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Armand Hammer is a New York based hip-hop duo consisting of MC/producer ELUCID and rapper billy woods. The duoβs 2013 debut, Race Music, made waves as a then-rare pairing of two established underground artists. That album was quickly followed with an EP; Furtive Movements in 2014. Despite burgeoning solo careers both artists continued to collaborate over the following years; making appearances on each otherβs work and performing together, but fans would have to wait four years for a new full length. Armand Hammer released ROME in November of 2017 to effusive praise, and then doubled down with Paraffin in 2018. Like opposite sides of a coin, the two albums are connected, yet radically different in their design. Rome and Paraffin brought a wave of critical acclaim, cementing ELUCID and woods place as two of the most vital voices in the genre today. Now they are back in 2020 with their fourth LP, Shrines, a powerful, vibrant record unlike anything else out there. When it comes to progressive rap music, Armand Hammer is the tip of the spear.
NEW PROJECT:
Armand Hammer x Alchemist - "Haram"
Haram is a mercurial collaboration between incendiary rap duo Armand Hammer, and living legend The Alchemist. For the first time ELUCID and billy woods have crafted an album with a single producer and the result is extraordinary. With their unmatched penchant for stirring imagery and incisive storytelling, the two rappers dive into an ocean of Alchemistβs creation: warmly inviting on the surface, black and bone-crushingly cold at depth. Haram is a collection of the profane and the pure; a reminder that that which is forbidden is also sacrosanct.
The artists are joined by their friends and fellow travelers on this journey. KAYANAβs golden voice upps the wattage on βBlack Sunlight,β while Fieldedβs sultry alto gets chopped and screwed on βAubergineβ. Earl Sweatshirt makes a sun-soaked appearance, while Curly Castro and Amani mix like ice and salt on Brooklyn sidewalks and Quelle Chris, as always, finds a pocket all his own. Still, there is a natural rapport that belies the New York-to-Los Angeles-and-back nature of the project, allowing Haram to be more than the sum of its parts, however impressive those parts may be. This isnβt just the genreβs most insistent contemporary voices paired with arguably its best producer. This is when you buy a beautiful house only to discover, hidden behind a heavy bookcase, a stairway twisting up and away into the darkness.
backwoodzstudioz.com/haram
www.everyseeker.com
How billy woodsβ music reflects the grim realities of modern America
Interviews
www.gq.com
Boston Hassle Interviews billy woods | BOSTON HASSLE
www.syffal.com
Podcast
Episode 44: billy woods - Sidechain Slang (podcast)
Secret Skin β Billy Woods and Hiding from the Media β 49:00
ESSENTIAL READS
thoughtontracks.com
hiphopblog.co.uk
NEW PROJECT:
Armand Hammer x Alchemist - "Haram"
Haram is a mercurial collaboration between incendiary rap duo Armand Hammer, and living legend The Alchemist. For the first time ELUCID and billy woods have crafted an album with a single producer and the result is extraordinary. With their unmatched penchant for stirring imagery and incisive storytelling, the two rappers dive into an ocean of Alchemistβs creation: warmly inviting on the surface, black and bone-crushingly cold at depth. Haram is a collection of the profane and the pure; a reminder that that which is forbidden is also sacrosanct.
The artists are joined by their friends and fellow travelers on this journey. KAYANAβs golden voice upps the wattage on βBlack Sunlight,β while Fieldedβs sultry alto gets chopped and screwed on βAubergineβ. Earl Sweatshirt makes a sun-soaked appearance, while Curly Castro and Amani mix like ice and salt on Brooklyn sidewalks and Quelle Chris, as always, finds a pocket all his own. Still, there is a natural rapport that belies the New York-to-Los Angeles-and-back nature of the project, allowing Haram to be more than the sum of its parts, however impressive those parts may be. This isnβt just the genreβs most insistent contemporary voices paired with arguably its best producer. This is when you buy a beautiful house only to discover, hidden behind a heavy bookcase, a stairway twisting up and away into the darkness.
backwoodzstudioz.com/haram
WITNESS by Madziwanyika aka billy woods β EVERYSEEKER
www.everyseeker.com
How billy woodsβ music reflects the grim realities of modern America
Interview: Elucid
GingerSlim checks in with Elucid to talk about his work with billy woods and Milo, religion, musical influences and more. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity and context. Letβs start β¦
grownuprap.com
Interviews
'Haram' Is Intricately Crafted New York Rap at the "Highest Level of Art"
Duo Armand Hammer and prolific producer The Alchemist discuss how they teamed up to make the new album.
Interview | Billy Woods | www.syffal.com
Our Interview with Billy Woods. Review written by syffal.com music critic, Tim Baker.
www.syffal.com
Podcast
Episode 44: billy woods - Sidechain Slang (podcast)
Secret Skin β Billy Woods and Hiding from the Media β 49:00
ESSENTIAL READS
billy woods β Thought on Tracks
Posts about billy woods written by @thoughtontracks
thoughtontracks.com
Armand Hammer Interview
Elucid and billy woods were performing at The Old Hairdressers β an old rustic venue located down the dark, grimy cobbled street of Renfield Lane in the heart of Glasgow. A perfect location fβ¦
hiphopblog.co.uk
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