With summer almost here, Goldlink has given us something to groove to with the release of his debut studio album entitled Diaspora. Hailing from the DMV, Goldlink has put out three mixtapes prior to Diaspora, the most recent and most successful of which being the 2017 commercial project At What Cost. The mixtape is scattered with contributions and features from an array of artists such as Wale, Steve Lacy, and Kaytranada among others. At What Cost is a demonstration the stylistic diversity GoldLink utilizes in his work. Although the project is mainly known for its two most pop oriented and R&B inspired tracks “Crew” and “Herside Story,” At What Cost also calls upon the genres of funk, East Coast hip hop, and alternative rap with songs like “Hands on Your Knees (feat. KoKayi),” ''Kokamoe Freestyle,” and “Some Girl (feat. Steve Lacy).”

Two years later, GoldLink has furthered embraced the many different styles of music which have made him into the artist he is today. Diaspora is a homage to the sounds originated and developed by different pockets of black culture from all around the world. When placed together on a single project, these sounds are able to be threaded together, compared, contrasted, and skillfully coalesces various aspects of the black soundscape onto a single album.

To understand the concept and intention of GoldLink’s album, one must have an understanding of what a diaspora is. Defined as “the dispersion of any people from their original homeland,” diasporas are seen within the histories of several displaced minority groups. The most well known example of this spread is the Jewish Diaspora. Beginning in 587 BC, the Jewish Diaspora was marked by the exile of the Jews from Israel by the Romans and their subsequent spread to various parts of Europe and, thousands of years later, to North America. With the advent of the Atlantic Slave Trade, Africans were abducted from their countries and shipped to different parts of Europe, South America, and North America for over 300 years. Even after slavery was abolished in most parts of the globe, most freed people did not have the means to go home to their native lands and thus stayed in the places they were. This is what is called the African Diaspora.

Map of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade which led to the development of the African Diaspora.

GoldLink explores the genres of reggae, dancehall, afrobeat, trap, house, R&B, afropop, and traditional rap on Diaspora, fully living up to the project’s namesake. After a 23 second intro entitled “//error,” Diaspora kicks off with the infectious bouncy track “Joke Ting.” Featuring South London R&B singer Ari Pensmith on the chorus, GoldLink begins the album with light, catchy, and contemporary tune that could easily fit onto a summer party playlist. GoldLink’s flow is smooth and punchy with an effortless cool, due in part to the melodic tone of his D.C. drawl.

The next track, however, sounds nothing like the first. This is a trend that is prevalent throughout Diaspora. As one listens through the project from beginning to end, they clearly recognize that they are to expect the unexpected, to accept that the cohesion of the album hinges less on the consistency of a particular sound and is instead the collage of diversity of music styles. The following track, “Mania” is an eclectic trap song dressed with vocal effects like autotune and echoes, lyrical repetition, electric piano, bass drums, and high hats. After “Maniac” is “Days Like This,” a mellow self reflective track featuring Khalid that showcases a much more stripped back production style and some of GoldLink’s most poignant lyrics on the entire project.

“Zulu Screams” is the first time the international influence on Diaspora is presented to the listener. Featuring artists Bibi Bourelly and Maleek Berry, “Zulu Screams” is a loud, in-your-face dance/house banger headed straight for the club. The following track “More” is inspired by the Jamacian genre of dancehall, with its roots in reggae and reggaeton music. One of the most well known singles from Diaspora prior to its release is the flirty afrobeat track “U Say,” featuring Tyler the Creator and Jay Prince. The song’s production is minimal, allowing GoldLink and Tyler to spit sexy verses about the women they want to bring home.

The last two standout tracks on Diaspora are “Yard” and “Spanish Song.” “Yard” is a mix between dancehall and R&B while “Spanish Song” is a latin inspired dance song. Although there are four more songs after “Spanish Song,” they fail to make much of an impression. Coming back to the contemporary rap styles showcases at the start of the album, these tracks sound more like slightly altered versions of the three opening songs than as stand alone songs. The exception to this assessment of the last quarter of the album is the song “Tiff Freestyle,” which has a more classic East Coast hip hop sound in comparison to the other three. Still, however, “Tiff Freestyle” does not engage my ear in the same way the songs before it did.

In addition to the weakness of the last leg of Diaspora, GoldLink’s lyrical prowess leaves more to be desired. A common pitfall of newer rappers is the inclination to rap about the same subject matter in the same ways. Throughout Diaspora, GoldLink speaks on topics such as fame, parties, sex, crime, and overcoming struggle. However, he rarely raps about these subjects in a way that is unique. It is clear that the production and the concept of Diaspora took precedent over the creativity of the lyricism. If GoldLink’s bars were as fresh and inventive as the sound of the album, Diaspora would be close to a perfect album.

GoldLink’s Diaspora is an auditory tour of the expanse of the black musical landscape. GoldLink demonstrates his ability to hop seamlessly from genre to genre, finding a place for himself in each without trying to cheaply intimidate or rip off another’s sound. Instead, he engages in a dialogue with the various genres of black music, adding his own sense of personality and style to each genre he takes inspiration from. The collaborative sense of the album is further enforced by the slew of artists featured on it as well. Despite the last few songs falling flat and the blandness of the lyrics, Diaspora is still a solid album that is as fun as it is educational on the diversity of black sound. A great collection of songs to vibe out to, I definitely recommend checking out Diaspora and bumping it all summer long.