Deciphering “Church” by Billy Woods

[@PabloHernandez-rr1or]

I think its very easy to overlook elucid, i rlly love him as an artist and he is 50% of armand hammer's genius

[@beanstock4383]

If you’re knowledgeable about weed you can clearly see the love Woods has for the older famous East coast Cuban Black Haze strain. The album title, Church is a nickname for the same strain along with Frankie. So it’s only right that Frankie opens with a discussion of Haze where you here someone mention they left Cali and can’t wait to get back to their haze on the East coast where it’s more prominent. Later they mention that the strain taste like the 90s, but that’s what they prefer. In the song, Woods says he had the “Cuban cut” meaning he was growing the Cuban black haze from a cloned cutting. Growers know that if you grow weed from seed, you need to phenohunt for the desired effects you want and effects can vary vastly even if they’re the same strain. Woods is letting us know that he had the real deal genetics that was greatly coveted at the time. This is probably why the whole floor smelled like “nag champa” in the following line. From knowing this, I think we can infer the apartment he describes is his. In the 2nd verse, the line “Frankie looking like she might burst into fire” makes sense when you realize it’s about a weed plant. I think he’s either referring to the way weed leaves fade into yellow and reddish hues near the end of the flowering stage when it’s almost time to harvest or the leaves are getting sun burnt, which could results in similar colors, based on the following line.

[@ethanjorge4086]

In 2013, Woods said on the song Cuito Cuanavale: "I rep my era. Bridge the gap between Marachera and Sweatshirt"

[@karimd88]

Damn that’s incredible!! And so true

[@mylesjeffers6148]

woods is doing transcendent work. Greatest living poet

[@lukeyoung5709]

i revisited this album a couple months back. i was sitting on the toilet at work taking a dump and reading the lyrics as one does. i noticed the words “House of Hunger” capitalized, and decided to look further into it. i found 2 books. one was smut about vampires, and the other was the one was about zimbabwe. knowing woods, i assumed he was referring to the latter so i downloaded a pdf of it and read the whole thing, hoping it would give me greater insight into the work of billy woods. i absolutely loved it. like, top 5 books of all time loved it. i tried looking at analyses of the book and found much less than i wanted. especially after reading gravity’s rainbow which is written about endlessly. anyways, i loved it so much i went on to purchase marachera’s 2nd novel Black Sunlight which i am currently reading (and would highly recommend. there’s an armand hammer song named after it). then tonight i stumble upon this video and i feel like i’ve pre-prepared for a homework assignment. loved seeing someone get into this amazing piece of literature for the same reason that i did.

[@samson4366]

In Armand Hammer and the Alchemist's album Haram, the third track's title is Black Sunlight, the title of Dambudzo Marechera's second published work

[@professorskye]

Wow. Thanks. I totally missed that. Rough drafts!

[@commaJim]

@@professorskye Peer review!

[@deadmanperipherals]

💯

[@EarthwormJames666]

I like the idea of videos like this being a “rough draft.” I think it would be sick to do album revisits. We carry around mental snippets of movies and literature, lines or scenes that were moving or poignant etc. I’m finding that the more I revisit Woods’ the more I enjoy it. Would be really interesting to hear how this or any album has stayed with you etc

[@sbonelomsibi2955]

I’ve read quite a lot of Dambudzo’s stuff. I was introduced to him by a Zimbabwean colleague (I’m South African) back in 2016

[@dylanbrooks5320]

always good to see a fellow South African here

[@SuperLindo11]

Sho majita 😎😎

[@FOUL_TROUBLE]

i appreciate you always covering woods - your video on aethiopes is incredible, i've listened to it multiple times. i'd heard History Will Absolve Me by chance when it first came out but only really got into woods back in 2018. since then i've devoured everything he's put out and he's become my favorite artist of all time. he just has everything i look for in rap, in music, in art. beautiful, surreal, dense, funny, creative, completely singular. incredibly intelligent but never pompous. incredibly wise but never arrogant. incredibly personal but not too self-serious. rife with meaning but still catchy. sometimes obtuse but never impenetrable. such a distinct voice, flow is both smooth and staggered at the same time. the beat selection, the people he works with, the way he moves in the industry... no gimmicks, no crutches, just immaculate writing and delivery. he's the greatest, man. i truly believe that. p.s. stop giving stoners the side-eye!! lol love the channel

