GoldLink

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 critically acclaimed debut mixtape, The God Complex (2014). In 2015, he was chosen as part of the XXL Freshman Class and self-released his second mixtape, And After That, We Didn't Talk, before signing with RCA Records. Carlos' 2016 single, "Crew" (featuring Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy), 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 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; his third album, Haram! (2021), failed to chart and served as his final release with RCA. Carlos 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 tracks on SoundCloud. Carlos 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. Carlos 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. Carlos was also named a member of the XXL Freshman Class in 2015. In 2016, Carlos 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. In February 2017, Carlos 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, Carlos 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, Carlos 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, Carlos released his third studio album Haram!. In the run up to the album release, Carlos 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," Carlos continued his disses of Sheck Wes. The feud with Wes dates back to 2019 when Carlos' then-girlfriend Justine Skye accused Wes of abuse, stalking, and harassment. He released his fourth studio album, Enoch, on May 30, 2025. Carlos' father was a parks and recreation worker and his mother a secretary at a law firm. His parents eventually separated and he moved to Bowie, Maryland with his mother and eventually settled in Virginia. He graduated from Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Virginia. On November 26, 2019, Carlos 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. Carlos 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. Carlos 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 Carlos for having a "God Complex" and being disrespectful in the wake of their friend's death. On November 28, 2019, Carlos 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. Lester, Paul (October 23, 2015). "New band of the week: GoldLink (No 76)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016. "ACE Repertory". Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2020. Nostro, Lauren (July 9, 2014). "Who Is GoldLink? The DMV Rapper Talks the Allure of Anonymity, Finding Success, and "The God Complex"". Complex. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016. "The Best Albums of 2014 (so far)". Complex. June 23, 2014. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016. "GoldLink, The God Complex (Self-Released)". Spin. December 4, 2014. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016. "Clash's Top Mixtapes Of 2014". Clash. October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016. Leight, Elias (June 10, 2015). "GoldLink Brings His Future Bounce to Brooklyn: Live Review | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017. Pearce, Sheldon (November 11, 2015). "Review: GoldLink Explains It All on 'And After That, We Didn't Talk'". Spin. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016. "Best Albums of 2015". Pigeons & Planes. December 23, 2015. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016. GoldLinkVEVO (November 22, 2016). "GoldLink - Fall in Love ft. Ciscero". Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2017 – via YouTube. Duran, Jose D. (January 31, 2017). "Red Bull Sound Select's 3 Days in Miami Returns With Angel Olsen, Goldlink, and Kelela". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017. "GoldLink Shares 'At What Cost' Album Cover and Release Date". XXL. March 16, 2017. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017. "GoldLink Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019. "GoldLink on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2022. "Christina Aguilera & Demi Lovato Unveil "Fall In Line" Video". HotNewHipHip. May 23, 2018. Archived from the original on May 25,