Born in D.C, raised in Maryland and now living in VA, rapper GoldLink entered the hip-hop climate last year awarding us a handful of experimental tracks that left most of us somewhere between outer space and Ginuwine. GoldLink calls this “Futuristic Ass Bounce” or “Future Bounce” for the more conservative among us, although ‘conservative’ isn’t quite in his vocabulary.

When asked about his style, GoldLink had this to say:

“I think it’s compared to like the Beach Boys mixed with R. Kelly from The Chocolate Factory album mixed with Beethoven Symphony shit mixed with Ke$ha meets Kim, the R&B singer.”

Whether that’s a lofty insight or a comical retort, one thing is for certain: GoldLink isn’t of the norm.

Loyal to this progressive stance, GoldLink first stoked us with his convulsive remix of Ta-Ku’s “Electronic Relaxation” that first demonstrated his impressive dexterity. While the volatile flow that he possesses can easily box in a weaker rapper, GoldLink’s art shines in the ability to dance between topics, beats and tempos.

Tracks like the Galimatias & Joppe produced “One Step Back” sit – at first glance – uncomfortably alongside other pieces such as the TLC-sampling “Creep,” but that’s where the beauty resides. This type of juxtaposition creates an excitement in the unknowing. From track to track, verse to verse or line to line, you’re likely to find a new style emerge as many times as you care to listen.

This passion for evolution creates a mystique with every release, an eagerness to find out where’s next. Typically, what’s next is found in the past or the future, but rarely in the present as he conveys, “I’m all into progressing music into a new form that has never been heard before, while also helping the listener experience nostalgia, as far as emotion goes.”

This enlightened mindset is often found at the beginning of most artist’s rise or fall from relevance; we’ve been told by artists that they’re about to change the game so much that we must of come round in a entire circle. Once in a while though, you get someone who is willing to help you out of that hamster wheel, and while it’s obviously too early to call for the DMV’s GoldLink, his modest yet rich portfolio of work is a small inclination of where things could go: absolutely anywhere.

GoldLink’s debut project The God Complex is set to arrive April 1st.

Bonus: Listen to Goldlink’s latest release “Planet Paradise” HERE.
GoldLink online: @GoldLink / SoundCloud / Facebook / YouTube