Billy Woods albums

Billy Woods rose to prominence in the 2010’s as a hip hop artist with artistic and political purpose. His rap music is very hard hitting, and also very uniquely very geographical. Always an amazing lyricist, his style has blurred from being very old school and punchy musically with classic rock and soul samples (most of the 2010s) to being an almost new kind of jazz influence stream of consciousness (most of the 2020s and beyond). The music itself runs the gamut from memorable melodic beats to sound snippets chopped up and patched back together again. Since his resurgence in 2013, he has worked solo and with his partner Elucid in the group with Armand Hammer to release one or two albums each year and they are barely slowing down. Also, Woods tends to hate pictures as he always blurs himself out or covers his eyes. All of Wood’s work deserves to be absorbed and evaluated, it’s just amazing how much there is of it. Early Albums are versions of catchy, memorable and deeply philosophical (History Will Absolve Us and Known Unknowns) while later ones are among the best abstract masterpieces ever made in any genre (Aethiopes and Golliwog). Eventually, I will also review Armand Hammer 😊

2012

History Will Absolve me - 91%

Billy Woods world of rapping is of an ultra-serious universe, one where all the instruments are used to create an atmosphere of supreme depression reflecting the state of mind of our deranged society. “32 bars on how to rob and kill your neighbors/ still got the nerve to ask god to save you.”- sung on the second track “Crocodile Tears”, is like a treatise on what a police state in America is like. Woods partially grew up in Africa before relocating to New York as an adult, and this constant barrage of reference to his homeland is prevalent on the menacing “The Foreigner” and “Nigerian Email”, reflecting on the growing nature of the African people in the world. “Man Who Would be King” is powerful and genre defining, establishing a new sort of underground rap music in the 2010s is alive and well. Much of this hip hop is political in nature, “Body of Work” referencing to a chain gang style of life using what sounds like old movie clips. “Blue Dream” featuring L’Wren is the soulful ballad with female singer and quite the change from what came before frequent collaborator Elucid first pops up on “Freedmen’s Bureau” using haunting vocal effects to sound robotic and painting the way for their future rap supergroup, Armand Hammer.

The second half of the record is especially powerful, with “DCMA” being perhaps the greatest merging of rap and rock music created here. Lyric sample “When I take your shit/ that’s the American way.” The world of video games (another common theme in Woods work) is explored in “Duck Hunt” with a barrage of laser beams stating the bad will get their comeuppance, but history will absolve the righteous. “Frozen Sunlight” features the genius of Open Mike Eagle, soon to go on to a lucrative solo career. “Pump Up the Volume” lyric sample: “If we don’t win by the ballots/ it’s back to the bushes.” “Sour Grapes” (an even better Elucid collab) talks about being a day late and a dollar short. “Famous Last Words” sounds like it uses Calexico’s “Black Heart” as a music sample, though the lyrics sound more like Dalek.

  Woods is one of the more literate and powerful lyrists in rap music today, I find myself constantly rewinding the tracks to hear the lyrics again. “Human Resources” is perhaps the best song, “only problem with being your own god/ is you still gotta die.” “Closer “The Wake” is a tribute to all of his musical influences, mashed up in a nice stew of hip hop glory.

At 18 songs currently (original version was 21, “Headband” often removed form streaming due to a non-cleared of Led Zeppelin’s “In the Light”) there is a lot to unpack here, but nearly every song has something special to offer (“Bill Cosby” and “Cash for gold” could probably be chopped off if needed). A twelve-song version of this would be more focused and digestible sure, but Woods doesn’t really play it compact like that. Woods tried a rap career in the mid 00’s, but then retired early only recently coming back with a vengeance; what inspired this rejuvenation is unknown but it is noticeably more powerful. Producers of the album are multiple but they all work in unison to make a meaningful whole: Willie Green, Marris "A.M. Breakups" Mielnick, and Man Mantis. References to Nas, The Clash, Public Enemy, and other left-leaning political movements and musical (the title of the album is a Fidel Castro speech). Acts are rampant. Woods is revolutionary in 2013 like Rage Against the Machine was in 1993.

Best Songs:  DCMA, Human Resources, Crocodile Tears, Body of Work, Famous Last Words

2015

Today, I Wrote Nothing – 54%

It’s funny, the album title really points to the fact that Woods did not have the material together on this record in full. The album barely has any production to it too, a sort of muted quality with little effort is present throughout the 24 song run (it’s his longest album, in a bad way). A couple songs do have a certain charm, “Flatlands” and “Woodhull” being some of them, and “Warmachines” and “U-boats” are actually kind of great. I do wonder since everything here is usually under two minutes if Woods was pushing for a new sort of split personality quality to his music? Based on how Armand Hammer sounds pretty fractured at times, it is possible.

