GoldLink

Biography

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×The God Complex1 April 2014 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Ay Ay3:362Planet Paradise3:263Bedtime Story2:444Divine2:475Hip‐Hop (interlude)1:426Fuck Being Polite3:397How It’s Done3:208CNTRL2:549When I Die1:41 (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's 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×At What Cost24 March 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Opening Credit1:072Same Clothes as Yesterday3:203Have You Seen That Girl?2:424Hands on Your Knees1:555Meditation4:186Herside Story3:037Summatime3:468Roll Call3:209The Parable of the Rich Man4:1910Crew2:5611We Will Never Die4:0212Kokamoe Freestyle3:4313Some Girl5:4214Pray Everyday (Survivor’s Guilt)3:47 (2017), which was met with continued positive reception despite trailing the single's commercial success. His second album, Diaspora×Diaspora11 June 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1//Error0:222Joke Ting3:003Maniac3:104Days Like This2:495Zulu Screams2:586More3:077Cokewhite3:258U Say3:219Yard3:1610Spanish Song3:3211No Lie3:2412Tiff Freestyle1:4313Rumble3:1214Swoosh2:40 (2019), entered the Billboard 200 at number 77; his third album, Haram!×HARAM!18 June 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Extra Clip1:5922022:083White Walls2:234Spit on It2:145Terrordome2:556Evian2:097Raindrops2:348Twin3:289Girl Pacino1:5610Thump Chronicles Vol. 11:5011Culture Clash2:3212Wayne Perry2:4913Wild and Lethal Trash!2:2014Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk3:1915Cindy’s Daughter2:19 (2021), failed to chart and served as his final release with RCA.

2013–16: Beginnings and breakthrough

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×The God Complex1 April 2014 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Ay Ay3:362Planet Paradise3:263Bedtime Story2:444Divine2:475Hip‐Hop (interlude)1:426Fuck Being Polite3:397How It’s Done3:208CNTRL2:549When I Die1:41 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 And 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×Fall in Love26 August 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Fall in Love3:05" 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, 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×At What Cost24 March 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Opening Credit1:072Same Clothes as Yesterday3:203Have You Seen That Girl?2:424Hands on Your Knees1:555Meditation4:186Herside Story3:037Summatime3:468Roll Call3:209The Parable of the Rich Man4:1910Crew2:5611We Will Never Die4:0212Kokamoe Freestyle3:4313Some Girl5:4214Pray Everyday (Survivor’s Guilt)3:47. 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×Diaspora11 June 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1//Error0:222Joke Ting3:003Maniac3:104Days Like This2:495Zulu Screams2:586More3:077Cokewhite3:258U Say3:219Yard3:1610Spanish Song3:3211No Lie3:2412Tiff Freestyle1:4313Rumble3:1214Swoosh2:40. 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!×HARAM!18 June 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Extra Clip1:5922022:083White Walls2:234Spit on It2:145Terrordome2:556Evian2:097Raindrops2:348Twin3:289Girl Pacino1:5610Thump Chronicles Vol. 11:5011Culture Clash2:3212Wayne Perry2:4913Wild and Lethal Trash!2:2014Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk3:1915Cindy’s Daughter2:19. 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's then-girlfriend Justine Skye accused Wes of abuse, stalking, and harassment.
He released his fourth studio album, Enoch×ENOCH30 May 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1I SEE3:042NEW BOO2:053SHOTTI2:584LIMPOPO1:525AVENTADOR1:306GLOCK HEAVY1:307RED STRING2:388CLUB BEAT2:349MOORPHEUS2:2010METATRON2:4311ROSEBAR2:4712AFRICAN2:44, on May 30, 2025.

Early life

Carlos's 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.

Controversy

On November 26, 2019, Carlos wrote a post on Instagram that outlined both his appreciation for American rapper Mac Miller, who died of an accidental overdose in 2018, and his belief that Miller intentionally took the sound of And After That, We Didn't Talk for his album The Divine Feminine (2016). Carlos claimed he showed Miller his album while they were on tour together for Miller's previous album, GO:OD AM (2015), and that the rapper loved it and had him play it for the touring crew. Carlos pointed to similarities in both albums’ structures and the use of American singer Anderson .Paak for the lead singles. Paak responded in an Instagram post of his own, criticizing Carlos for having a "God Complex" and being disrespectful regarding Miller's death. On November 28, Carlos spoke about the post at a concert in Hamburg, Germany, focusing on the love he expressed for Miller and stated that he never accused him of stealing.