Billy Woods Explained

Billy Woods
Birth Date: 1977–1979
Birth Place:Washington, D.C., U.S.
Origin:New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation:Rapper
Years Active:2002–present
Label:Backwoodz Studioz
Current Member Of:Armand Hammer

Billy Woods (born 1977–1979;[1] [2] stylized in all lowercase) is an American rapper based in New York.[3] He is also the founder of the record label Backwoodz Studioz.[4] Woods has been a member of Armand Hammer,[5] Super Chron Flight Brothers,[6] and The Reavers.[7]

Early life

Billy Woods was born in Washington, D.C. His mother was an English literature professor from Jamaica.[5] His father was a PhD Marxist writer, active in the Zimbabwe War of Liberation and then member of the government in Zimbabwe.[8] In 1980, the family moved to Zimbabwe. Following his father's death, the family returned to the United States, moving to Washington D.C. in 1989.[2] Woods briefly attended Howard University before getting involved in New York's hip hop scene. He started making music in the late 1990s,[9] writing his "first real rhyme" at a laundromat in Kennebunk, Maine in 1997.[10]

Woods founded the Backwoodz Studioz label after the success of the independent releases The Cold Vein and .

Career

Billy Woods founded the record label Backwoodz Studioz in 2003, and released his debut album, Camouflage, through Backwoodz that same year.[11] [12] In the early years of his career, he was a protégé of Cannibal Ox's Vordul Mega.[13] Throughout the 2000s, the majority of Woods' output was released through the duo Super Chron Flight Brothers, which comprised him and fellow rapper Priviledge. Woods describes his work with Super Chron Flight brothers as emphasizing "the comedy and tragedy angle". By the early 2010s, Super Chron Flight Brothers had split up, and Backwoodz Studioz had been largely unable to make a profit. Woods subsequently decided to complete another solo album, 2012's History Will Absolve Me;[14] [15] Woods intended for it to be his final release before leaving the music industry.[16] History Will Absolve Me proved more successful than Woods anticipated, revitalizing Woods' career and attaining a reputation as a cult classic of underground hip hop.

In 2013, Woods released Dour Candy, which was entirely produced by Blockhead.[17] [18] In 2017, he released Known Unknowns.[19] It was included on Rolling Stones "15 Great Albums You Probably Didn't Hear in 2017" list.[20] In 2019, he released a collaborative album with producer Kenny Segal, titled Hiding Places,[21] as well as a solo album, Terror Management.[22] 2020 brought Brass, a collaborative album with Moor Mother. Woods released Aethiopes and Church in 2022. On 27 March 2023, Woods announced his second collaboration with the producer Kenny Segal titled Maps. The album was released on 5 May 2023. It was preceded by two singles, "Facetime", which was released on 12 April 2023 and featured the Baltimore singer Samuel T. Herring,[23] and "Soft Landing", which was released 3 May 2023.

Media has noted that Woods has his face obscured in publicity photos.[24] [25]

