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Golliwog (album)

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Golliwog
Studio album by
Billy Woods
ReleasedMay 9, 2025 (2025-05-09)
Genre
Length52:35
LabelBackwoodz Studioz
Producer
Billy Woods chronology
We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
(2023) 		Golliwog
(2025)
Singles from Golliwog
  1. "Misery"
    Released: March 12, 2025
  2. "Blk Zmby"
    Released: April 11, 2025
  3. "Lead Paint Test"
    Released: May 7, 2025

Golliwog (stylized in all caps) is the ninth solo studio album by American rapper Billy Woods. A followup to Maps, it released through Backwoodz Studioz on May 9, 2025. It contains features from al.divino, Bruiser Wolf, Cavalier, Despot, Elucid, and Yoland Watson, while the production side is handled by The Alchemist, Ant, Conductor Williams, DJ Haram, El-P, Jeff Markey, Human Error Club, Kenny Segal, Messiah Musik, Preservation, Sadhugold, Saint Abdullah, Shabaka Hutchings, Steel Tipped Dove, and Willie Green. It is named after the racial caricature of the golliwog, a doll of which is featured on the cover.

Background

[edit]

Golliwog is Woods' first album since 2023's We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, as part of Armand Hammer with Elucid, and his first solo release since 2022's Aethiopes. He announced the album on March 12,[2] with the release of the first single, "Misery".[3] He released the second single, "Blk Zmby", on April 11. The album released on May 9, coinciding with a tour, including a show at the Knockdown Center.[2]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.6/10[4]
Metacritic88/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Beats Per Minute83%[7]
Clash9/10[8]
Exclaim!9/10[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[11]
MusicOMH[12]
Paste8.9/10[13]
Pitchfork8.7/10[1]
The Skinny[14]

Golliwog received critical acclaim. Liam Inscoe-Jones of The Line of Best Fit rated the album a 9/10, drawing comparisons to Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, writing: "Golliwog may be filled with allusions to the cannon of Black horror but its setting is the real world, a horror story created by our own loud silences. That's about as scary as it gets".[11] Shaad D'Souza of The Guardian gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing: "It's heavier, if only slightly, than Woods' usual output. He still finds time for moments of beauty amid the bleakness".[10] John Amen of Beats Per Minute rated it an 83%, writing: "he's as eloquent as ever, moving from abstract images to direct statements, from confessional rants to journalistic quips, from the troughs of despair to the apexes of mania".[7] Paul Attard of Slant Magazine wrote: "Golliwog is intensely confrontational and makes no effort to hold your hand. But challenging times demand unapologetic art to reflect them and offer no easy answers or catharsis".[15] Tom Morgan of Clash rated the album a 9/10, writing: "Golliwog is an abrasive, demanding album. woods' afro-pessimist vision of a world fundamentally hostile to every facet of black existence (family, history, spirituality) is a hell of a lot to chew on".[8] Adam Turner-Heffer of The Skinny rated the album 5 out of 5 stars, writing: "Despite being an unnerving, disorienting listen, where samples of screams or phone calls clash with blank verse lines weaving in and out of consciousness, Golliwog is a hugely rewarding experience".[14]

Track listing

[edit]
Golliwog track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Jumpscare"Steel Tipped Dove3:17
2."Star87"Conductor Williams2:38
3."Misery"Kenny Segal2:12
4."Blk Xmas" (featuring Bruiser Wolf)Sadhugold3:11
5."Waterproof Mascara"Preservation2:54
6."Counterclockwise"The Alchemist2:11
7."Corinthians" (featuring Despot)El-P3:23
8."Pitchforks & Halos"Segal2:22
9."All These Worlds Are Yours" (featuring Elucid)
2:44
10."Maquiladoras" (featuring al.divino)
  • Saint Abdullah
  • Eomac
3:08
11."A Doll Fulla Pins" (featuring Yolanda Watson)
  • Jeff Markey
  • Messiah Musik[c]
3:31
12."Golgotha"Messiah Musik3:02
13."Cold Sweat"Ant2:24
14."Blk Zmby"Steel Tipped Dove2:14
15."Make No Mistake"Messiah Musik2:32
16."Born Alone"Segal2:56
17."Lead Paint Test" (featuring Elucid and Cavalier)Willie Green4:26
18."Dislocated" (featuring Elucid)Human Error Club3:46
Total length:52:35

Note

  • ^[c] signifies a co-producer.

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[16]

  • Billy Woods – vocals, executive production
  • Natalia Vascheisvilli – additional vocals (all tracks), additional instrumentation (track 4)
  • Imogen B. – additional vocals
  • K. Korto – additional vocals
  • Zichen – additional vocals
  • Alexander Richter – additional vocals, photography
  • Mette Rasmussen – saxophone (tracks 10, 11)
  • Anniessa – additional vocals (track 10)
  • DJ Mo Niklz – cuts (tracks 17)
  • Willie Green – mastering (all tracks), mixing (tracks 1–6, 8–15, 17, 18)
  • Joey Raia – mixing (track 7)
  • Kenny Segal – mixing (track 16)
  • Steel Tipped Dove – engineering
  • Mose Wheeler – engineering assistance
  • Ashes57 – design
  • Jellyhasbean – golliwog doll

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Golliwog
Chart (2025) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 41
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 94
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[19] 89
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[20] 26
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[21] 7

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Kearse, Stephen (May 12, 2025). "Billy Woods: Golliwog Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Sacher, Andrew. "billy woods announces new album 'GOLLIWOG' & tour, shares "Misery"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  3. ^ Neville. "billy woods announces new album GOLLIWOG". Alternative Press Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  4. ^ "Golliwog by Billy Woods reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  5. ^ "Golliwog by Billy Woods Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  6. ^ Simpson, Paul. "Golliwog – Billy Woods". AllMusic. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Amen, John (May 9, 2025). "Album Review: billy woods – GOLLIWOG". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Morgan, Tom (May 7, 2025). "billy woods - GOLLIWOG | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  9. ^ Hudson, Alex (May 10, 2025). "billy woods Inhabits a House of Horrors on 'GOLLIWOG'". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  10. ^ a b D'Souza, Shaad (May 9, 2025). "Billy Woods: Golliwog review – one of the most engrossing, unnerving records you'll hear this year". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "billy woods: GOLLIWOG review -". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  12. ^ Devlin, Ben (May 9, 2025). "billy woods – GOLLIWOG | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  13. ^ Moura, Rob (May 16, 2025). "billy woods Finds a Hunger in the Psychodrama of GOLLIWOG". Paste. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "billy woods album review: GOLLIWOG - The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  15. ^ Attard, Paul (May 5, 2025). "Billy Woods 'Golliwog' Review: An Portrait of Meaninglessness". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  16. ^ Golliwog (Media notes). Billy Woods. Backwoodz Studioz. May 9, 2025.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Woods – Golliwog" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  20. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  21. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
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