[@commaJim]

but not

[@FOUL_TROUBLE]

@@commaJim yes, that's how i wrote the comment

[@macsentaker]

Professor Skye, Nice work sir. I watched the entire review, will pick up the book and even looked up the number 1 song of March 15, 1988! Keep It up

[@kylebeckham3825]

March 14th is the day is father died in Zimbabwe in a car accident. SWAPO was likely an organization his father and the ZANU-PF people who supported his family worked closely with in their struggle for independence. On "Spider Hole" he has the line "Alive by the Grace of Grace Mugabe", so these things are likely all connected to his family's return to the US after his father's death.

[@zychamp2281]

The devil works hard, but billy woods works harder

[@janelle7778]

I would say Professor Skye is right up there in the hard work department too!

[@lamaga8838]

YEAH that 1988 cult reference just made me think prof Skye's the baddest

[@caseybarrow1450]

Prof, I love the content. I learn so much from your observations and break downs. I also learn an insane amount of history and philosophy from b woods. I've ordered the book. I'll let you know. Thank you. Mad love and respect.

[@jayattipoe6597]

I have read Dambudzo Marachera's " House Of Hunger" as well. Great book. I also read his riotously funny novel tittled "Black Sunlight" and one of his acclaimed collection of poems called "Scrap Iron Blues" . He is arguably the greatest African writer of huge promise to have passed away young. His short stories are also incredibly funny, bold and highly intelligent. Simply put, D. Marachera was a genius. A 2nd year Oxford University drop out. He wrote the "House Of Hunger" while camped out on the perfectly manicured lawns of his alma mata.

[@commaJim]

Interesting! Are there any good biographies on him that you know of?

[@jayattipoe6597]

@@commaJim The book that comes to mind is David Caute's "Marachera And The Colonel". It's incredibly rewarding and sheds light on D. Marachera's literary genius.

[@JacobHTMHF]

Just saw Billy Woods live, hearing some of the songs from this album was great! Amazing performer too

[@limelalves9192]

At the Somerville Theatre? SO RAW

[@JacobHTMHF]

@@limelalves9192 yeah! He fucking killed it

[@FOUL_TROUBLE]

i saw him with elucid during a stacked lineup in may. akai solo, wiki, armand hammer, injury reserve, lil ugly mane. some of my favorite artists in a row. my buddy who barely listens to any of em said that woods' stole the show, i agree with him.

[@JacobHTMHF]

@@FOUL_TROUBLE wow that’s so sick. I’ve seen him twice and the first time I saw him was as Armand Hammer touring with Akai and Injury Reserve. I would kill to see Lil Ugly Mane live

[@rbean3891]

​@@limelalves9192 i was there too dope

[@nbtn]

woods and Marechera actually go back to his 2012 album history will absolve me. in the gatefold of the vinyl there is the quote “My father’s mysterious death when I was eleven taught me - like nothing would ever have done -that everything, including people, is unreal.” - Dambudzo Marechera, Mindblast. woods was at a similar age when his own father died i believe. i’ve had house of hunger on my list to read since then but i’ll definitely pick it up given how accurate your comparison was !

[@levicohen7333]

You overlooked how brilliant Frankie is. The very essence of Harlem, and then an incredible young man’s tale.

[@mikel287]

Interesting reference to the number one song on March 14, 1988

[@21Cayque12]

Billy woods never rests

[@commaJim]

What about when he sleeps? Eats? Smokes? Reads?

[@sizwesokopo281]

I googled the number one song in the US on March 15 1988...I was intellectually stimulated.

[@jakerumbold65]

The liner notes for the History Will Absolve Me vinyl by billy woods has a marechera quote. I read it and was extremely interested so I ordered The House of Hunger. Its probably now one of my favorite books. Theres something so visceral and discombobulating that really just pulls me in. I've now started mindblast which is a collection of short stories, plays and and autobiography from Merechera

[@MsBobbyjoe14]

I looked up the number 1 song for both March 15th and 14th 1988 and it actually blew my mind.

[@GRACEABNORMAL]

how could you do this to me?

[@sudonim116]

@@GRACEABNORMAL thanks for the advance warning

[@maticonba]

Social sciences student from south america here! We NEED more african literature. We love Marechera's work!

