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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.