Where GoldLink‘s 2017 album At What Cost focused mainly on introducing the world to the rapper’s DMV environment, his new album Diaspora widens the scope, encompassing musical flavors from all over the world. With Diaspora getting a wide release today, GoldLink celebrated his latest master work with an exuberant, dancehall-influenced performance of its single “Zulu Screams” with guest artist Maleek Berry on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon last night.
From a stage setup that referenced Caribbean sound system culture with a set of giant speakers and the islands’ seafaring origins with strategically-placed shipping crates, GoldLink raps the verses from his energetic single while colorfully-clad dancers cavort around him. Things slow down for another cut that called “Rid,” according to Jimmy Fallon. It’s a romantic slow jam that doesn’t appear on the album, but shows off another side of GoldLink’s growing, multifaceted talents.
Diaspora on the whole lives up to its name, featuring even more styles borrowing from Nigerian Afrobeats, R&B, UK funky house, and drugged-out trap rap for an eclectic collection of songs that showcase the breadth of African-rooted musical styles. It also features appearances from star artists like Khalid, Pusha T, and Tyler The Creator, with whom GoldLink is going on tour later this year. Check it out below.
Diaspora is out now via RCA Records.
