To this point, GoldLink has remained remarkably quiet. For someone his age--the upstart rapper says he's 22--he's unique for mostly eschewing the transparency and artist-to-fan interaction that the Internet affords. Though his first mixtape, The God Complex, owes its popularity to digital communities, the 2015 XXL Freshman has been remarkably quiet on social media and reserved in interview settings. But in a recent trip to Hot 97, the rapper opened up to fellow Marylander Peter Rosenberg about what it was like to grow up in such a misunderstood area. The pair likened the Landover area to Compton, for its bungalows and its general lack of vibrance. GoldLink recalls being insulated from many of the pitfalls of street life, as his father was respected in that regard and educated him at a young age. "My dad was like, 'These are your uncles,'" the rapper recalls, "'This is where you're from. This is your block.'"

He also told Rosenberg that he believes in reincarnation. "I used to pimp bitches," GoldLink cracks. "I would sniff cocaine. I used to extort people. I used to do push-ups every morning from 6:00 to 8:00." From there, GoldLink talked about how stunning it was when Rick Rubin discovered his music, and Andre 3000 coming to see one of his shows in Europe. "I went to the bathroom for five minutes," he remembers. "I came out, and the dynamic of the room was different. Everyone was like, 'bro you ready?'" Though the two didn't get to connect after the show, he expressed his gratitude to the Outkast legend. Of late, GoldLink has dropped songs and videos like "Bounce on Me," "Sober Thoughts" and "Vroom."

And check out GoldLink's 2015 XXL Freshman freestyle and profile right here.

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