I’ve done more research than most- “Benediction” has a good creep element to it; “Weeper” has that classic Woods glitchy beat in odd time signature, “Bicycles” has great effects on the vocals, and although too long “Poor Company” has a great start to it (thought it sabotages itself party way through). However, although the ideas are interesting the execution is not there, as this is more of a b-sides or curio for the devoted fans. Hopefully next time around Woods will flesh out his best ideas and it will be less of an admitted hip hop sketchbook.

Best Songs: U Boats, Poor Company, Flatlands, Weeper

2017

Known Unknowns - 86%

With producer Blockhead at the helms, this is Billy Woods punchiest and hookiest album yet. “Bush League” is a very memorable song, while “Snake Oil” uses haunting lyrics and atmosphere to talk about the fast food world and how it pulls the wool over our eyes- again some of his catchiest music ever behind it! “Wonderful” feat. Aesop Rock is one of their more joyful creations. “Superpredator” is another rare repetitive chorus, while being more political and personal in nature. “Washington Redskins” might be the best beat on the album, at one point the words drop out entirely.

There is a stretch of amazing music from “Source Awards” through the end of the album that serves as many of Wood’s best songs ever recorded: Source Awards” pounds along condemning success and rapping and rocking like a pro; “Strawman” is a soulful party jam a la the Roots that is maybe Woods most fun song ever;  “Cheap Shoes” is true funk music revival; “Gazpacho” throws in the world of IDM into the mix sounding like a club anthem; “Keloid” is the prophetic lyrical journey, “you wont get no answers/ not for the stuff that keeps you up!”; closer “Robespierre” puts the bad vibes on but very memorably as references to death and skunks populate the proceedings.

Some songs are a bit too on the formless side for me, “Unluck”, “Fullback”, and “Police Came To My Show” being some of them. The album is a little bottom heavy with most of the single ready songs being at the front but the truly good, replayable ones being at the end. It would be interesting to listen backwards and see if it all plays better! In all, Known Unknowns is another minor rap masterwork by Woods and a nice bounce back to relevance from his last album Today, I Wrote Nothing.

Best Songs: Washington Redskins, Keloid, Robespierre, Strawman

2019

Hiding Places – 73%

Probably the album that brought Woods more of a mainstream audience (if you can call it that credibly, he is still pretty obscure to most), but strangely it is not my favorite as Woods seems stuck between his old school beats and his new sort of songs within songs approach influenced by Armand Hammer and his musical partner Elucid. He can excel at both, seen by the collab “Crawlspace” which sort of creeps along smoothly while changing focus like “Spiderhole” adding more and more to it as it goes building to a metallic climax. There are more dirges than usual, as opener “Sponge Bob” and “Bigfakelaugh” both sort of draw you in with their dark beats. “Houthi” is rarely a psychedelic trip for him, and a nice change of pace. A lot doesn’t work for me though- the metal guitar of “Speak Gently” that is too repetitive, “A Day in a Week in a year” slows things to a halt, and “Toothy” is perhaps his most formless song yet. “Steak Knives” is so short it stops before it really begins to be something memorable, and “Crawlspace” and Red Dust” are good (but not great) songs that feel more Armand Hammer which is not a BAD thing, just…a thing. Though it is Woods’ shortest album so far I yearn for his other masterworks as a lot of this does not grab me in the same way.  Better than the average rap album in 2019? Of course, but it does feel a bit transitional despite some winning songs.

Best Songs: Checkpoints, Spider Hole, Bigfakelaugh

2022

Aethiopes - 84%

With this album, Woods brings in the more abstract nature of his Armand Hammer project and the music and lyrics become quite a bit more off rhythm and malleable. I'm probably not equipped to talk about all the thoughtful, elegant poetry of Billy Woods on this album. The lyrics are very much a mix of how his people live in the modern day compared how they used to be treated, and how the world will always find ways to keep you trapped in place (see the amazing “Christine”). It’s deep rooted, meaningful stuff that takes multiple listens to interpret (the reggae influenced “Versailles”). But I do love the music to Aethiopes and the way some songs are like 3 or 4 ideas in one (“Harrlum”). The album starts with the somewhat jazzy warm-up of “Asylum” and then goes on each song building up speed until its worn-out climax. The excellent standout “NyNex” has a pulsating sort of wood-banging rhythm to it, it continuously sounds as if it is going to fall apart while it is going.

        For all of the guest stars on the record (heavy hip hop hitters like El-P, Despot, Euclid, Quelle Chris, etc) it all flows very well though it has the feel of a collage, though an expertly put together one like Frank Zappa' s Were Only in it for the Money (from 1969) updated to the Hip Hop world in 2022. Songs like “Heavy Water” and “Chirstine” hit hard, but the arrangements recall old school jazz more than the harder more electronic beats of modern rap; it gives the album an ‘earthy’ feel. Billy Woods is such a prolific guy (he had another album this year, Church, that plays as a grittier version of this one, also pretty good!) and his other project Armand Hammer with Euclid proves there is not much difference between monikers. Any record involving or led by Woods is going to be thought provoking, honest, and worth your time.