[@Smalljose6912]

As a former pothead (6 weeks clean!) I do thoroughly enjoy your concessions in this review to the possibly-partially-redeeming qualities of the drug. Great analysis as always, inspiring and informative!

[@MrNJH11]

'I rep my era, bridge the gap between Marachera & Sweatshirt'- Woods on Cuito Caunavale

[@veniceismine1]

Finally, yes. I’ve been waiting since the 30th.

[@snoopcow321]

He has made many references to Marachera throughout his career. One of my favorites is from Cuito Cuanavale, a song which doubles as a free Bachelor's degree in Development Studies. "Bridge a gap between Marachera and Sweatshirt / Paperbag Secret Sharer, admittedly it ain't his best work / Network Haqqani, ISI let them boys cook / Deplorable, but truth be told we all love to see the white man shook"

[@RSVaughan33]

I love how Schism on this album and No Hard Feelings on Aethiopes are linked, they use the same sample and on Schism, Fat Ray says "no hard feelings"

[@jacobmahoney197]

I thought it was an outtake from a different version of no hard feelings

[@jacobmahoney197]

Holy shit i remember from my hht days in 2020 lmfao

[@mihlaligiba]

Pollo Rico beat so good it makes u teary eyed nd wood's just be dropping gems🔥

[@seanjjpaul]

Billy Woods is on another level right now. Dropped two album of the year contenders. He needs more attention for this project!!!

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

Absolutely! I may like this one even more than _Aethiopes..._ two brilliant albums.

[@commaJim]

He did the same in 2019. He's been on that level.

[@povilasrackauskas857]

Armand Hammer reference “Black Sunlight” (another one of Marechera’s books) in Haram. That’s how I found out about Marachera. Now “House of Hunger” is my favorite book.

[@unknownreviews7259]

Fantastic as always, you made me see fever grass TOTALLY differently. I wasn't really feeling in it my review, but now I see how thematically layered it is. always appreciate your unique perspective, skye!

[@masonshattuck6217]

Hey I’m subscribed to you!

[@unknownreviews7259]

hello friend!! @@masonshattuck6217

[@tinyskookum7167]

I read the book back in 2020. Amazing hearing it as a reference on an album by my favourite rapper.

[@FOUL_TROUBLE]

do you remember what caused you to read it? i swear i read it around the same time, and that there was some event that made me seek out african literature... probably another billy woods lyric lol

[@agbad5055]

I had started the House of Hunger earlier today because a reddit thread pointed it out as an influence and I have an embarassing lack of experience of authors from my own home. Then I got guilty partway through this video, stopped watching it, and read the rest half of House of Hunger in one sitting. So thanks for giving me that final push. As a mild aside regarding the indifference Woods and Marachera (Ma-ra-che-ra is how it's broken up sylabically) have towards linear thought, there is some degree of study on African conceptions of time which I believe uses John Mbiti's 'African Religions and Philosophy; as a starting point. And whilst I haven't read that, I did recently read 'and this is how to stay alive' by Shingai Njeri Kagunda which deals with grief after a suicide and the way time is incredibly fluid, with life, the moment of death, and the mourning that comes after being intrinsically linked and all occuring in the now. Edit: Mary 15, 1988 got me feeling a way.

[@joshcarvalho8811]

Thank you for these reviews! Definitely helps digest the material in these albums alot better. Nice to hear your thoughts.

[@samson4366]

If anyone wants to investigate further into the metaphysical and objective concerns of the concept of Hunger, I highly recommend Glauber Rocha's seminal essay “The Aesthetics of Hunger” (Estética da Fome). He was one of the most influential filmmakers of Brazilian cinema and a key figure of Cinema Novo, a genre and movement of film noted for its emphasis on social equality and intellectualism that rose to prominence in Brazil during the 1960s and 1970s.

[@deadmanperipherals]

I'll definitely take a look into that

[@marcuswakefield1983]

My mind was absolutely blown by finding out what the #1 song on March 14 1988 was. Truly astounding

[@sambitnes]

You often say, “I don’t edit. I don’t know how long this video is. You can tell me in the comments below” But I never see anyone comment how long the video is, sooo this video is 53 minutes and 4 seconds long.

