Golliwog is a murky, visceral experience that showcases Woods at the best of his ability through his immersive lyricism and gripping vocal performance.

Release Date:  9th May 2025

Label: Backwoodz Studioz

Formats: CD / LP / Cassette / Digital

BILLY WOODS

Billy Woods is back for his first album since his 2023 critically acclaimed collaboration with producer Kenny Segal, Maps. Golliwog is his first album since 2019 to have multiple different producers working on it. The album harnesses some of the most sought-after beat makers in hip hop today including The Alchemist, Conductor Williams and El-P amongst many others.

The record opens with Jumpscare, a dark and frightening track that sets the tone for the album masterfully. Woods narrates a vivid picture over a sinister backdrop, daring the listener to delve into the album’s world. Lyrics such as “This winter, you’ll eat to live” only add to the atmosphere the song has created. It’s an excellent example of Woods’ coded yet impactful lyricism.

Star87 continues the vibe already set, however with more of a groove through its playful bassline and snappy drums. Woods again sounds effortless, floating over the instrumental. Lead single Misery is up next and truly shows the creativity in Woods as a writer. Even in its short runtime of just over two minutes, the song takes the listener through a warped story that sees Woods in the middle of a somewhat dangerous love triangle. The song feels like a short story, reminding me of an earlier release of his, Today I Wrote Nothing.

BLK XMAS

BLK XMAS is up next with an amazing, memorable feature from Bruiser Wolf. His cartoony delivery works well to pull the listener into his story telling. The song deals with the reality, uncertainty and brutality of housing and landlords. Woods’ lyric “How you gonna put folks out a week before Christmas? And they got kids?” is so effective and striking. So many of his lyrics are dense and require deep analysis, however Woods is also extremely good at sometimes keeping it simple, which creates an even stronger impact.

Waterproof Mascara is possibly the darkest moment on the album. The instrumental samples the sound of someone sobbing whilst Woods delivers a stone-cold verse that oozes tension. The reuse of lyrics seen in his 2019 track Houthi is an interesting and effective moment in the song. When used in Houthi, the lyrics feel almost triumphant however here, they sound hopeless. The stabs from the piano in the instrumental contribute well to the unease and tension created in the track.

Moving forward through the album, we reach its shining moment. The song A Doll Fulla Pins is not only the highlight on the album but is one of Billy Woods’s finest moments to date. Instrumentally the song is warm and beautiful, harnessing a irresistible saxophone that weeds its way throughout. Woods’s lyricism and performance is truly emotional alongside the soulful vocal contributions from Yolanda Watson. Her voice is absolutely heavenly, taking the song to another level of magnificence. It’s a moment of true beauty in an album that up to this point, is drenched in darkness.

BLK ZMBY

From this moment on, the record starts to feel a little bit lighter. BLK ZMBY has amazing strings and a dense warm drum groove that would’ve felt out of place in the first half of the record. Born Alone has one of the catchiest hooks on the entire album whilst Cold Sweat harnesses an airy, almost trap-like groove.

Golliwog closes out with Dislocated, a perfect, reflective end point. Its uncontrolled, sporadic drum groove spills over the wonderful string led instrumental. This juxtaposition feels like an overall reflection of the album contrasting between unpredictability and allure.

Billy Woods has been one of the most consistent rap artists in the underground for the last few years, and Golliwog just further cements that status. The elusive MC is truly making a case for himself to be up there with the greats.

Here’s Misery:

Billy Woods: Facebook / X

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