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'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 (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.

Career

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 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" 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. 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's then-girlfriend Justine Skye accused Wes of abuse, stalking, and harassment.

He released his fourth studio album, Enoch, on May 30, 2025.

Personal life

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.