Hometown Sounds

DMV superstar GoldLink just dropped a new music video for “Got Friends”, his first single following the hugely successful 2017 album At What Cost. Shot by Christian Sutton in LA, the video is actually a short film with occasional snippets of the song, eschewing the music video format even more than he has in the past. Without spoiling anything, the film begins like an outtake from the currently airing David Simon drama The Deuce, but then takes a sudden turn towards another popular HBO show.

Huge congrats to DC rapper GoldLink on his Grammy nomination in the “Best Rap/Sung Performance” category for his hit single “Crew” featuring Baltimore’s Brent Faiyaz and our own Shy Glizzy, which recently achieved Platinum status. GoldLink’s first proper studio album At What Cost is one of DC’s best exports of the year, and its newest single Meditation is a slick merger of his staccato raps with singer Jazmine Sullivan’s smooth crooning, over percussive club production from KAYTRANADA. This slick music video’s storyline of Link’s problematic nightclub romancing is gloriously upstaged by Sullivan and her crew delivering the song’s hook with primo style.

The music videos served up by DC rap superstar GoldLink over the course of 2016 were slick, glitzy visuals that positively reeked of LA style. It’s nice to see Link return home for his first single of 2017, “Crew”. Trading verses with Young Jefe a.k.a. DC’s Shy Glizzy, with LA singer Brent Faiyaz crooning the chorus hook, GoldLink’s song laments the women who only want him for his fame and money now that he’s in the big leagues. Video director Matthew Dillon Cohen gives us lots of badass footage of Link’s 4 wheeling crew tearing up DC’s streets.

Now that Wale has moved to LA, there’s no disputing that D’Anthony Carlos, better known as GoldLink, is the hottest act in DC right now. Our compatriots at DC Music Download reported yesterday that superstar tease Frank Ocean named Link’s “When I Die” as one of his favorite songs of all time, an incredible plug at just the right time. In case you missed GoldLink’s most recent music video that premiered last month, here’s your official second chance. “Spectrum”, produced by DC’s own Louie Lastic, comes from GoldLink’s 2015 album And After That, We Didn’t Talk. Video production company 88 Rising created the visuals for the “future bounce” anthem, based around the progressive notion of conflict resolution through dancing.

Last week’s episode of the Hometown Sounds podcast kicked off with “Dance On Me”, the massive single from future bounce pioneer GoldLink on his new album And After That, We Didn’t Talk. Though the song is decidedly R rated, GoldLink’s mom particularlyloved it, so the video tones down the raciness to a PG friendly level. It’s still an amazing video, as the protagonist (not GoldLink himself, per usual) tries to shut down a party that can’t be contained.