The first of two albums in 2022, Aethiopes found Woods trading bars with producer Preservation, whose dusty, sample-driven beats provided a unique sonic backdrop for the rapper's dense, often unsettling narratives.
- The album title is an English translation of the Greek word for "Ethiopians," a term that has historically referred to Black people.
- Aethiopes was released on April 8, 2022, by Woods' own label, Backwoodz Studioz.
- The album was produced entirely by Preservation, an artist known for his work with other left-field hip-hop acts.
Billy Woods is a Zimbabwe-born, New York-based rapper whose dense, abstract lyricism and unconventional subject matter have made him a cult figure in underground hip-hop. Aethiopes arrived in the midst of a remarkably fertile period for Woods, following 2020's '' as well as a string of acclaimed releases with Armand Hammer.
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