billy woods announces new album GOLLIWOG

billy woods’ collaborative projects — Maps with producer Kenny Segal and We Buy Diabetic Test Strips as part of Armand Hammer — were bright spots of 2023. Now, the Backwoodz Studioz founder and rapper will return with his next album, GOLLIWOG, on May 9. 

The LP pulls influence from MF DOOM and 20th century authors (Ray Bradbury, Toni Morrison), layering “horror, humor, surrealism and Afropessimism” into an intricate whole. It features production from a close group of collaborators, including The Alchemist, Conductor Williams, Preservation, Messiah Musik, Sadhugold, Atmosphere’s Ant, Shabaka Hutchings, DJ Haram, and others, plus guest verses from Armand Hammer mate ELUCID, Cavalier, Bruiser Wolf, Despot, al.divino, and Yolanda Watson. On the lead single, “Misery,” woods reconnects with Segal, falling deeper into the warped rapping that makes him such an alluring MC.

Read more: Jerks™ founder Matt Sloane curates his vintage finds like a record store

Of the LP, woods explains, “When I was 9 years old, I wrote a story about an evil golliwog. My mother read it and told me it was overly derivative and needed some work. Here we are.”

Listen to “misery,” plus see the album artwork and tracklist, below.

billy woods – GOLLIWOG tracklist

1. “Jumpscare” (feat. Steel Tipped Dove)
2. “STAR87” (feat. Conductor Williams)
3. “Misery” (feat. Kenny Segal)
4. “BLK XMAS” (feat. Bruiser Wolf & Sadhugold)
5. “Waterproof Mascara” (feat. Preservation)
6. “Counterclockwise” (feat. The Alchemist)
7. “Corinthians” (feat. Despot & El-P)
8. “Pitchforks & Halos” (feat. Kenny Segal)
9. “All These Worlds Are Yours” (feat. E L U C I D, DJ Haram, Shabaka Hutchings)
10. “Maquiladoras” (feat. al.divino & Saint Abdullah)
11. “A Doll Fulla Pins” (feat. Yolanda Watson & Jeff Markey)
12. “Golgotha” (feat. Messiah Musik)
13. “Cold Sweat” (feat. Ant)
14. “BLK ZMBY” (feat. Steel Tipped Dove)
15. “Make No Mistake” (feat. Messiah Musik)
16. “Born Alone” (feat. Kenny Segal)
17. “Lead Paint Test” (feat. E L U C I D, Cavalier, Willie Green)
18. “Dislocated” (feat. E L U C I D & Human Error Club)