BILLY WOODS 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: New York's Billy Woods is not just a rapper but a confronter of disavowed, barbaric truths, where the sordid, postcolonial gluts of American oligarchy are refracted through an excoriating, critical and surreal lens. The prognosis has always been dire: Woods' lyrics - whether on his debut History Will Absolve Me (2012) or the more recent Haram (2021) - are prophecies against the sputtering machine-regime of racial enmity, where the Other is misconceived an essential cog in societal works. Golliwog ramps up the bad trip factor, suggesting an eerie mix of negritude and irresolution, with a supporting cast of musicians ensuring a wonky production prowess: Kenny Segal, Conductor Wiliams and LA jazzists Human Error Club. Frantz Fanon is proclaimed a zombie, as licentious lyrics run amok on 'Misery'.

Review: Billy Woods returns with Golliwog, his first album in two years, following 2023's Maps. While that record was a sharp, introspective travelogue, this one souses into a far darker pool, where fever dreams of horror, satire, and Afropessimism collide, and in whose underwater nooks phantoms lurk in the intertext, and undead figures, possessed dolls, and ghostly cars slip through time. Conveying this dark, weltering sonic backdrop are a crack fleet of producers: The Alchemist, EL-P, Kenny Segal, Conductor Williams, and Preservation. A disorienting, layered triumph, and an abandoned carnival of sound, flickering with life amid deviant-diasporic dances in the dark.

Review: It marks five years since the release of Hiding Places, the groundbreaking collaboration between billy woods and Kenny Segal. In 2019, this partnership was unexpected; both artists had extensive solo careers yet had not deeply collaborated outside their respective coastal scenes. Kenny's recent projects included jazzy instrumental albums and production work for artists like Self-Jupiter and Open Mike Eagle, while woods had just released a solo project with Blockhead. This fifth-anniversary reissue returns to the iconic house cover and includes a gatefold with fresh artwork from Musgrove. Musically, the album remains a compelling exploration. Segal's lush soundscapes gain a new intensity, while woods' writing achieves a directness rarely seen in his work. Featuring contributions from artists like ELUCID and Self-Jupiter, Hiding Places offers a surreal yet poignant experience, likened to a child's game that is both humorous and harsh.