billy woods @ Brighton Music Hall 9/17

Photography by Brianna Benitez

Review by James Klein

“I hide everything in the rhymes, that’s why I need it dark onstage.” This line from woods’ “Make No Mistake” set the tone for his “GOLLIWOG” Tour.

billy woods, D.C.-born and Brooklyn-based rapper, came to Brighton Music Hall on Wednesday night to perform his recently released album, “GOLLIWOG.” The show emulated the horror movie theme of the critically acclaimed project, with woods’ unlit silhouette as a faceless narrator delivering retrospective wordplay over avant-garde beats. 

Fans packed the green-lit brick-walled room, buzzing about the current renaissance of lyrical hip hop. billy woods is a main contributor to this renaissance, constantly delivering meaningful bars full of history, intertextuality, and humor.

Before woods took the stage, Massachusetts rapper al.divino, with support from New Haven DJ and turntablist Mo Niklz, gave a high-energy set that showcased his production and writing chops. al.divino clicked his thumb and pointer fingers together as he rapped, as if he were writing each word with a pen. Next was New York rapper Gabe ‘Nandez, another collaborator and part of woods’ Backwoodz Studioz. ‘Nandez also delivered a fun and energized set, performing one song, then throwing his hat off. His lyrics contained thoughtful messages about religion, psychology, and society through hard-hitting, retrospective wordplay. Both openers’ stripped-down beats and creative wordplay got the crowd ready for woods’ set. 

DJ Mo Niklz enlivened the audience with some turntable work, flipping East Coast samples from KRS-One and MF DOOM. woods took the stage and, before playing any music, said, “Get rid of the bright lights in my face, it’ll be an easy night for y’all. Save everyone a lot of time editing their photos,” leaving him in complete darkness besides the colorful backlighting.

woods sat in the middle of the stage as “Jumpscare” started to play, the unsettling sample sounding like a winding-up doll from a horror movie. This set the uneasy tone of the show, with woods introducing the golliwog doll character, a racist caricature he uses to explore the lasting psychological effects of colonialism, racism, historical trauma, and the insidious nature of oppression.

“No surprise to you guys; I didn’t come to soundcheck,” woods admitted after the first song, checking with the crowd if the beat and vocals were loud enough. With resounding “woos” from the crowd, woods gave the sound person credit.

He then went into the next two songs off “GOLLIWOG”: “STAR87” and “Misery,” two fan favorites. woods enunciated each word as a stream of consciousness over the backing tracks, respectively produced by star producers Conductor Williams and Kenny Segal. After “STAR87,” woods let the beat play out, staring menacingly at the crowd before breaking into “Misery,” rapping “re-up on bad dreams, bag up screams in fifties,” another ode to the late great MF DOOM through his song “Gas Drawls.”

woods went into some of his previous work with Segal, including “Hangman,” “Spongebob,” “Checkpoints,” and “a day in a week in a year.” He preached to the crowd, narrating stories through references to sixteenth-century proverbs, the Battle of Tora Bora in Afghanistan, Nigerian literature, and even the laws of physics. woods’ storytelling entranced the entire crowd, his presence commanding attention as red lights circled behind his dark silhouette. “Checkpoints” was especially energetic, the audience yelling “Grip! Grip!” with woods. On “a day in a week in a year,” woods illustrated his narration, acting out the existentialist lyrics, from steering to getting struck by lightning.

In “A Doll Fulla Pins,” woods further developed the metaphor of the golliwog doll as an insidious force that represents how colonial violence lingers, even in private spaces like homes. woods carefully enunciated and acted out each lyric, allowing the audience to imagine the doll surveilling him. He followed this with his 2019 track “Birdsong,” crying out the chilling narration of a murder story.

woods ended his animated set with “Born Alone,” rapping “Born alone, die alone, no matter who your mans is,” another MF DOOM tribute, referencing King Geedorah’s “Fazers.” This existential message was a fitting way to end a show defined by its haunting poetic lyricism. He closed the night with gratitude for the crowd and his collaborators.

The “GOLLIWOG” tour captured its album’s themes—woods’ typical nihilism with an extended unsettling metaphor, building an entertaining story and maintaining his energy and talent throughout the entire performance.