Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
Haram
Backwoodz Studioz
Buy Here | Listen Below
When two separate entities come together at the height of their creative powers to craft an entire album together, and absolutely nail it, it’s beautiful to behold. That’s exactly what has happened on Haram, a collaborative project between the duo Armand Hammer (billy woods and Chaz “Elucid” Hall) and Alan “The Alchemist” Maman. It’s an ambitious musical journey that feels like a massive undertaking, even though it only lasts 40 minutes. Haram is also among the best albums to be released this year so far.
Due to the presence of Alchemist, this will be an introduction to Armand Hammer for many. Be that as it may, billy woods and Elucid are no rookies. The Washington DC-born woods released a pair of solo projects in the early ’00s, before joining The Reavers collective and eventually releasing a handful of albums as a member of the Super Chron Flight Bros. He resumed his solo career in the early ’10s, and he continued to release his own material prolifically even after linking with Elucid.
Meanwhile, the Bronx-based Elucid cultivated his own career throughout the late ’00s and ’10s, working both on his own and as a member of The Lessondary crew. He met woods in 2011, and the two like-minded individuals began their partnership. Over the last decade, they’ve put together a remarkable discography, putting out projects of high quality at an impressive clip. And while they’re aggressively non-commercial, they’ve continued to earn acclaim and build a dedicated following. Haram is their fifth full-length project and one of their strongest to date.
It’s rare that two rappers with such unorthodox styles form a group together. Both members have powerful, commanding voices. They utilize off-kilter deliveries and their content can border on impenetrable. Regardless, woods and Elucid are two of the most skilled emcees working today, their lyrics intricate and literary in their content and execution. And putting too much emphasis on trying to decipher the “meaning” behind every single track is beside the point; letting the poetry wash over you allows you to soak in their potency.
With The Alchemist, Armand Hammer have found an ideal partner. Though he’s been producing for about a quarter of a century, he’s experienced a creative renaissance during the past decade. Projects with Curren$y, Action Bronson, both members of Mobb Deep, and Boldy James rank among the finest releases of the 2010s, and the GRAMMY nominated Alfredo with Freddie Gibbs was the best album of 2020. Alchemist has become adept at creating backdrops that can be laid-back, psychedelic, or aggressive. With Haram, he leans heavily into laid-back and psychedelic soundscapes, contrasting well with Elucid and woods’ opaque stylings.
Haram begins with “Sir Benni Miles,” (as in the late ’90s street fashion line), a creeping, deliberate, yet concise opening statement. Both emcees employ fairly laid-back drawls over the simmering piano and synth sample. Elucid is particularly notable, mixing drug references with visions of eating exotic sushi and slap-boxing with both Judges Mathis and Wapner.
As a producer, Alchemist explores more of his melodic, soulful leanings throughout Haram, and the album is at its strongest during these smoother periods. “Black Sunlight” pairs strains of quiet storm jazz with woods and Elucid’s most overtly political verses on the album, as they rail against the corrupt power structure in the United States. “Indian Summer” features the duo flowing to a pristine flute loop, accompanied by atmospheric horns. While woods reminisces on doing odd jobs for cash during the summer after seventh grade, Elucid aggressively goes on the attack. “Gene splice, kettle whistle,” he raps. “Qadry Ismail with the missile / Sky face wistful / I had a fistful of fucks ground to the gristle.”
The hallucinatory stretches of Haram are also interesting. “Aubergine” comes across as a two-part fever dream, as the track shifts and morphs, becoming more surreal as it goes from one verse to the next. The brief “Peppertree” is Haram’s most sonically odd entry, which is saying something. Alchemist takes what sounds like a trumpet-driven jazz track and loops it backwards, while woods delivers two brief verses filled with fantastical imagery.
Elucid and woods create some of the best 16-bar short stories being released right now. “Squeegee” features both emcees weaving narratives that examine the struggle to survive. Woods is particularly evocative as he describes the everyday life of a young man working to find the discipline to live right. He focuses on the many mundane obstacles that manifest themselves on a daily basis, each working to subtly grind down those living within a blighted environment.
Both flex their short form narrative skills on “Falling Out Of The Sky,” where the duo collaborates with Earl Sweatshirt, the emcee who first hipped Alchemist to their music. All three reflect on their younger years, with Earl haunted by loss and death in his family. Elucid recounts his time at a summer camp in the Catskills, trying to rediscover some innocence while he’s “a few hundred miles away from hot garbage and smog.” Meanwhile, woods recalls summer days spent on the West Coast, painting houses and doing odd jobs, all while devising a plot to transport carloads of good California weed back home surreptitiously to sell.
The musical tone takes a darker turn with “Wishing Bad,” as Alchemist puts together a thumping, dub-influenced track. Curly Castro contributes a memorable verse, but woods shines as he describes the pain and despair generated by the prison industrial complex. Detroit’s Quelle Chris later joins Woods on “Chicharonnes,” as both layer handfuls of pork-themed references over a creeping, molasses-like dirge.
“Scaffolds” is the most evocative of Alchemist’s grimier leanings, sounding like something that could fit on a Gangrene album (his group with fellow rapper/producer Ohno). Over a winding piano sample, a distorted horn, and pounding drums, woods and Elucid weave abstract scenes in between fluttering vocal samples. “Wrapped in shower curtain or bed sheet, the bones picked clean,” woods raps. “Heir apparent, I inherited a blood-stained throne for a seat / I can't afford not to believe in things unseen / But belief always been dangerous to me.” Meanwhile, Elucid creates a gothic scene, rapping, “Plumb to the death with language, drown in the thick of spirit / Bodies humbly collapse fetal, eye of a thousand needles.”
The album ends with “Stonefruit,” a wistful and often anguished meditation on regret. In a change of pace, Elucid deploys a partially-sung rhyme delivery, half-crooning over muted pianos and high-pitched whistles. Meanwhile, billy woods envisions a lost love mourning at his grave but making a bed from his bones and drinking rosé out of his skull with love and care.
Haram is another chapter in the increasingly impressive legacies of both Armand Hammer and The Alchemist. The project allows those involved to try new things as artists, but still remain true to their artistic identities. I imagine this will rank high on many “Best of 2021” lists when the year draws to a close. And deservedly so.
Notable Tracks: “Falling Out The Sky” | “Indian Summer” | “Scaffolds” | “Stonefruit”
BUY Haram here
LISTEN: