GOLDLINK INTERVIEW
Goldlink live in Portland 3.3.16
By: Johnny Boddy
The following is an interview with GoldLink aboard his tour bus after his performance at the Roseland. We chatted about Pokemon, his new album, and the biggest lie in the world.
What were you in a past life?
I think I was Kurt Cobain. ‘Cause I’m a damn hipster.
You know that song Come As You Are? That’s me.
What is your favorite Pokémon?
Trico. Wait, that was random… let me change it… Charmander.
What kind of student were you?
I was a terrible student. People remembered me but I never went to class. I would show up in a leather jacket and girls would be all “Oh he’s cute.” Guys would be like “Yeah that’s D! The kid who is never here.” That cat. I did was the kid who was there and not there at the same time.
What was your first job?
I worked in the flower department at Safeway for about a month. I was only there so I could buy an Xbox. Once I got that first check I bought my Xbox and 2k14 then quit. True story.
What are the highs and lows of touring?
The high is that I am with my friends. We get to see the world, meet different people, constantly hearing stories in new cities. The low of touring is that you can’t poop on the bus. No joke you have to plan when you eat.
Are you moving toward more live instrumentation in your show?
Yeah I wanted to bring the record to life onstage. April sings on the album and she plays violin. Louie plays bass guitar and he made a lot of the beats off the album. So now that we have a DJ, violinist, and bass player I am definitely leaning toward more instrumentation.
What should I be listening to right now?
You should be listening to:
- April and Vista (https://soundcloud.com/aprilandvista)
- Louie Lastic (https://soundcloud.com/louielastic)
- Cicero (https://soundcloud.com/cicerorosalins)
- Falcons (https://soundcloud.com/oaklandfalcons)
- DVSN (https://soundcloud.com/dvsndvsn)
- Sunny Cola (http://www.sunnycola.com/)
- Smino (https://soundcloud.com/sminoworld)
I sampled him in the beginning of Late Night.
What is your story?
To make a long story short: the story of a black kid who grew up in D.M.V. (slang for D.C. MD. VA metro area) and never left. I was trapped in the city and so I was angry. I did a lot to find a way to get out. In a lot of ways, it is the typical black American story. I didn’t know how to talk about it so I just compensated with being a gangster… I guess. You know what I am saying?
Yeah I get that vibe from your early work; it was young, wild and reckless.
Yeah if you listen to And After That We Didn’t Talk I am talking about everything in the past that happened, but the thing is; when I was making Creep, On & On, or Sober Thoughts I was doing everything I was saying at that time. I was going through what I was talking about. Angry, young, wild and reckless. All that at the same time.
In your song titled “New Black” off of And After That We Didn’t Talk you say; “Hip-hop will die I promise that / If we keep talking guns and gats in our raps / I apologize.” So what is the message to the youth?
Fate portrayal. That song is about everything that’s still happening at home. Just because I made it doesn’t mean it doesn’t effect me now. Those things are apart of me. Specifically, my friend Pete got about thirty years for armed robbery and shooting someone. His little brother had a child. I know that child sees his dad doing these things as well and he (the child) acts like he doesn’t know. I talk about these stories because there are a lot of rappers who glorify what my homies (Pete) are doing. I feel that if you tell one side of a story and not the other people chase after that glorification and then hip-hop will eventually die.
What is the biggest lie in the world today?
That we are free. Nobody is really free; we have imaginary chains on. You can talk about something but you cannot talk about it too deeply. You almost have to agree with everything, and if you say anything that does not make “sense” then you are going to be ridiculed no matter how true it is. Freedom of speech is dead now.
