New York underground duo Armand Hammer have signed with Rhymesayers Entertainment to record their seventh album. Formed by Billy Woods and Elucid, they formed their only mixtape Half Measures and debut album Race Music ten years ago. The duo subsequently released an EP and 4 more abstract political hip-hop albums, the last of which Haram, fully produced by The Alchemist, became the most critically acclaimed of their discography. “We Buy Diabetic Test Strips” quickly became the greatest musical statement in Fat Possum Records’ entire discography, reuniting with Uncle Al to make the Haram sequel “Mercy” and changing the label from Fat Possum to Rhymesayers.
“Laraaji” came out of the gate with an incredible sample that referenced the late Ka’s ninth and final album “The Thief Next to Jesus” as Billy’s verse, while “Peshawar” traded mics on the piano and talked about slaughtering opponents after death. “Calypso Gene” embraces a jazzy vibe, using water as a metaphor for spiritual cleansing before the Quelle Chris-featuring “Glue Traps” theme finds the trio solving more financial problems.
We get some heavy piano on “Scandinavia” and talk of life being filtered through white curtains and stranger than the Nordic sub-regions, while “Nil by Mouth” continues to put an alchemist’s ear on full display for samples, comparing their flow to remote-controlled lightning. “Dogeared” ends the first half with a drumless beat that talks about their deep love, until “Crisis Phone” tells the story of those who don’t know what it means to bleed.
“Moonbow” continues Mercyby’s second verse, incorporating chipmunk soul instrumentals and a wish for all to shine until the end of their lives, while “No Grabba” combines elements of boom bap and cloud rap, talking about their preference for smoking weed without mixing it with tobacco. “U Know My Body” feels more like a brief Billy Woods solo track going on a complete carnage, while “Longjohns” featuring Quelle Chris is about witnessing it all.
Third and final single “California Games” features the Earl Sweatshirt sample “Rehearse with Ornette” and continues the abstract brilliance of their previous collaborations “Falling Out the Sky” and “Tabula Rasa”, while “Super Nintendo” caps things off with a lead single that combines drumless, neo-psychedelia and chiptune, using that console as a metaphor for the fleeting memories of childhood.
Although both Billy Woods and Elucid confirmed that the creative process behind Haram and Mercy was similar, if you were expecting Armand Hammer’s Rhymesayers Entertainment debut to sound a lot like its predecessor, you’ll be disappointed, because it doesn’t. Clearly less experimental than We Buy Diabetic Test Strips from 25 months ago, Haram’s drumless and jazz-rap influences still remain behind the venerable abstract hip-hop duo to test more of a back-and-forth flow.
Rating: 9/10
