Required Listening: The God Complex
The year is 2014. Although it was a few years ahead of the endearing 2016 (I wrote about this, go read it), it was a transformative year for music. This was the year we got the infamous elevator moment from Solange and the Carters. We also received Cilvia Demo, Forest Hills Drive, Cadillactica, Oxymoron, and The Pinkprint. But perhaps most importantly, 2014 was the year The God Complex by Goldlink was released.
That’s right, our next installment of Required Listening comes from one of my favorite mixtapes, The God Complex. I have to confess, this album came out during my sophomore/junior year of college. And to me, this is a coming-of-age album, both for me, and Goldlink. I’m 1000% biased because of this observation, and I’m okay with that. But my biases don’t detract from the fact that The God Complex is one of hip-hop's most distinctly complex albums. Lyrically, Goldlink is well above his contemporaries. The album is reflective (looking at you Aristotle) , grim, and commanding. It’s personal and deeply emotional. Sonically, he brings together various influences ranging from post-bop, electropop, and house music.
But what about this album makes it so unique as to call it Required Listening? Certainly, various elements play a role, but allow me to highlight a handful of reasons:
Rap began to dance again.
2014 was a standout year for rap and R&B, with notable releases from heavy hitters like TDE's Isaiah Rashad, ScHoolboy Q, Ab Soul, and SZA (Z also debuted in 2014).
As a longtime TDE fan, I've been drawn not just to their talent but to the introspective nature of their music—what some might call "conscious rap." But TDE wasn’t alone. J. Cole dropped his third studio album, Logic released 'Under Pressure,' and Mac Miller put out 'Faces,' all contributing to a rise in chart-topping conscious rap.
Alongside TDE's influence, 2014 also saw the rise of the "mumble rap" era, a term coined to critique artists' perceived lyrical incoherence. Despite criticisms, it contextualizes a shift in how younger musicians express themselves, as noted by critics like Justin Charity of The Ringer. Why does this matter? Between introspective rap and the emergence of mumble rap, the era saw a shift where dancing took a backseat. Our music felt cold, drug-infused, quiet, or a combination of all three.
Enter The God Complex.
This album marks a pivotal shift in rap, reminding us to dance through life's pain, dysfunction, and woes. It's a vibrant melody amidst the silence, a lighthouse in the fog, offering a necessary break from the prevailing grim tone of the time. Each song on the 10-track mixtape is vibrant, nearly bursting at the seams with energy. The God Complex doesn't just entertain; it inspires. It weaves together elements of the past (DMV roots) and future, creating a project that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking.
Unites Through Historical Sampling
Beyond the return to dance, one of my favorite aspects of this tape is Goldlink’s use of samples. He weaves in elements from R&B, pop, and jazz to bring his vision to life in various ways. Let’s take a look at a few of these samples from least to most impactful.
In When I Die, you can hear remnants of Donell Jones' "You Know What’s Up" fading into the background. This song evokes our collective memory of it as a quintessential summer and party anthem. Its use adds a small but impactful touch, communicating the author's sense of invincibility, liberation, and perhaps reckless behavior (as noted in the title and car screech).
We hear "Toxic" by Britney Spears featured in "How It’s Done," and it’s a perfect pairing. "Toxic" is about someone addicted to love, and willing to do anything to get it. Similarly, the opening lines of “How It’s Done” are, “Having fun until the morning and I fuck you till you cum. And I run from state to state and tap that ass up like a drum.” Here, a toxic Goldlink boastfully confesses his desire for casual, no-strings-attached sex. Demonstrating how thematically related both songs are.
These are just a few examples of how Goldlink uses samples to push narratives forward. There are more complex uses of sampling, featuring Minnie Riperton, Men in Black, the Dazz Band, and Mulher Melancia. Each sample nods to decades of history, ranging from as early as 1969 to the early 2000s.
The Herbie Hancock sample on “Bedtime Story” is perhaps my favorite. The original “Tell Me a Bedtime Story” is a trumpet-forward, laid-back song. Louie Lastic, the primary producer for The God Complex, transforms Hancock’s song into something greater. He injects the energy expected of a DMV producer, making the beat triumphant, energetic, and upbeat (despite the brash lyrics). What I love most is how “Bedtime Story” breathes new life into Herbie’s piece. While there have been other tributes to 'Tell Me a Bedtime Story,' this one stands out as one of the most inimitable.
Art imitates life in Goldlink's The God Complex
It’s time to address the elephant in the room: Goldlink’s fall from grace. It happened suddenly and publicly. You might be wondering, what do his 2018 remarks about Mac Miller have to do with his 2014 project, The God Complex? Maybe nothing. But maybe this record foreshadowed traits critics and artists alike would later ascribe to Goldlink: narcissism and hubris.
After all, it is in the name itself.
A god complex is defined as someone with extreme entitlement and arrogance, someone who has an inflated sense of worth and an unmovable opinion of themselves.
And although years ahead of his blunder, the signs were all there… yet at the time, we cheered it on blindly, not thinking that his view on life or himself could be reflected and influenced lyrically. Throughout the record, Goldlink describes himself and his life as:
“...I'm the next motherfucker with the juice” (Ay Ay)
“...Fuck a CMB, I'm circled with the winners of the DMV” (Planet Paradise)
“...Getting money, becoming shallow / I need Jesus, she going down low” (CNTRL)
This is by no means a critique of Goldlink. He is but a man, one I have never met. However, I think the way he describes himself and his experiences all pointed to signs of an ego. Considering the definition of “God Complex,” it makes his art that much more potent and alluring.
In closing, The God Complex marks a pivotal shift in music, inviting the world of rap to dance again with the vibrant energy of the DMV as its backdrop. Through his clever and sophisticated use of sampling, Goldlink pays homage to decades of musical history that preceded him. Unbeknownst to us and perhaps even to Goldlink himself, this album serves as a poignant reminder of the intricate dance between art and life, capturing the essence of what happens when the lines between the two blur.
Til next time ✌🏾
byeeee