GoldLink participated in the COLORS video series to debut his latest single “Justine’s Interlude.” The twice-Grammy nominee Washington, D.C. rapper once again toggles the line between Rap & R&B in his latest release, a meditative song only comparable to the artist’s melodic voice.

Crooning about tenderness, keeping loved ones close, losing them, the dizzying, lush nature of the industry, and so forth, the past XXL Freshmen double-dutches between piano trills and a soft-punching bass. The vulnerability GoldLink brings to “Justine’s Interlude” makes it so the rapper not only turns the mirror on his adversaries, but also on himself: “You do something to me / I write all my song about women I never keep.” So it’s only apt that the color scheme of the room matches “Justine’s Interlude,” not a melancholic blue, or a drab grey, but something honest to the touch like a honey-brown, something like skin.

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The District of Columbia rapper, who never veers into the over-sentimental, tells the truth, even when it hurts. GoldLink opens up about losing his friend and fellow rapper Mac Miller:

“Mac died, and I couldn’t talk / Couldn’t bear the thought / Two days before it, we was talkin’ ‘bout love and loss / Then he mentioned Ariana’s mom, and newer songs / Never told a soul, but I knew he was dead all along.”

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The “Crew” rapper is coming down from the success of his 2017 At What Cost album furthers his unique storytelling abilities here by naming that which was has gone nameless.

Throughout “Justine’s Interlude,” GoldLink, who is close friends with Brooklyn-native singer Justine Skye, whom the song is named after, alludes to Sheck Wes and the rumored late 2018 abuse allegations:

“I think it’s funny how blogs talk / So many shows I had been to where models walked / So many stories about you and so and so from Harlem / And ain’t too many from Harlem / So take a guess.”

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To dispel the heaviness, GoldLink concludes with a playful Harlem Shake.

Other recent Colors series guests include J.I.D. and Jay Rock. In 2018, GoldLink appeared on albums by Denzel Curry, Mya, and Tom Misch, among others.