Today, I Wrote Nothing 10th Anniversary (Coke Bottle 2xLP)

Today, I Wrote Nothing 10th Anniversary (Coke Bottle 2xLP)When billy woods released Today, I Wrote Nothing ten years ago, it was an unexpected departure from a rapper who was just starting to make waves in the indie rap scene. After spending the earlier part of his career in the wilderness, woods had managed to crawl out of obscurity with the minor success of 2012s History Will Absolve Me. Dour Candy, 2013s collaboration with underground legend Blockhead drew accolades, which only increased with Armand

When billy woods released Today, I Wrote Nothing ten years ago, it was an unexpected departure from a rapper who was just starting to make waves in the indie rap scene. After spending the earlier part of his career in the wilderness, woods had managed to crawl out of obscurity with the minor success of  2012’s History Will Absolve Me. Dour Candy, 2013’s collaboration with underground legend Blockhead drew 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 Wrote Nothing, a record that deviated significantly from what had come before.  Where Dour Candy had been concise and focused, TIWN was a sprawling 24 tracks. Where History Will Absolve Me was anchored by hard-hitting beats, anthemic songs, and a couple high powered features, TIWN was comprised of short vignettes, quietly eclectic production, and the only guests were his Backwoodz label-mates. Only one video was released; the claustrophobic “Flatlands”, shot on a shoestring budget in a Brooklyn housing project. Reviewers didn’t know quite what to make of the record, and in many cases, 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 album that doubles as a meditation on life’s journeys and death’s hiding places. The album’s power 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 Dour Candy is one that would come to define his ouerve; constant experimentation, a refusal to 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 is especially sweet, because we remember how long it took us to sell that original run of 500. To everyone who copped one of those and helped us keep the lights on, this is for you too, we couldn’t have gotten here otherwise.

Produced by Messiah Musik, Aesop Rock, Blockhead, Willie Green, Elucid,  DOSG4W

Tracklist:

A1        Lost Blocks
A2        The Big Nothing
A3        Flatlands
A4        Woodhull
A5        U-Boats
A6        Zulu Tolstoy
A7        Warmachines
A8        Carpetbagger
B1        Born Yesterday
B2        Sleep
B3        Scales
B4        Poor Company
B5        Dreams Come True
C1        Bicycles
C2        African Dodger
C3        Lambs
C4        Slow Week
C5        Weeper
C6        RPMS
D1        Dark Woods
D2        True Stories
D3        Borrowed Time
D4        Benediction
D5        Good Night