Few artists in contemporary Hip Hop command reverence like billy woods. Elusive by design and uncompromising in voice, woods has spent the past two decades carving out a lane that feels entirely his own. While he claims Washington D.C. as his hometown, his life has stretched across continents—raised between the U.S., Africa, and the West Indies, the son of a Jamaican academic and a would-be Marxist revolutionary. That global, politically charged upbringing bleeds into every verse. On the mic, woods is a riddle: dense, literary, sardonic, and frequently brilliant. He doesn’t just rap about what others avoid—he reframes what you thought you already understood.
Long before amassing the fiercely loyal following that would come with Super Chron Flight Brothers and Armand Hammer, woods was already making noise on the margins. His first notable release came in 2003 with Camouflage, a gritty, lo-fi collaboration with Cannibal Ox’s Vordul Mega that served as a thesis statement for woods’ aesthetic—fragmented, paranoid, and defiantly uncommercial. A year later, he dropped The Chalice, his first solo project and a stark, heady outlier in an era defined by maximalist mixtapes and major-label excess. But rather than follow up with more solo work, woods disappeared into the group format, emerging in 2005 as part of East Coast underground collective The Reavers, alongside the likes of Akir, Karniege, and Hasan Salaam. That brief detour gave way to what would become one of the more cultishly adored duos in 2000s rap: Super Chron Flight Brothers.
Between 2007 and 2010, woods and Priviledge released a trilogy of strange, hilarious, and quietly radical records: Emergency Powers: The World Tour (2007), Indonesia (2009), and Cape Verde (2010). The Flight Brothers’ output was dense with sociopolitical commentary, Black absurdism, and doomsday stoner energy—a kind of rap radio theater for the end times. These albums never reached wide audiences, but they mattered to those paying attention, and they laid the groundwork for woods’ next—and most important—chapter.
When Super Chron folded, woods re-emerged in 2012 with History Will Absolve Me, a scorched-earth solo comeback that felt less like a reintroduction than a warning shot. Made over two years and packed with venom, wit, and existential dread, History… marked the beginning of what would become one of the most consistent runs in underground rap history. The production was blown-out and confrontational, the lyrics dense and unrelenting. This wasn’t woods trying to catch up with the culture—it was him dragging it into his own storm.
From there, he didn’t miss. Between 2012 and 2019, woods released a staggering run of top-tier records: Dour Candy (2013, produced by Blockhead), Today, I Wrote Nothing (2015), Known Unknowns (2017), Hiding Places (2019, with Kenny Segal), and Terror Management (2019). Each album was distinctive, but all were united by woods’ evolving voice—abstract yet specific, cynical yet deeply human—and his unmatched ability to turn fractured memory, political trauma, and cultural decay into urgent poetry.
At the same time, his collaboration with rapper/producer ELUCID under the banner Armand Hammer was producing some of the most forward-thinking rap of the decade. Race Music (2013), Rome (2017), and Paraffin (2018) weren’t just side projects—they were essential chapters. Armand Hammer’s music pushed woods even further into abstraction and atmosphere, drawing on noise, free jazz, and dystopian soul to create a sound that felt both ancient and futuristic.
As the 2020s arrived, there was no slowdown. If anything, woods’ work became more daring. In 2020, he released BRASS, a feverish, experimental record made with poet-musician Moor Mother, followed closely by Shrines (2020), the fourth Armand Hammer album, and Haram (2021), a grimy, psychedelic collaboration with The Alchemist that remains one of the duo’s most celebrated releases. Haram made waves for its dense production and bleak humor, proving Armand Hammer could scale up without losing their edge.
woods’ solo work during this period was equally vital. Aethiopes (2022, produced entirely by Preservation) blended dusty samples, Afro-diasporic hauntings, and imperial rot into one of the most cinematic rap albums of the decade. Church (2022, with Messiah Musik) was colder, more skeletal—less a follow-up than a spiritual sequel. Maps (2023, again with Kenny Segal) was more free-flowing, often ironic, and occasionally even funny—a travelogue through the absurdities of life on tour. Then, in 2023, Armand Hammer returned with We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, a sprawling, collage-like masterpiece that cemented woods and ELUCID as the defining rap duo of their generation.
