Hopefully not a backhanded compliment to say it’s impressive that Backwoodz now, as a whole, turns a profit. “Bigger” indie labels have crumbled in that time

caltropspress.tumblr.com/post/683116538673381376/a-skeleton-key-to-billy-woods-aethiopes

Thank god they retweeted the retweet, because this is some f***ing great writing. Happy to say the promise of a “key” isn’t hyperbole. The key of a map’s legend, a key for all doors both definite and potential

anyone got the l i n k? PM if so

AOTY tonight

Caltrops is the f***ing best man muahahahah

vice.com/en/article/7kxbxe/billy-woods-interview-maps-armand-hammer

It's out in some places.

Like what yer hearing? 👀

We gonna need more weed - I can tell you that

im not gonna lie this album is sounding a bit different than i expected

on first listen i dont know exactly how to feel about it, but this is woods so it's for sure gonna need more spins

Like in what sense?

Soft Landing definitely didn’t sound nearly as dark as the overall palette from Hiding Places - but I didn’t expect them to repeat themselves

If you are an artist seeking to

• reprise their role in a collaborative duo that previously resulted in their most popular/successful artistic endeavor

• follow a string of albums, whose scope was so gargantuan as to reach back thousands of years into the past while also pointing towards futures both possible and impossible, with one that seems firmly planted in the present and personal “now”

• tie a bow on one of the most prominent motifs in your discography, travel, by releasing a post-pandemic tour travelogue and literally call it Maps

then I have to imagine that loosening up is necessary to stick the landing. You can’t do that with your teeth clenched. The sound is gonna be happier, you’re a dad. Fatherhood rarely hardens an artist’s exterior, regardless of whether that artist may or may not be the self proclaimed “king of all blacks who ate human hearts” who repeatedly torched the entire earth while flipping the bird to all of humanity.

Especially coming off the one-two punch of a gesamkunstwerk like Aethiopes and the most dour “weed album” you could imagine. That woods might wonder if we feel like kicking back and having a few drinks (get the ratio right though) while following his global paths seems like a natural conclusion

You’re a great writer sherm, I like this perspective

You’re too kind dawg, thank you for saying so can’t wait for the album to upend my preconceptions tonight

I can’t be bothered not to clog up the thread, my apologies - not like I can talk about this anywhere else

Obligatory re-relistening to Brass-onward in advance of AOTY tonight. I love rap that makes you look s*** up. The Doldrums mentions ammunition made by VSM (“bullets cutting through the air looking for victims, Vickers, VSM stamped on the ammunition); which was the Vickers weapons manufacturing imprint from pre-WW1 until the 50s

I’m sure there are plenty of old-ass boats with old-ass bullets laying around, as you tend to make a lot of both for World Wars, but I also really enjoy the idea that time is moving in a Flight to Canada sort of way, where everything is happening at once e.g. someone escaping a plantation can appear on The Tonight Show

LETS GOOOOOOO

Quelle Chris sounds reeeeeally f***ing good on Soundcheck.

Damn I think I found my new banner

Babylon —> Year Zero —> Hangman —> Baby Steps

That run in the tracklist is when this album starts to get crazy

Gonna have to get to this tomorrow. Hope everybody has a blessed Woods release night

Danny!