[@professorskye]

Thank you! I had no idea. 😀

[@drfunkinstein1]

This is awesome. I didn't even know this was coming out. It's not even on the list of new albums on Wikipedia.

[@rpemulis]

i think the only announcement was woods mentioned it on twitter the night before it released.

[@benfrutchey]

Love your Billy woods reviews! So good… I care about your videos💪

[@dfkdb6249]

I’m in your walls

[@benfrutchey]

Thank goodness, I was wondering who that was

[@tcmackgeorges12]

31:10 I thought the move like the black codes line was about the post Civil War laws and polling tests that heavily restricted black peoples ability to exercise democracy in United States, however, given woods’ very inter-continental approach to making music and referencing history. It could be both.

[@oliverbranch777]

Thank you for everything that you do you are being a mentor to me in a sense I never finished a semester in community college bc of the lack of direction and confidence. Also I didn’t know who I was supposed to be now at 35 I found my self and I was supposed to be a poet and author slash musician aka Billy woods lol. I was so inspired from the first time I heard him on tabula rasa feature off of Earls sick. From then on I was a fan. I didn’t know what I was getting into but now with your help I know how to look into his work. And just assure u I’m following most if not all your directions.

[@justin3209]

I had woods and ELUCID sign a pdf copy of Marechera’s Black Sunlight. Woods was surprised it was out of print and rare

[@efanga6758]

that is so sick

[@lukeyoung5709]

good news, it’s back in print! bought it a couple weeks ago

[@graveordie3908]

FYI; the second beat on 'Schism' is a flip of 'No Hard Feelings' from Aethiopes.

[@lukes8627]

Enjoyed every minute of this, thank you. Starting to feel like this is billy woods best album yet

[@yungty7321]

Before I listen to an album I watch the whole review by you first very in detail reviews and you say the things I say to myself while listening to people like Mach and billy woods

[@marcuswakefield1983]

Finally finished this video, took me forever. Great ideas, I’ll try and read house of hunger at some point. I’m a big fan of Pollo Rico and I’m a little surprised you didn’t put more emphasis on that one! Loved your ideas on Magdalene.

[@RapsProdigy]

read "House of Hunger" a couple of years ago, need to go back and give it a reread now. Woods is unreal, great review.

[@veniceismine1]

By the way, you were right. The book House of Hunger is so much like Church. 24 pages in and it makes sense. The comparison at least.

[@nevanmurray1737]

32:36 i was thinking this line was another reference to selling weed. “moving” is slang for selling ie. to move weight. Maybe he’s comparing the way he sells weed to the slave trade and the folded paper in his coat is the money he’s earning. It also ties into the next verse which is very clearly about selling weed “young boy ask if it’s pressure i bent the knee as a gesture”

[@griseldaxfr7809]

Purchasing the book as soon as my parents get home this afternoon. Looking forward to reading it. Thanks for another great video!!

[@freelancehoneybadger5900]

Note that there's a documentary about The House of Hunger and it depicts the events of the novel and also Marachera's return to Zimbabwe. Extremely interesting look into his world, he even gets pissed at the director and quits the going halfway through. I feel like there's very intense themes of a failed revolution, especially in Pollo Rico

[@filippomusiari5338]

I love so much billy woods’ work, all his work(and armand hammer’s too), I Don’t know if this is his best album(Don’t think but i’m italian so understand of all meanings is not Very high) but this is album of woods’ that i like most listen and listen again it’s so catchy (but not means superficial)

[@kev6148]

Hey, not sure if you'll see this. The line you talked about "Louie the 14th in the vape" has another meaning you might not have gotten. A big trend in black culture and specifically rap music is naming strains after dead enemies. ("I'm smoking on ______ pack"). It ties back to the earlier black codes reference because Louie the 14th is basically an opp in this case.

[@noitalfed]

Yes Professor I watched Kongi’s Harvest.

[@noitalfed]

Thanks

[@Bobo-vv1yw]

Currently reading House of Hunger for a book presentation for school

[@athehybrid]

how did it go ?

