GoldLink

D’Anthony William Carlos, known professionally as GoldLink, was born on May 17, 1993, in Washington, D.C. His early life involved moving to Bowie, Maryland, with his mother after his parents’ separation, and later settling in Virginia. He graduated from Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Virginia. GoldLink initiated his musical endeavors as a hobby post-high school graduation, recording tracks at a local studio. He initially released music under the name Gold Link James on Bandcamp and began performing as GoldLink in 2013, distributing several free tracks via SoundCloud.

GoldLink gained initial recognition with his debut mixtape, “The God Complex,” released in July 2014. This project received critical acclaim, being noted by Complex as one of the best releases of the first half of 2014, and by Spin and Clash on their respective best hip-hop album and mixtape lists. Pitchfork Media also assigned it a 7.9 rating. His career progressed significantly in 2015 when he began collaborating with producer Rick Rubin and was subsequently selected as an XXL Freshman. He released his second mixtape, “And After That, We Didn’t Talk,” in November 2015, which was well-received and featured on Pigeons & Planes’ list of Best Albums of 2015. In 2016, GoldLink signed a major recording contract with RCA Records, marking a significant turning point in his career.

Following his signing with RCA, GoldLink released the single “Crew” in December 2016, featuring Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy. This track proved to be a commercial success, reaching number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning sextuple platinum certification from the RIAA. “Crew” also secured a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance. On March 24, 2017, he released his debut album under RCA, “At What Cost,” which peaked at number 128 on the US Billboard 200 chart. His second album, “Diaspora,” released on June 12, 2019, entered the Billboard 200 at number 77. GoldLink has engaged in collaborations with various artists, including Tyler, the Creator, Jay Prince, Bibi Bourelly, Khalid, and Christina Aguilera, demonstrating his versatility and reach within the music industry. His third studio album, “Haram!,” was released in June 2021, and his fourth, “Enoch,” was released in May 2025.