Moor Mother and billy woods’ ‘Brass’

The first song on BRASS (Backwoodz Studioz, 2020), “Furies”, was the beginning of something special. Although Moor Mother and billy woods had connected before on “Ramesses II” by Armand Hammer (woods and ELUCID), “Furies” was the first time they recorded as a duo. The track was originally released as part of the Adult Swim single series – a full album was not on the cards yet. “Furies” has a cavernous mysticism to it. Moor Mother travels through time and woods crafts a foreboding verse full of paranoia and Greek mythology. The chemistry between the two was undeniable, but nothing could have sufficiently prepared listeners for what was to come. The surprise release of BRASS hit like a lightning bolt. Both Moor Mother and woods have released excellent albums in the past, and on BRASS they push and pull each other into exciting new dimensions. 

Even though Moor Mother only produced one instrumental (“Mom’s Gold”), her influence on the sonic direction of the album as an executive producer is very apparent. Her presence has nudged woods even further left. The majority of the names behind the beats will be familiar to Armand Hammer fans: Steel Tipped Dove, Child Actor, Preservation, Messiah Muzik, Navy Blue, and one of the crucial keys to Backwoodz Studioz’ success – Willie Green. Olof Melander, who recently collaborated with Moor Mother on ANTHOLOGIA 01 (self-release, 2020) and Forever Industries (Sub Pop, 2020), provides two beats. John Forté provides additional production alongside Preservation in “Scary Hours”, and The Alchemist is behind the mesmerizing sounds of “Giraffe Hunts”. The production of BRASS has an uncanny sense of darkness and adventure. The experimental edge should come as no surprise to those familiar with either artist, particularly Moor Mother. Her discography is a marvel – unbound by genre. She has done sound collages, free jazz, hip hop, and punk – and that is just looking at the projects released in 2020. 

BRASS  is an impeccably sequenced experience, brimming with intricate details that grow in power upon repeated listens. The otherworldly soundscapes match the rappers’ energy perfectly, and the strong juxtaposition of Moor Mother and woods’ styles keeps the listener on their toes. Their impressively layered lyricism often deals with oppression and defiance – situations brought on by racism, imperialism, and rampant greed. Fans of both Moor Mother and woods’ recent work, things like Hiding Places (Backwoodz Studioz, 2019) and Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes (Don Giovanni, 2019) may find BRASS to be a godsend. An unexpected album of the year. 

Moor Mother and woods are fascinating lyrically and combine as if they have been working together for years. The album is full of quotable verses. The classic woods dark humor is still potent on “Blak Forrest,” where he remarks that “We waved every day, but good fences make good neighbors / Like those mountains in Asia.” There are spine-chilling doses of Black reality in “Scary Hours”, particularly when Moor Mother evokes the murder of Breonna Taylor: “They aim for your head / At home and safe in your bed.” The following track, “Guinness”, has woods at his poetic best in a story of social unrest, inequality, and plunder. Moor Mother is a colossal storm in “Gang for A Day”, a heavy song that stomps through an ELUCID line from “Hunter” by Armand Hammer: “I only write for the dead / Somethin’ ELUCID said / Wrong words get you cracked in the head“. 

ELUCID shows up on “Arkeology” and “Tiberius”, and both songs are incredible. Haunting bells soundtrack ELUCID and woods’ cryptic excavations of the psyche and material world in “Arkeology.” Prophets are sent home, tombs robbed and new chains rejected. Moor Mother is spellbinding in one of her best rapping performances yet. Her verse moves from a patient hiss to a sinisterly animated attack – from Ganja & Hess (Kelly-Jordan, 1973) inspired witch rap to slavery and unpaid reparations. She is equally compelling on “Tiberius”, with raps that are battle-cipher-ready and socio-political. Confidence and swagger are audible amidst all the creative references – she’s very good at this, and she knows it: “Forever young, forever in the zone of the one / No Neo, just old soul / Al Green, ashy ass elbows / Mahalia home from tour servin’ black eyes out the window / You wonder who is it, you wonder who is it / It’s me dummy!”

woods ends the album triumphantly on “Portrait”: “Give thanks bredren’, we did it for the culture!” It’s impossible to argue against him: riveting works of art like BRASS are not made by prioritizing vapid commercial intentions. “Portrait” has stellar verses from Navy Blue and Moor Mother, but woods still manages to steal the show with the last verse of the album. The way he succinctly sums up the vicious nature of a money-over-everything mentality is instantly memorable: “The way these mufuckas act maybe you really can take it wit’ ya!” Moor Mother and woods have put together a stunning album. It may still be early days, but BRASS already has the air of a classic.

Tracklist and Personnel: 1. Furies (produced by Willie Green, additional instrumentation by Sons of Kemet); 2. The Blues Remembers Everything The Country Forgot feat. Wolf Weston (of Saint Mela) (produced by Willie Green, additional instrumentation by Sons of Kemet); 3. Maroons feat. Imani Robinson & Amirtha Kidambi (produced by Olof Melander); 4. Rapunzal (produced by Child Actor); 5. Arkeology feat. ELUCID (produced by Preservation); 6. Blak Forrest feat. Fielded (produced by Child Actor); 7. Gang for A Day feat. Franklin James Fisher (produced by Steel Tipped Dove); 8. Mom’s Gold (produced by Moor Mother, trumpet by Aquiles Navarro); 9. Chimney feat. Mach Hommy (produced by Messiah Muzik & Steel Tipped Dove); 10. Rock Cried (produced by Olof Melander); 11. Scary Hours feat. John Forte (produced by Preservation, additional production by John Forte; 12. Guinness (produced Navy Blue); 13. Tiberius feat. ELUCID (produced by Child Actor); 14. Giraffe Hunts (produced by The Alchemist); 15. Portrait feat. Navy Blue (produced by Child Actor). All vocals by Moor Mother & billy woods, except where noted. Mixed and Mastered by Willie Green @ The Greenhouse. Chief Engineer Steel Tipped Dove. Assistant Engineer Tevin Prince. Executive Produced by Moor Mother & billy woods.