But it is 2025’s GOLLIWOG that might just be woods’ greatest triumph. A harrowing, haunted, genre-dissolving tour de force, GOLLIWOG brought together a murderer’s row of underground producers—The Alchemist, Preservation, Kenny Segal, EL-P, DJ Haram, Steel Tipped Dove, and more—to craft a sonic horror film in reverse. Dense, dissonant, and rich in layered imagery, the album pushed woods’ voice deeper into the shadows, making every bar feel like a discovery. It’s a record obsessed with ghosts—personal, political, cultural—and it doesn’t seek to exorcise them so much as document their residue. As we wrote in our GOLLIWOG review: “For years, we regarded Hiding Places as the strongest billy woods album of the past decade. But with GOLLIWOG, he may have just surpassed it.“
Across this sprawling discography, what emerges isn’t just a catalog—it’s a worldview. woods’ work is rarely easy and never casual. He builds albums like crime scenes, leaving listeners to piece together the wreckage. His verses resist clean interpretation not out of opacity, but out of honesty—because the truth is never that tidy. Whether rapping solo, with ELUCID, or in collaboration with producers as adventurous as he is, billy woods has consistently delivered some of the most thought-provoking, challenging, and rewarding rap of the last twenty years.
Below, you’ll find a chronological list of all billy woods’ post-2010 projects, including collaborations and group efforts—plus a 270-song Spotify playlist compiling every album since History Will Absolve Me. Dive in, but don’t expect to resurface the same.
History Will Absolve Me (2012)
History Will Absolve Me (2012) marked a seismic shift for billy woods, both a personal rebirth and a broader declaration of intent. After years in group projects like The Reavers and Super Chron Flight Brothers, woods returned to solo form with a record that was raw, fiercely intelligent, and unflinchingly political. The album’s cover—Robert Mugabe’s face beneath a quote from Fidel Castro—sets the tone: this is not easy listening.
Across bleak, chaotic production from Blockhead, Willie Green, and others, woods unloads verses that are part personal reckoning, part historical inquest. Themes of systemic injustice, colonial trauma, failure, and existential dread fill the record’s dense lyricism. Tracks like “The Man Who Would Be King,” “Freedman’s Bureau,” and “Crocodile Tears” pair biting commentary with eerie, dissonant beats. woods’ style—unorthodox flow, obscure references, dry wit—demands deep attention and rewards it.
Though grim, the album bristles with dark humor and surreal imagery, adding complexity to its heavy subject matter. History Will Absolve Me is a landmark moment in underground Hip Hop: brutal, defiant, and brilliant. It didn’t just reestablish billy woods—it reshaped the terrain for politically conscious, artistically daring rap in the 2010s.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2012
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Dour Candy (2013)
Dour Candy (2013) may not carry the same seismic weight as History Will Absolve Me, but it’s a vital and rewarding entry in billy woods’ catalog. His first full-length collaboration with producer Blockhead, the album swaps out raw chaos for a more composed, sample-heavy sound. Blockhead’s crisp, layered production provides a smoother backdrop, letting woods’ dense, often biting lyrics breathe.
Here, woods turns his lens on nightlife, urban malaise, relationships, and fleeting moments of reflection. The lines between autobiography and fiction blur, creating a dreamlike, sometimes paranoid narrative atmosphere. Tracks like “Tumbleweed” and “One Thousand One Nights” showcase woods’ sharp imagery and rhythmic control, while guest spots from Aesop Rock, ELUCID, and Open Mike Eagle add texture without distracting from the main voice.
