Church (Billy Woods album)

Billy Woods is an American rapper based in New York.^[3] Church is his second studio album of 2022, following Aethiopes.^[4] It was inspired by Woods' buying cannabis that he described as "a classic strain I hadn't seen in a long time, and became the launching point for an album about a certain time in my life, a certain era in New York, and blossomed out from that into concepts of faith and belief."^[5]

Church is entirely produced by Messiah Musik, except the track "Fever Grass", which is co-produced with Woods.^[6] The album features guest appearances from Elucid (on "Fuchsia & Green" and "Magdalene"), Akai Solo (on "Classical Music"), Fielded (on "Classical Music"), and Fat Ray (on "Schism").^[7] The album is executive produced by Woods, engineered by Steel Tipped Dove, and mixed and mastered by Willie Green.^[6]

Church was released on September 30, 2022, through Woods' record label Backwoodz Studioz.^[4]

John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute commented that Billy Woods' "lyricism is as abstract as ever, while the production of Messiah Musik creates an eerie bed of shifting moods, whose hazy and directionless flow create a dream-like effect."^[8] Jack Mancuso of Sputnikmusic stated, "While the lion's share of songs on Church's tracklist don't necessarily diversify themselves from one another, the album makes its mark as a consistent and disorienting slab of abstract hip-hop that rewards repeated listens to uncover the hidden gems that Woods has nestled neatly within his words."^[11] Matthew Ritchie of Pitchfork wrote, "with his uncanny ability to fuse raps to fractured beats, Church is a sprawling personal history, one that ensures that his status as a master of his craft remains unchanged."^[9]

Credits adapted from liner notes.^[15]

• Billy Woods – co-production (on "Fever Grass"), executive production
• Messiah Musik – production
• Steel Tipped Dove – engineering
• Willie Green – mixing, mastering
• Ashes57 – design
• Alexander Richter – photography