[@axlgzrdmattick]

good job prof! now i have to read the book you mentioned

[@mckinleywyman]

Just saw Billy Woods after missing Armand Hammer this summer. Absolutely incredible showww. Only thing I looked forward to more than the surprise release of Church was your take and incredibly helpful notes

[@commaJim]

Tried to comment recommending that you read Rodney Carmichael's 2019 NPR piece on woods two albums from that year. It sounds like the kind of project you were talking about at the start. Also worth reading the description woods gives of the album on his website, so you can see what broad-strokes themes are present.

[@jhonguedez1294]

47:22 The fact that i didn't expect it when i looked up the number one song in the US on March 15th, 1988 has me disappointed. I now won't talk to myself for the rest of the week

[@kylebeckham3825]

Schism is the same sample the Preservation used on No Hard Feelings, found independently by Mesiah Music and reworked in a competely different way.

[@graveordie3908]

I highly doubt it was found independently, woods likely gave it to the both of them very deliberately.

[@jamesdillon5558]

Read the book and it really is amazing....Thank you.

[@abuslang5715]

Hey skye btw billy is coming out with his own book on march 14th next year, its on amazon

[@royalbillionsmusic]

Great review. I looked up the #1 song Mar15th88 🤫🔥 and yes got the book.

[@UseHERname93]

Did you notice that the 2nd beat in “Schism” is a reworking by Messiah of the beat from Billy Woods “no hard fillings” outro

[@karimd88]

YES! Finally, gonna have to check this out immediately after work🙌🏽

[@karimd88]

Ordered the book btw!

[@abuslang5715]

Just finished the House of Hunger, my first book for real, such a weird and fascinating guy

[@dillondewitt3952]

You’ve given me a ton to digest for homework, but I chortled at the number 1 song. An absolute classic.

[@traplover6357]

Definitely need to read House of Hunger after this

[@noitalfed]

I ordered House of Hunger before I found out Dambudzo Marechera died in 1987. Unlikely he will get any benefit. Plan to read it.

[@professorskye]

But it will help his estate and publisher, and will let the world know that his voice is wanted.

[@mider-spanman5577]

The trippiest part of artichoke that always throws me off is the second half of the hook where he says the weeds overgrownthe weeds overgrown...the weeds overgrown. The second time he says it, it is said slightly faster and falls off rhythm as if he is in a hazey rush. It always gets me.

[@basednigel]

Just saw billy woods last night in Brooklyn--I shoulda made it through this video first

[@mkeneely414]

I been waiting on you

[@kelseywells711]

The historical relevance of some of the strands he’s referring to of cannabis the timing of which in the manner of which they were being sold is painting a picture that if you were not filled in about cannabis you will not be able to see. All of that said I very much appreciate everything that you’re doing for us and sharing with us but there’s a part of me that died when I found out you couldn’t go along with us on this

[@meiriversofborg]

The #1 song 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@TheRinx87]

The idea of the narrator in the song already being dead you bring up here has appeared in the billy woods discography before. See "Borrowed Time" on Today I Wrote Nothing.

[@niffelac8594]

Narrating the story after dying in a car accident screams David Foster Wallace’s Good Old Neon

[@mspdynamite9389]

Rumour has it that one time Oloff was sat next to Jar Jar Binks on a flight. Jar Jar kept kicking the chair in front of him and generally being obnoxious, nobody knew what to do. Eventually one of the flight attendants came over and asked Oloff if he would perform one of his songs to calm Jar Jar down, and when Oloff began rapping the first verse to Doing It Stealthy, Jar Jar immediately relaxed. To this day the two are still close friends.

[@kylebeckham3825]

The Black Codes were the aggregate sets of laws in the antebellum US that regulated Black behavior. Woods having papers in his coat is a reference to Black people needing to have papers on them at all times proving their status to any White man who challenged them (either they were free Blacks, or enslaved travelling about on official business of their owners). Woods is alluding to being a Black person under that system, travelling and returning home under this 'regime of surveillance to *the house of hunger*, to a home where all there is to eat is insufficient and ways of making money (selling weed) are constantly under threat of drying up, of becoming umanagable because tending to it in ways that would allow it to thrive are impossible: The weed's overgrown the weeds, overgrown.

[@josiahmoteberg3210]

I would pay money to have these videos in audio only form.

[@withnail-and-i]

You can pay for KZbin premium and get this

[@wolfmots6278]

See billy woods is nice and all but you should listen to incase I make it by willy wood, minus the Y for "why have you not reviewed will woods new album yet?"