Though less overtly confrontational than some of his other work, Dour Candy excels in nuance and replay value. Songs like “Gilgamesh” and “Tinseltown” reveal new lyrical layers with each listen. It’s an album that simmers rather than explodes, trading fire for smoldering tension. As a transitional piece between woods’ raw early work and his later, more abstract projects, Dour Candy is essential listening—subtle, complex, and deceptively powerful.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2013
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Race Music (2013) (with ELUCID as Armand Hammer)
Race Music (2013) marks the beginning of Armand Hammer’s potent run through the 2010s—a dense, uncompromising debut that sets the tone for billy woods and ELUCID’s unique creative partnership. From the jump, it’s clear this album isn’t built for casual consumption. It’s heady, heavy, and purposefully disorienting, demanding deep focus and multiple listens to untangle its layered lyricism and abstract production.
Across seventeen tracks, Race Music plunges into themes of race, power, identity, and survival in a collapsing world. The lyrics are vivid but fragmented, often abstract, forcing listeners to read between the lines. woods and ELUCID each bring different textures—woods with his sardonic detachment, ELUCID with his fiery surrealism—but their chemistry is immediate and electric. Their interplay makes the album feel like a conversation in code.
Production is equally challenging: distorted loops, industrial drums, eerie samples, and experimental textures form a sonic landscape that’s as tense and cryptic as the lyrics themselves. Tracks like “New Museum” and “Willie Bosket” embody the project’s cerebral approach—uncompromising and elusive, yet deeply resonant.
Race Music isn’t an easy entry point, but it’s essential listening for anyone interested in Hip Hop at its most daring and confrontational. It’s a landmark debut from one of the genre’s most uncompromising duos.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2013
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Today, I Wrote Nothing (2015)
Today, I Wrote Nothing (2015) stands out as one of billy woods’ most experimental and structurally daring records. Unlike the thematic cohesion of History Will Absolve Me or Dour Candy, this album unfolds as a rapid-fire series of sketches—short vignettes, poetic fragments, and abrupt narratives, most clocking in under two minutes. The result is a project that feels intentionally scattered, reflecting the unpredictable rhythm of everyday life and internal chaos.
Influenced by The Wire and Blood Meridian, woods leans into a stream-of-consciousness style that pulls listeners into shifting perspectives and fleeting moments. There’s no clear arc—just glimpses of existential dread, dark humor, and social critique delivered with his usual precision. The pacing feels like flipping through a scorched notebook: each page revealing a new scene, half-thought, or confrontation with the absurd.
Though the album’s disjointed nature might throw some off, it’s held together by woods’ steady voice and unmistakable presence. His writing is dense, allusive, and often cryptic, but it’s never empty. Today, I Wrote Nothing doesn’t aim to be polished—it thrives in rawness and fragmentation. As such, it’s a crucial and underrated entry in his catalog, showcasing woods’ willingness to push form and language to their limits.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2015
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Known Unknowns (2017)
Known Unknowns (2017) is one of the most underrated entries in billy woods’ discography—often overshadowed by his more acclaimed projects, yet it quietly stands as one of his sharpest and most cohesive works. With production handled primarily by longtime collaborator Blockhead and two standout beats from Aesop Rock, the album carves out a distinctive sonic space, pairing woods’ dense lyricism with richly layered instrumentals.
woods is in top form here, delivering verses that are equal parts opaque and razor-sharp. His cryptic wordplay and elliptical storytelling demand attention, inviting repeated listens to fully decode the layers of meaning tucked within each line. Themes of power, alienation, and Black identity permeate the album, filtered through woods’ dry wit and world-weary perspective. Tracks like “Bush League” and “Washington Redskins” are particularly potent—balancing cutting political insight with moments of grim humor.
Blockhead’s production is a perfect match: atmospheric, off-kilter, and deeply textured. His beats lend the project a noir-like mood, complementing the tension and ambiguity in woods’ writing. Aesop Rock’s chaotic contributions on “Bush League” and “Cheap Shoes” push the envelope even further.