Best Songs: Heavy Water, Nynex, Asylum, Versailles

2023

Maps - 78%

Working again with producer Kenny Segal (like Hiding Places was), Maps shows Woods in a more abstract mode with songs that are barely sketches (“Hollywood Speakers”, “Dreams are Only Dreams”, lounge interlude “Agriculture”) “Soundcheck” featuring Quelle Chris, has one of my favorite rap choruses: “Every victory pyrrhic/ every live show forget the lyrics.” Woods as always is very generous, giving his guest stars and collaborators the spotlight. “Babylon By Bus” is a highlight, a shrapnel drum beat and a mix of uplighting string instruments with downbeat words being spoken. “Year Zero” feat. Danny Brown is the ultimate depressant, stating over and over “you can’t fix stupid/ my taxes pay police settlements/ we’re fucked/ poison everything we touch.” “Baby Steps” is again unique to Woods himself, rapping about the geography.

There are times I miss how focused and pointed Woods used to be, but there is an air of joy to the songs that feel more improvised and free verse. While not quite as good as the previous album Aethiopes, there is a lot of love on Maps as Woods continues to drive deep into this new kind of jazz/prog/ rap hybrid. It is more fractured and hard to absorb than most other rappers, but to me that makes it more interesting. “The Layover” is populated by jazzy Piano playing, “Houdini” seems to state it is easier to stay high on weed to address what is going on in the world. “Waiting Around” features Aesop Rock, which is always a lyrical joy as a collaboration. It reveals more and more with each listen, like the best albums of any genre.

Best Songs: Year Zero, Soundcheck, Babylon By Bus, Houdini

2025

Golliwog - 96%

Billy Woods has always been a rapper who dwells in abstraction. What is he saying, how is he saying it and why is he saying it in this way. Unlike most hip-hop artists aim for music that is catchy and full of choruses, this is not his point. Even with the music, it is not designed to be a something to dance to as it takes detours and incorporates strange instruments. All this being said because you can’t critique or listen to a Woods album these days the same way you would a release by most other rap artists- he leads the way to an evolution of the art form. Don’t let the gradual pace of “Jumpcare” mislead you, as you are in for a dense and challenging listen that will take a while to decipher.

Of all his albums, Golliwog is probably the best and the one that will stand the test of time. He has a theme of the ‘golliwog’ and the images and history of African Americans all, see the bleak imagery of “A Doll Fulla Pins”. “Cold Sweat” talks about the language used in modern hip hop but also the joy of creating it, which is a conundrum all to itself. The songs of Woods lead to infinite loops and possibilities- lyrically mostly. “Make no Mistake” plays on the themes of the title, saying we all make mistakes in life and we also can’t afford to make to many or we would be absolute failures. “Star 87” seems lost in a crowded society other people’s voices coming in on phone calls like buzzing bees in his mind. “Dislocated” seems to be about hiding among society of reveling in the obscurity, while a disjointed beat plays and he seems to lose track of his thoughts as he goes- a modern miracle and perfect album closer.

Musically the strongest songs to stand out- “Golgotha” has a depressed trumpet that accompanies the verses, and the same approach is used in a smoother way on “Lead Paint Test”. “Corinthians” has production by El-P and a guest verse by Despot that brings the biblical imagery of Woods to clash with the more modern view of life of the latter. “Blk ZMBY” has a sort of heaviness to it as the weight of life is crashing down along him. “Born Alone” casts a desolate piano but contains doubts about being a father and about waking up everyday and facing the modern world. “Misery” is a beautiful sort of love song, constantly tripping over a gallop from the drums until the whole thing falls apart. The music made and producer’s quality shown here is a masterclass all to itself. As many hip hop releases use multiple producers, rarely do they sound as uniform as Golliwog does. Every song is designed to disorient our expectations. “Waterproof Mascara” is one of the most haunting rap songs ever created, as the tears of his ancestors are channeled into his message of ‘don’t trust anyone’.

In all, Woods has gradually brought rap music back to being about poetry than a need to party and dance. Listening to any of these songs even sound speech snippets like “Counterclockwise” show us that this is basically spoken word poetry over song lyrics, that while music can exist along side it Woods pushes for a use of words as the real power. As many rappers have tried this approach, however the way he presents his songs is largely his own and uses many collaborators (Kenny Segal, Euclid, Steel Tipped Dove, El-P, The Alchesmist, many others) only as needed and when necessary.

 Best songs: Corinthians, Waterproof Mascara, Blk Zmby, Cold Sweat, Dislocated, Golgotha