At What Cost is GoldLink’s third mixtape. It was originally considered his debut studio album, but in a June 2019 interview with Wonderland., GoldLink stated that it’s now considered his “breakout mixtape”: What people don’t know is that At What Cost was my breakout mixtape, according to label agreement. So the next thing will actually be my debut album. And for those who want to still consider this next one as my sophomore album, I’ll also be very glad to hold that title as well! The album is dedicated to GoldLink’s hometown, Washington, D.C., and he explores various issues such as cultural and political gentrification. In a March 2017 interview with The FADER, he discussed his purpose in making the album: The only thing I give a fuck about is the city. That’s my purpose. If I wasn’t from D.C., I wouldn’t even have written a song. You understand? If the city’s proud, if I make it in the city that’s all that really matters to me at this point in my career The project is also influenced by go-go music, a subgenre of funk that originated in the D.C. area in the 1960s and ‘70s. This is a sonic deviation from GoldLink’s previous works.