Though Known Unknowns may fly under the radar, it’s a masterclass in lyrical complexity and moody production—an essential listen for serious heads.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2017
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Rome (2017) (with ELUCID as Armand Hammer)
Rome (2017), the second full-length release from Armand Hammer—billy woods and ELUCID’s formidable duo—is a towering achievement in experimental Hip Hop. Built on a foundation of abstract, cerebral lyricism and unorthodox production, the album is challenging by design, yet it offers immense rewards to those willing to sit with its layered complexity.
Despite pulling beats from a diverse roster of producers—Messiah Musik, August Fanon, Fresh Kills, High Priest, Kenny Segal, and even an early JPEGMafia—Rome maintains a striking cohesion. The sound is murky, off-kilter, and textured, mirroring the pair’s fragmented, often haunting verses. The production feels like it’s decaying in real time—industrial, lo-fi, and occasionally beautiful in its dissonance.
Lyrically, woods and ELUCID are razor-sharp. Their stream-of-consciousness style blends scathing political commentary with philosophical musings and surreal imagery. On tracks like “Microdose” and “Carnies,” they pick apart cultural rot and institutional decay with an almost surgical detachment. Lines such as, “skimmed through your music, found no reason not to approve it / it was all relatively toothless, you’re just a guy,” cut deep, showcasing their disdain for performative art and shallow posturing.
Bleak, dense, and unrelentingly smart, Rome is a standout entry in both artists’ catalogs—and one of underground Hip Hop’s most vital records of the 2010s.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2017
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Paraffin (2018) (with ELUCID as Armand Hammer)
Paraffin (2018) is Armand Hammer at their most abrasive, introspective, and uncompromising. A masterclass in discomfort, the album captures the raw energy of billy woods and ELUCID as they navigate themes of societal decay, systemic violence, and psychological survival. Released during a time of heightened political tension, Paraffin feels like both a reaction and a prophecy—a dense, dystopian record that refuses to offer solace.
From the jump, the album’s production sets an ominous tone. With contributions from August Fanon, Ohbliv, Kenny Segal, Messiah Musik, and others, the beats are murky, dissonant, and erratic. Tracks like “Rehearse with Ornette” and “Dettol” embody the project’s chaotic core, fusing warped loops, fragmented drums, and ghostly samples into a soundscape that’s as unsteady as the world it depicts.
Lyrically, Paraffin is dense and challenging. woods and ELUCID deliver cryptic bars laced with historical allusions, black humor, and existential dread. Their verses read like riddles—elliptical but emotionally precise—capturing the paranoia and disillusionment of modern life. The storytelling is fractured, but each line cuts with surgical intensity.
Paraffin is not meant to comfort; it demands discomfort. In doing so, it becomes one of Armand Hammer’s most powerful statements—an album that lingers long after the last track fades.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2018
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Hiding Places (2019) (with Kenny Segal)
Hiding Places (2019), a collaboration between billy woods and producer Kenny Segal, stands as one of the most emotionally charged and sonically distinct entries in woods’ discography. Where some of his previous work leaned into historical allegory or surrealist abstraction, Hiding Places feels more personal—like a confession scrawled in the margins of a notebook that was never meant to be read.
This is woods at his most raw and vulnerable. The album doesn’t follow a linear narrative; instead, it offers snapshots of anxiety, alienation, and existential dread. Tracks like “Spongebob” and “A Day in a Week in a Year” find woods reflecting on the emotional weight of memory, the banality of struggle, and the absurdity of modern life, all delivered in his characteristically elliptical style. His lyricism is dense and cryptic, yet remarkably human—darkly humorous, occasionally tender, and always unflinchingly honest.
Kenny Segal’s production is the perfect foil. His beats are warped and textured, filled with eerie loops, fragmented drums, and haunting samples. They don’t soothe—they suffocate. The sonic tension complements woods’ lyrical unease, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that demands close attention.
