billy woods - Misery (Single)

Picture Credit: Natalia Vacheishvili

Rapper billy woods has announced his new album, GOLLIWOG, out 9th May via Backwoodz Studioz with global physical distribution by Rhymesayers Entertainment.  GOLLIWOG is a haunting collection that weaves horror, humour, surrealism and Afropessimism into a cinematic tapestry.

As woods explains: "When I was nine 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."

Accompanying the album announcement is bewitching opening single, Misery, produced by Kenny Segal.

GOLLIWOG features production and music from El-P, The Alchemist, Shabaka Hutchings, Kenny Segal, Conductor Williams, Preservation, DJ Haram, Ant (Atmosphere), Steel Tipped Dove, Sadhugold, Saint Abdullah, Jeff Markey, Messiah Musik, and LA-based experimental jazz trio Human Error Club.  Meanwhile, woods is joined on the mic by Backwoodz labelmates ELUCID and Cavalier, rappers Bruiser Wolf, Despot, al.divino, and singer-songwriter Yolanda Watson.

billy woods will be supporting the album with an extensive itinerary of live dates throughout 2025, including shows in the UK and beginning this week at SXSW in Austin where he will be debuting GOLLIWOG tracks.  The dates are listed below.

GOLLIWOG is billy woods’ first album in two years, following 2023’s Maps, his much-celebrated collaboration with producer Kenny Segal.  In 2024, Armand Hammer — woods’ formidable duo project with ELUCID — released We Buy Diabetic Test Strips.