Billy Woods leaves rap off the page in his upcoming memoir

In a recent New York Times profile, the underground rapper and Armand Hammer member shared that he’s currently writing a book, but fans shouldn’t expect it to be about music. “As of right now, there isn’t one thing written about rapping,” Woods told journalist Ross Scarano.

The memoir will reflect on his upbringing between Washington, D.C., and Zimbabwe, where his father served in Robert Mugabe’s revolutionary government. Raised in a politically charged and literary household, his mother drawn to Shakespeare and Baldwin, his father to Marx and Walter Rodney, Woods explained that books were essential to his childhood.

The project marks a shift for the Backwoodz Studio founder, whose music frequently explores generational trauma and personal memory. Unlike his self-released albums, the memoir is being developed with a publishing house.

The news follows the release of GOLLIWOG, his twelfth solo album, a collection of horror-themed stories that continues his streak of conceptual releases. However, this next chapter will unfold on the page rather than the mic.

Read the full interview with billy woods here.