Underground Hip Hop Heads : Billy Woods & Backwoods Heir to Def Jux?

KingsOfKings

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Do y'all agree with the below


There’s a lot of talk of Backwoodz being the heir to Def Jux.



Billy Woods: I think that’s because New York hasn’t been rap’s epicenter for a long time. There have been a lot of intervening scenes. There was a time when Das Racist, Lakutis – those guys had a moment, like a lot of groups. But there wasn’t a certain artist to coalesce around. There wasn’t like a particular marker and nobody was going to write an article and be like Armand Hammer comes in the wake of xyz artist because that scene didn’t have an easily identifiable hook for a writer to refer to. But in between Def Jux and now there have definitely been various hip-hop scenes that have had a moment in the sun in New York. But I’m loathe to say that this is a marker of the scene now because people will be like this new group harkens back to the days of Def Jux. I definitely feel there has been a strong scene in which I’m operating that included other groups like Uncommon Music, Ka, Mach Hommy… but I don’t know.
I couldn’t say where Backwoodz is in the wider hip-hop world. Is it possible for an indie label today to progress to the level of say a Stones Throw? I’m not sure. When we started we spent a long time trying to position ourselves in ways that are mostly irrelevant now because of the state of the music industry. My goal is to be a reliable wellspring of creative energies.


Hope in a Hopeless Situation: An Interview With Billy Woods
 

IronFist

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i can see how an argument can be made in relation to it.

Billy is dope. Well thought out lyrics as well as album art.
 

KingsOfKings

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Tough comparison tbh imo
 

KingsOfKings

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Shrapnel slowly elevating on my list
 

ShaDynasty

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First time I heard billy was on this Vordul track produced by El-P, so I always associated them with that whole movement. I think lyrically and aesthetically thats part of their DNA.
 

Tetris v2.0

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Mellow Music Group was the heir to Def Jux
Mellow Music feels a little bit more like Duck Down to me. They have Stalley, Skyzoo, Joell Ortiz, Homeboy Sandman etc who are more traditional underground boom-bap style. Apollo Brown's sound is very traditional.

Billy's esoteric style definitely harkens back to Def Jux in some ways. But Backwoodz also feels a bit grittier in ways as well, where Def Jux kind of explored the "emo" aesthetic a bit more in the later years
 

tuckgod

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Mellow Music feels a little bit more like Duck Down to me. They have Stalley, Skyzoo, Joell Ortiz, Homeboy Sandman etc who are more traditional underground boom-bap style. Apollo Brown's sound is very traditional.

Billy's esoteric style definitely harkens back to Def Jux in some ways. But Backwoodz also feels a bit grittier in ways as well, where Def Jux kind of explored the "emo" aesthetic a bit more in the later years
Yeah I feel that
 
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