Album Review : Goldlink ‘Diaspora’

Diaspora is the newest album released from Goldlink, this album has a very different vibe than any of his past albums or singles. Diaspora has reggae and Afrobeat mixed in between uptempo R&B and contemporary hip-hop.

Goldlink is a multifaceted rapper who chooses not to tie himself down to a particular sound and this album really shows that. Diaspora evokes feelings of flying through different cultures, immersing yourself into a different one with each song. From dancing in a Bahama/Caribbean nightclub to slower paced hip-hop to chill-out and relax, this album has it all.

Goldlink creating Diaspora allows for change in this generation’s music. By creating music reminiscent of past styles and genres not commonly used in 2019, it is nice to have something to bring us back in time, songs like “Yard” (feat. Haile) and “Joke Ting” (feat. Ari PenSmith), sound like reggae from the early 2000’s, adding in Goldlink’s current references in his verses. Goldlink is an artist who is underrated, and not many artists nowadays derive their music fr

Goldlink chooses his collaborations carefully and with the other artists for this album, he obviously chose them with a specific goal. The artists on the album help create a cohesive flow for Diaspora. Some songs carry quicker paces than others, some have a more contemporary vibe, but overall its nice that not all the songs were the same and they held different moods and tones.

Artists like Tyler The Creator, Khalid and Pusha T have been around for a while and are pretty well known and have distinct sounds to their own music that work very well with Goldlink’s clean, spoken versus.

Diaspora is like a breath of fresh air for music and culture, Goldlink really challenges the music industry by genre weaving and creating music in various styles.

The idea that music from everywhere of every sound can be resonant with each other and circulate in a way that takes you across borders.

Goldlink creating a diaspora in his music allows it to reach a diaspora of people of all different tastes and that is something not commonly found in many artists especially in 2019. I think Goldlink really tried to push his creativity with this album, for this reason he definitely differs from a lot of other rappers by choosing to expand his genre and sound.

Diaspora will definitely be on repeat this summer.