Hiding Places isn’t just one of woods’ best albums—it’s one of the most compelling underground Hip Hop releases of the decade.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2019
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Terror Management (2019)
Terror Management (2019), billy woods’ second release of the year, stands in deliberate contrast to the stark introspection of Hiding Places. Where that album was claustrophobic and personal, Terror Management is more fragmented and outward-facing—an existential collage of a world in decay. Featuring production from Preservation, Blockhead, Messiah Muzik, and others, the album creates a disjointed, eerie soundscape that mirrors the chaos woods raps about. The beats are often sparse and understated, lacking the visceral immediacy of Hiding Places, but they serve as an unsettling backdrop for woods’ dense lyricism.
Lyrically, woods is in top form. He delivers sardonic, razor-sharp reflections on environmental collapse, imperialism, capitalism, and spiritual malaise, often with a grim sense of humor. Tracks like “Western Education Is Forbidden” and “Myth” show his knack for weaving global critique with personal unease, drawing connections between systemic rot and individual despair. His delivery remains deadpan and cerebral, challenging listeners to unpack his layered bars.
Terror Management may not be as emotionally gripping or cohesive as some of woods’ standout records, but it’s still a compelling addition to his catalog. Even when not at his peak, billy woods delivers more depth, thought, and originality than most rappers at their best.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2019
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Shrines (2020) (with ELUCID as Armand Hammer)
Shrines (2020) is a dense, immersive album from Armand Hammer that pushes the boundaries of experimental Hip Hop. billy woods and ELUCID continue to refine their cryptic, layered lyricism, crafting verses that are abstract yet piercing. The production—handled by a variety of collaborators—leans heavily into eerie, left-field territory, perfectly complementing the duo’s surreal and often politically charged narratives. This is not background music; it demands full attention, rewarding listeners who take the time to unpack its intricate metaphors and fragmented storytelling.
Guest features from Earl Sweatshirt, Quelle Chris, R.A.P. Ferreira, and others are seamlessly integrated, enhancing the album’s unsettling mood without disrupting its cohesion. Thematically, Shrines grapples with a world in turmoil—capturing the confusion, grief, and defiance of 2020 through elliptical references and biting wit. Tracks examine power, decay, and the absurdity of modern life with poetic precision.
The album’s cover—a photo of a subdued tiger in a Harlem apartment—perfectly captures the mood: surreal, tense, and confined. While Shrines may lack the immediacy of some earlier Armand Hammer projects, its slow-burning intensity and meticulous construction make it a standout. It’s another compelling entry in the duo’s catalog—challenging, unconventional, and deeply rewarding for those who stay with it.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2020
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BRASS (2020) (with Moor Mother)
BRASS (2020) is a compelling collaboration between experimental musician Moor Mother and billy woods, building on their work together in Shrines. The album opens with the fiery track “Furies,” a hypnotic mix of layered allegories, set to a sample from Sons of Kmet and crafted by producer Willie Green. This track sets the tone for an album that pushes the boundaries of Hip Hop, blending abstract lyricism with experimental production.
Featuring an eclectic mix of guest contributors like John Forte, ELUCID, Mach Hommy, and more, BRASS gains depth through its diverse voices, each adding a distinct flavor to the project. Producers such as The Alchemist and Preservation ensure the sound remains cohesive yet varied, creating an immersive sonic experience.
The album balances ethereal and grounded sounds, evoking imagery of “a cast-iron pot propped over a fire in the dark.” This stark yet evocative atmosphere permeates the album, creating an intense listening experience. Though it may be challenging or slow to some, BRASS rewards those who are willing to dive deeper. For fans of experimental, dense Hip Hop, this project is an exciting and essential addition to both artists’ catalogs.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2020
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Haram (2021) (with ELUCID as Armand Hammer)
Haram (2021) sees Armand Hammer teaming up with The Alchemist to deliver a powerful and thought-provoking album that continues their legacy of dense, avant-garde Hip Hop. The Alchemist’s haunting production sets a compelling backdrop, complementing billy woods and ELUCID’s cryptic, layered rhymes. Haram delves into taboo subjects, addressing themes of power, violence, and societal decay with a critical, unflinching perspective.
