Golliwog (stylized in all caps) is the eighth 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.
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]
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]
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