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Mixtapes

Singles

Guest appearances

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lipez . Zachary . March 26, 2021 . Armand Hammer adds the Alchemist to make for an even more intriguing brand of underground rap . January 26, 2024 . Washington Post.
  2. Web site: billy woods Makes Himself at Home . Jayson . Buford . . May 4, 2023 . May 3, 2024.
  3. Web site: Nothing To Something: billy woods on overcoming writer's block. Impose. Blake. Gillespie. April 20, 2012. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230233325/http://www.imposemagazine.com/features/billy-woods-interview. December 30, 2018. live.
  4. Web site: An Introduction to the Dystopian Hip-Hop of Backwoodz Studioz. Bandcamp Daily. Leonardo. Faierman. November 9, 2017. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230233532/https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/11/09/backwoodz-studioz-bandcamp-interview/. December 30, 2018. live.
  5. Web site: billy woods "But one day it will be gone.". Tiny Mix Tapes. Samuel. Diamond. April 24, 2015. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230182745/https://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/billy-woods?page=show. December 30, 2018. live.
  6. Web site: Super Chron Flight Brothers - Cape Verde. HipHopDX. Andres. Tardio. August 30, 2010. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230181243/https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.1513/title.super-chron-flight-brothers-cape-verde. December 30, 2018. live.
  7. Web site: Reavers - Biography. AllMusic. Marisa. Brown. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230181218/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/reavers-mn0000821355/biography. December 30, 2018. live.
  8. Web site: Time Goes By: Interview with Billy Woods. Nerdtorious. Dean Van. Nguyen. January 9, 2013. September 26, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190926100652/https://nerdtorious.com/2013/01/09/time-goes-by-interview-with-billy-woods/. September 26, 2019. live.
  9. Web site: Billy Woods and Blockhead's Collaborative Album, 'Dour Candy,' is an Invigorating Hangover. Noisey. Zachary. Lipez. June 28, 2013. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230233304/https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/r7w7ar/billy-woods-and-blockheads-collaborative-album-dour-candy-is-an-invigorating-hangover. December 30, 2018. live.
  10. Web site: Hope in a Hopeless Situation: An Interview With Billy Woods. Passion of the Weiss. Joel. Biswas. November 15, 2018. September 26, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190925093645/https://www.passionweiss.com/2018/11/15/billy-woods-interview-2018/. September 25, 2019. live.
  11. Web site: Billy Woods Is The Underground Rapper Chekhov Would Listen To. The Village Voice. Phillip. Mlynar. May 31, 2017. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230233339/https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/05/31/billy-woods-is-the-underground-rapper-checkov-would-listen-to/. December 30, 2018. live.
  12. Web site: Underground Rap Hero Billy Woods on Coming Full Circle . Anthony . Malone . . May 3, 2023 . May 8, 2023.
  13. Web site: Mosi . Reeves . billy woods' 'Maps' is the Kind of Album That's Designed to Get You Lost . . May 4, 2023 . April 26, 2024.
  14. Web site: Billy Woods: History Will Absolve Me. Exclaim!. Mark. Bozzer. April 10, 2012. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230233534/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/billy_woods-history_will_absolve_me. December 30, 2018. live.
  15. Web site: Billy Woods – History Will Absolve Me. Potholes in My Blog. Francisco. McCurry. May 8, 2012. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230181502/http://potholesinmyblog.com/billy-woods-history-will-absolve-me/. December 30, 2018. live.
  16. Web site: billy woods: Aethiopes Album Review . Dean . Van Nguyen . . April 11, 2022 . May 8, 2023.
  17. Web site: Champion Sound #14: Ka, Starlito, Billy Woods. Drowned in Sound. Kyle. Ellison. August 21, 2013. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180711021857/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4146753-champion-sound-14--ka-starlito-billy-woods. July 11, 2018. live.
  18. Web site: Billy Woods: Dour Candy. Pitchfork. Nate. Patrin. August 14, 2013. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20190411162036/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18405-billy-woods-dour-candy/. April 11, 2019. live.
  19. Web site: billy woods Is at the Forefront of Rap's Avant-Garde. Noisey. Paul. Thompson. October 6, 2017. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230181337/https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/zm3yp5/billy-woods-is-at-the-forefront-of-raps-avant-garde. December 30, 2018. live.
  20. 15 Great Albums You Probably Didn't Hear in 2017: Billy Woods, 'Known Unknowns'. Rolling Stone. Mosi. Reeves. December 19, 2017. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180711021925/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/15-great-albums-you-probably-didnt-hear-in-2017-123821/billy-woods-known-unknowns-125570/. July 11, 2018. live.
  21. Web site: Stream billy woods & Kenny Segal's New Album Hiding Places. Stereogum. Tom. Breihan. March 29, 2019. April 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190407151254/https://www.stereogum.com/2037665/billy-woods-kenny-segal-hiding-places/music/album-stream/. April 7, 2019. live.
  22. Web site: 9 Afro Dystopian Rap Albums As Dark And Droll As 2019. NPR. Rodney. Carmichael. December 11, 2019. March 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200320113533/https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/778228299/9-rap-albums-as-dark-and-dystopian-as-2019. March 20, 2020. live.
  23. Web site: billy woods & Kenny Segal Announce New Collaborative Album Maps. Stereogum. Tom. Breihan. 27 March 2023.
  24. News: Chick . Stevie . David Attenborough, weed and ‘American apartheid’: the awesome mind of rapper Billy Woods . 27 December 2023 . The Guardian . 8 May 2023.
  25. News: Reeves . Mosi . billy woods' 'Maps' is the Kind of Album That's Designed to Get You Lost . 27 December 2023 . Rolling Stone . 4 May 2023.
  26. Web site: 2020-12-11. BRASS from Moor Mother & billy woods. 2020-12-22. Backwoodz Studioz. en-US.
  27. Web site: 11 March 2022 . BILLY WOODS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE . 12 March 2022 . Backwoodz Studioz.
  28. Web site: Your Old Droog announces new album, shares "Meteor Man" featuring Lil Ugly Mane and billy woods. The FADER. 15 November 2021.

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