10 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2017 (So Far)

In 2015, the XXL Freshman Class included the upcoming rapper Goldlink, who was relatively unknown and still coming up at the time. He had his first mixtape The God Complex and released one after - the Rick Rubin produced And After That, We Didn’t Talk.

Goldlink showed promise in his old-school flow that entailed modern dialogue of love, life, and creative expression, blending motifs to properly paint an image of self-expression through the flavorful music renditions that add spices of funk along with the usage of everyday imagery.

At What Cost is the next step for him, with playful compositions of chill songs that breeze through like easy-listening Rn’B, as shown in the single “Crew” with vocalist Brent Faiyaz and rapper Shy Glizzy, which features a bombastic bass-heavy backing track with silky, honey-smooth hooks and a verse from Goldlink reminiscent of Mobb Deep. The album is bouncy, providing steady beats to dance to without sacrificing lyrical content, going for a bombastic sound rather than a sonic one.

The saucy bass and use of organic drum kits in the vein of Pharrell is done in “Some Girl” with the help of Steve Lacy, but he also shows diversity in a more digital approach in “Same Clothes As Yesterday” with Ciscero.

This great album features supporting acts including Wale, Jazmine Sullivan and Kaytranada, and Mya on “Summatime”, “Meditation”, and “Roll Call”, respectively. These bits add to the carefree aesthetic that surrounds his music. Some critics found the lack of engaging storytelling to be underwhelming, believing the album’s impact begins to dwindle as it continues without presenting a feeling of depth, but this actually makes it easier for casual listeners.

This is a solid album that deserves more attention, peaking at only position 145 on the US Billboard 200, so here is to hoping the hype for Goldlink starts to wind up.