the public seems to allow him to focus solely on the music, not having to worry about an image to uphold with the public. Think how much more dope music we'd get from today's artists if we cut all the selfie-taking time out of their day. He wears a mask at his live shows initially, before pulling it off when the time feels right. So it's not that he's totally invisible, you just have to know where to look. We had to ask what the motive was in hiding his face for so long, and GoldLink explained, "I really wanted people to get to know me for my music before anything else. Especially in rap, where so much of an artists popularity is based around image, I needed to make sure my fans were with me because of the art before my face."

GoldLink describes his sound as "future bounce", and it's quite fitting. If you listen to a song like "Sober Thoughts," you hear some hints of 90's funk and R&B, and maybe a dash of Andre 3000. He has a unique ability to not let his flow get in the way of a prevailing melody or groove, instead almost building his verses around the most melodic parts of the song, making it extremely easy to vibe out to. Good luck getting it out of your head any time soon. We asked if the enormous shift in hip-hop to a more melodic sound over the last year or so made it the perfect time for him to make his mark. He told us, "Most definitely. I want to make people dance and enjoy themselves while listening to my music. For a while, it seemed like music was gravitating away from that, so I'm just trying to pull it back."

God Complex

"The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God."

When GoldLink's debut project The God Complex dropped this past Spring, it immediately received rave reviews from not only fans (91% rating on HNHH), but critics as well (7.9 on Pitchfork). Prior to this album, there were only 5 or 6 songs from GoldLink available on his SoundCloud, so it's safe to say he burst onto the scene. Formerly named Gold Link James, the young rapper said that the title was derived from his outlook on life. "He always thought that if anybody wanted to imitate anybody, we should imitate God because God’s perfect. We should never try to be the next Malcolm X or the next nigga. We should be God. Even though we can’t be perfect, we should try,” he explained in an interview with Complex.

With all of this early success after being so new the music industry, we wondered whether he was all-in on it yet, focusing all his energy on his music. He answered, "It's really all music. Ever since I graduated high school I knew that rapping is what I wanted to do, so I just sat down and made it happen. Really it wasn't something I thought too much about, I just did it and was good."

The God Complex was later released on iTunes as a deluxe edition with a few extra tracks, which you can buy right here.

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On The Road

GoldLink is currently out on tour with SBTRKT, and slowly but surely, fans will get to not only hear him, but see him. He's finished about half of his dates with SBTRKT, and they're set to hit the Northeast this week with multiple shows at the famed Terminal 5 in New York City. His live sets are lively and energetic, and he has the stage presence of a seasoned veteran. Because he has crafted very dance-friendly music, it translates extremely well in a concert setting. Sometimes newer artists don't master the art of the live performance until much later in their careers, but GoldLink seems to be able to tap directly into the energy of his fans and keep them engaged throughout his set.

We asked GoldLink about life on the road, and he kept it all the way one hundred, explaining "It's work, but I can't complain. SBTRKT puts on a great show and every city so far has shown a ton of love. What more can you ask for?"

You can purchase tickets to go see SBTRKT and GoldLink here.

Up Next

While GoldLink hasn't really discussed his next project, it's safe to say he'll be able to capitalize on the momentum he gained from The God Complex and turn that into a dope sophomore effort. When we asked him about a follow-up album he simply answered, "It's coming." It's also safe to assume that labels have probably come calling trying to ink him up, but he seems just fine on his own, creating just enough music and mystery to keep us entertained and intrigued. We'll be eagerly awaiting his next move, just like you.