Woods, Billy "Today, I Wrote Nothing" [10th Anniversary] 2LP

When Billy Woods released Today, I Wrote Nothing ten years ago, it was anunexpected departure from a rapper who was just starting to make waves in the indierap scene. After spending the earlier part of his career in the wilderness, woods hadmanaged to crawl out of obscurity with the minor success of 2012's History WillAbsolve Me. Dour Candy, 2013's collaboration with underground legend Blockheaddrew accolades, which only increased with Armand Hammer's debut Race Music.Then, woods dropped out of sight for two years before returning with Today, I WroteNothing, a record that deviated significantly from what had come before. WhereDour Candy had been concise and focused, TIWN was a sprawling 24 tracks. WhereHistory Will Absolve Me was anchored by hard-hitting beats, anthemic songs, and acouple high powered features, TIWN was comprised of short vignettes, quietly eclecticproduction, and the only guests were his Backwoodz label-mates. Only one video wasreleased; the claustrophobic "Flatlands", shot on a shoestring budget in a Brooklynhousing project. Reviewers didn't know quite what to make of the record, and in manycases, neither did fans.As is often the case for woods' albums, many perspectives shifted as the years passed.Listeners came to see the sad, quiet beauty of Today, I Wrote Nothing; a road trip albumthat doubles as a meditation on life's journeys and death's hiding places. The album'spower is in it's intimacy, it's insistence on holding your hand through the darkness.Now, TIWN is considered one of the more unique and vital records in woods catalogue.The dynamic woods created with TIWN vis-a-vis History Will Absolve Me and DourCandy is one that would come to define his ouerve; constant experimentation, a refusalto be pigeonholed, and an unwavering search for the emotional heart of his subject.For us at Backwoodz, being able to repress this album on it's ten year anniversary isespecially sweet, because we remember how long it took us to sell that original run of500. To everyone who copped one of those and helped us keep the lights on, this is foryou too, we couldn't have gotten here otherwise.