Armand Hammer, one of the most consistent rap duos in the abstract hip hop world, is back with Mercy, a new album, produced once again by the mad lab dynamo beat maker and mixer, The Alchemist. This is technically a follow-up to the 2023 album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, but also to the 2021 album Haram, which was also produced by The Alchemist. Honestly, whenever The Alchemist touches anything, it will get a listen from me. He’s one of the producers who makes those wild and surreal and craving beats that destroy most of anything in the more commercial hip hop world.
Armand Hammer is, of course, the duo between billy woods (who has been crushing it lately and released his own album, Golliwog, earlier this year) and E L U C I D and their word smithing is always enjoyable; E L U C I D’s gravely don’t fuck with me demeanour bouncing off of billy woods’ free flow contemplations, leaving memorabale one liners like ‘the bleach burn good like Menthol’ in “Scandinavia.” The opening of Mercy explodes with “Laraaji,” this wonky psych guitar bend beat, reminding me of The Alchemist’s work with Freddie Gibbs on Alfredo, as billy woods and E L U C I D trade bars. It’s a powerful opening that immediately sets you up for heavy chaos, but instead, we get the lumbering “Peshawar,” with a hypnotic piano line; classic The Alchemist.
I have the feeling that The Alchemist has millions of beats lying around and then mixes them for the wanted vibe his vocalists crave. I don’t know for sure, but some of these songs really feel like one-off studio creations that fly close to the sun and burn in the atmosphere. Definitely the darkened tinged spur of the moment creation “Nil By Mouth.” Another standout is the Earl Sweatshirt-led “California Games.” I just love the sometimes out-of-pitch flute and keys creating this hazy opiate feel. The Armand Hammer boys come in for their bars and absolutely push the song into the void. A great and abstract album, something you would expect from two of the best in the game, and a pleasing follow-up to Haram.