The title, derived from the Islamic term for “forbidden,” reflects the album’s exploration of controversial and often uncomfortable topics, from racial violence to personal turmoil. The duo’s poetic, fragmented style makes the album a challenging but deeply rewarding listen, with multiple layers of meaning waiting to be unpacked. The Alchemist’s production adds a new dimension to their sound, striking a balance between atmospheric and unsettling, offering a fresh approach without compromising their artistic integrity.
Standout tracks like “Falling Out The Sky” (featuring Earl Sweatshirt), “Chicharonnes” (with Quelle Chris), and “Stonefruit” present a range of emotions and perspectives. Earl Sweatshirt’s vivid verse on “Falling Out The Sky” and the chilling instrumental in “Chicharonnes” heighten the album’s weighty subject matter. Closing track “Stonefruit” delivers an emotionally intense finale from woods.
Cohesive and unrelenting, Haram is an unforgettable addition to Armand Hammer’s catalog, cementing their status in the underground Hip Hop scene.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2021
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Aethiopes (2022)
On Aethiopes (2022), billy woods collaborates with producer Preservation, whose dense, eerie production is the perfect match for woods’ intricate, abstract lyrical style. Having previously worked together on Terror Management and Eastern Medicine, Western Illness, Aethiopes feels like the peak of their partnership. The atmospheric beats provide a haunting backdrop for woods to craft his signature thought-provoking narratives.
As always, woods’ lyricism is rich and complex, filled with historical references, cryptic imagery, and sharp social commentary. His verses require multiple listens to fully unpack, showcasing a level of poetic mastery rare in Hip Hop—his closest comparison being Brooklyn’s Ka. While the album features guest appearances from ELUCID, Boldy James, Quelle Chris, and El-P, Aethiopes remains firmly centered on woods, who delivers some of his most compelling work to date.
The album’s flawless production, expert sequencing, and deep lyricism come together seamlessly, creating a work with no weak points. The balance between woods’ heavy content and Preservation’s atmospheric beats makes Aethiopes one of the most rewarding listens in billy woods’ catalog. It solidifies woods’ position as one of the most innovative and thought-provoking voices in Hip Hop today.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2022
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Church (2022)
Church (2022) is a striking addition to billy woods’ already impressive catalog, arriving just months after the highly acclaimed Aethiopes. woods, now widely regarded as one of the best lyricists of his generation, proves once again why he stands at the forefront of modern Hip Hop. His delivery has evolved into a commanding, spoken-word style that pulls listeners in with an intensity that’s impossible to ignore.
This album finds woods adopting a more straightforward approach compared to Aethiopes, with a beats-and-bars format that still retains his avant-garde edge. The production, helmed by Messiah Musik, combines elements reminiscent of Blockhead and Kenny Segal, creating a sound that balances darkness with accessibility. This makes Church an easier entry point for listeners who may have found some of woods’ earlier work more challenging.
Tracks like “Fever Grass,” “Classical Music” (featuring AKAI SOLO and FIELD), “Cossack Wedding,” “Pollo Rico,” and “All Jokes Aside” showcase woods’ ability to craft vivid, intricate narratives while maintaining momentum throughout the album. The project is cohesive and polished, with no weak spots to be found. With Church, woods meets the high bar set by his previous releases and further cements his place as one of Hip Hop’s most innovative voices in a crowded 2022 landscape.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2022
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Maps (2023)
Maps (2022) marks the second full-length collaboration between billy woods and LA producer Kenny Segal, following the acclaimed Hiding Places (2019). This album captures the disorienting, introspective experience of life on the road, exploring the complexities of touring, from fleeting encounters to the exhaustion of constant movement.
woods’ lyricism is as sharp and intricate as ever, weaving themes of travel, displacement, and the search for home. His signature deadpan delivery adds layers to the everyday experiences of touring—detailing late-night drives, transient connections, and the existential weight of always being on the move. It’s both a personal reflection and a broader commentary on modern life, where many feel adrift, constantly moving but unsure of where they’re headed.