[@vital2426]

Read the book - Marechera/Woods style comparison is on point 🎯

[@alskeno9918]

Billy Woods is one of one. He is a Professor

[@jacobalarcon5171]

Billy Woods is absolutely perfect for this channel lol

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

🎯💯 Absolutely!

[@melihk7544]

I'll never forget the first time I heard Doing It Stealthy by Oloff. I thought "wow, this is great, but it's nowhere near as great as some of his other great hits like I Don't Breathe, Beating the Heart, or his Send for Phil Vickery."

[@TreDoes.]

Also review the new Open Mike Eagle album

[@poopymcpoop9945]

Damn I forgot, still gotta check it out.

[@gorgonzoelan]

You should reach out for interview with billy woods. I think that’ll be interesting

[@user-fs1lc2cj5s]

Only halfway through the video so maybe you touch on this, but I was thinking Paraquat is also referring to a ‘poisonous’ religious upbringing, connecting it to the album title. I also think the cover is displaying a building with no foundation, and maybe he is saying the same about religion…(that it has no basis? at least how his religion was forced on him maybe?)

[@user-fs1lc2cj5s]

and yeah I think billy is saying he literally has the Black Codes on him so he can check em lol

[@levivanveen6568]

I looked up the top song

[@professorskye]

Aren’t you glad you did?😀

[@levivanveen6568]

@@professorskye It certainly blew my mind 🤯

[@njmtrumpet]

I had a self-medicating period in college I feel indifferent towards it although it delayed my graduation by two years🤦‍♂️🤧

[@dantelejeune9372]

I'm sure someone already said this but after the Civil War there were Black Codes passed that tied black people to labour contracts whicj if violated would get then locked up essentially putting them back in chains. They also restricted movement and what public places black people could inhabit with some who had skills like blacksmithing being able to travel more widely I think that's what he means by moving like the black codes and the papers(proof he's supposed to be were he is) in his pocket. I think.

[@rbean3891]

i call this "inscrutable" style of rap homework rap bc u have to do homework to fully appreciate it

[@wids]

Isnt Fat Rays section of the beat just the "No Hard Feelings" beat with drums + sped up?

[@joaopaulogomesoleare8974]

Professor, I believe it was on your review of the Roc Marci and Alchemist album that you mentioned scholar writing on this rap renaissance. What's his name? Could not understand. Love from Brazil!

[@liquidpebbles7475]

Peruvian here, i was about to let slide how u didn't specify whether or not shining oath was a terrorist group but since later one you called the Romanian dictator all those adjectives I won't, they absolutely were, there is no debate about it, massacring innocent people and using terror as a mean to justify their ends; now, I'm not just about to leave it at that, th causes they initially started fighting for? Totally justified, up until the 60's Perú was a neo-feudal state, progress was being made "forgetting" most of the people and shining path took advantage of that. The government response was as brutal and criminal, but people don't really talk about that and it's sad, at the end of the day the scars of that conflict still affect peru and shining path did as much damage to the peruvian left and social momvements in general as the authoritarian right wing governments we always have had. Just a clarification I thought you might appreciate prof, thanks for the video as always, quality assured

[@professorskye]

I appreciate the comment. I was being too cautious.

[@manutrovao9530]

artichoke is a symbol of reborning, specifically the reborning of jesus. he talks about a funeral on this song, so it might be about someone reborning in an dystopian future, because of the lines "one day I woke up, everything was made of plastic" and "drone fly like a metal kite". the last one is more of a dystopian present then a dystopian future, so there's a chance that woods is talking about forms of opression all across history, connecting to that line about brushing his kicks. but I just might be wrong

[@BusterBluth100]

i watched kongi harvest on mushrooms after your aethiopes review 😅😂

[@joebo6044]

The Cossack Wedding beat reminds me the most of something from 'Doris' era Earl. A bit like 'Hive'. But I admit it sounds very unique. The last song from I told Bessie also sounds a bit alike? idk

[@jayattipoe6597]

Professor Skype, I think you should also read Soni Labou Tansi. He was from the Congo and wrote some of the most savagely hilarious satire in African literature.

[@nah9724]

I have to smoke to watch these videos

[@emandleni1735]

hospital vending machine, D2 is the Cheetos