Exis (Anniversary Edition)

Roy Woods’ 2015 debut EP is a time capsule of an era when OVO Sound’s moody aesthetic was permeating pop culture like a late-night fog, and the words “(feat. Drake)” were a fail-safe cheat code to stardom. Woods was still in his teens when he signed to OVO and cut *Exis*, and though the EP establishes the trap&B stylistic template and thematic girl-trouble terrain Woods would refer to throughout his career, his performances here exude a raw, hungry spirit that would eventually give way to a more intensely introspective tone on later releases. When his echo-drenched vocals start poking through the woozy production of the opener, “Innocence,” it’s like an impatient kid trying to bust his way out of the womb, while “Unleashed” sees him ducking and weaving around a slow-stalking trap beat with pugilistic fervor. But the record’s breakthrough single, “Drama,” is an eternal emblem of Peak OVO, with Woods’ yearning, uncannily Weeknd-esque lead vocal giving way to a butter-smooth guest feature from Drizzy himself, before their two voices intertwine on the song’s earworm hook. In the years following *Exis*’ release, Woods distanced himself from the project, claiming it represented a snapshot of a teenage phase he had little desire to revisit. But this 10th-anniversary edition sees him coming to terms with his past by adding a trio of tracks from his SoundCloud archive, including “Done with You,” his plaintive rendition of Kodak Black’s 2014 single “SKRT.”