diff --git a/linker/Android.mk b/linker/Android.mk
index 803b6c3d4..52cdcfe66 100644
--- a/linker/Android.mk
+++ b/linker/Android.mk
@@ -69,6 +69,9 @@ LOCAL_STATIC_LIBRARIES := libc_nomalloc
 LOCAL_MODULE_CLASS := EXECUTABLES
 LOCAL_MODULE_SUFFIX := $(TARGET_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX)
 
+# we don't want crtbegin.o (because we have begin.o), so unset it
+# just for this module
+LOCAL_NO_CRT := true
 
 include $(BUILD_SYSTEM)/dynamic_binary.mk
 
@@ -80,11 +83,3 @@ $(linked_module): $(TARGET_CRTBEGIN_STATIC_O) $(all_objects) $(all_libraries) $(
 #
 # end of BUILD_EXECUTABLE hack
 #
-
-# we don't want crtbegin.o (because we have begin.o), so unset it
-# just for this module
-$(LOCAL_BUILT_MODULE): TARGET_CRTBEGIN_STATIC_O :=
-# This line is not strictly necessary because the dynamic linker is built
-# as a static executable, but it won't hurt if in the future we start
-# building the linker as a dynamic one.
-$(LOCAL_BUILT_MODULE): TARGET_CRTBEGIN_DYNAMIC_O :=