Kenny Segal’s production serves as the perfect complement to woods’ narrative. Rooted in boom-bap but laced with jazz and experimental textures, Segal’s beats are atmospheric yet grounded, letting woods’ complex words breathe. Tracks like “Year Zero” and “Soundcheck” combine soulful samples with gritty, bass-heavy rhythms, setting a moody, immersive tone.
With guest features from Danny Brown and Shabaka Hutchins, Maps offers variety without losing its cohesion. The chemistry between woods and Segal is undeniable, making Maps a compelling progression that builds on their previous work while exploring new creative dimensions.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2023
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We Buy Diabetic Test Strips (2023) (with ELUCID as Armand Hammer)
We Buy Diabetic Test Strips (2021) is a captivating journey into the world of Armand Hammer, showcasing the duo’s lyrical brilliance, experimental beats, and distinctive sound. With an eclectic mix of producers, including JPEGMAFIA, Child Actor, Pudge, Preservation, DJ Haram, August Fanon, El-P, and more, the beats could have easily fallen into chaos—but instead, they come together in a cohesive yet unpredictable way. This diverse production creates a rich tapestry that complements Armand Hammer’s signature style, blending a range of vibes while maintaining unity.
The album’s guest appearances further enrich the project, featuring Moor Mother and Pink Siifu, adding their unique energy to the mix. The tracklist offers no skips, starting with the eerie, introspective “Landlines,” where woods and ELUCID explore themes of memory and time. “Switchboard” brings a bouncy, upbeat contrast, diving into the role of technology in modern life without losing its depth.
Highlights like “Trauma Mic,” featuring Pink Siifu, deliver raw, visceral bars over a hard-hitting beat, while “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” produced by El-P, offers a chaotic, mind-bending experience with El-P’s signature production style.
Through unorthodox flows, vivid lyricism, and challenging perspectives on everything from politics to personal struggles, Armand Hammer continues to solidify their place in the underground Hip Hop scene. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips is a bold, commanding album that secures their legacy in modern Hip Hop.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2023
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GOLLIWOG (2025)
GOLLIWOG opens like a trapdoor—not with shock, but with a simmering dread. The album unfolds like a horror film in reverse, creeping forward with controlled unease across 18 tracks. woods delivers some of his most vivid and fractured work, while a rotating cast of producers—including The Alchemist, Preservation, Kenny Segal, EL-P, and Steel Tipped Dove—creates a soundscape thick with industrial rot and psychological decay. Each beat feels like it’s rising from a flooded basement, and every verse flickers like a dying flashlight.
The opener, “Jumpscare,” sets the tone with groaning metal and stillness, as woods mutters with chilling detachment. “STAR87” is equally tense, with conductor Williams layering jagged noise that woods moves through effortlessly. The emotional bleakness matches the sonic atmosphere. On “Misery,” woods’ voice sounds buried, tired, and raw, while “Waterproof Mascara” is unbearable in its tension, with a warped scream looping beneath anxious piano hits.
Tracks like “Corinthians” and “Maquiladoras” feature grim, distorted ciphers, while “A Doll Fulla Pins” and “BLK ZMBY” provide no relief, instead crawling with haunting minimalism. The closer, “Dislocated,” ends in near silence, unresolved and submerged.
GOLLIWOG doesn’t guide or soothe—it disorients. woods scatters his lyrics like crime scene fragments, never offering clarity or closure. With its sparse yet heavy beats and unsettling atmosphere, this is a visceral exploration of trauma, alienation, and inherited violence. An incredible work that might just top Hiding Places.
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2025
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