Armand Hammer (Billy woods and Elucid) perceive the world round them is altering. Mankind is entrapped in social media with cell telephones hypnotizing generations. Musicians now not make investments soul into their our bodies of labor, AI and chart information pushing the content material that will get uncovered to mainstream markets. All that’s left are recollections of the previous; remembrance of an outdated world that feared the apocalypse to return. We Purchase Diabetic Take a look at Strips is Armand Hammer’s first providing since 2020’s Alchemist-produced Haram, and it’s a stark reminder that humanity is finite.
A lot has modified for the duo in three years: Covid-19, introduction to fatherhood, and political shifts. Each ELUCID and Billy woods have navigated their artistry via varied solo releases since. We Purchase Diabetic Take a look at Strips appears like an accumulation of that gained expertise, a second of breakthrough readability. Kenny Segal, Messiah Musik, SteeltippedDove, JPEGMAFIA, and Baby Actor deal with the manufacturing, with each beat maker retreading previous concepts to create invigorating new ones.
The juxtaposition between the previous and current shines all through the album. On opener “Landlines,” ELUCID sees his son with field braids, equipped for 90s day at school, wearing his dad’s denims with a excessive fade and flat prime. In the meantime, billy woods dips his verse into baptismal water; cleaning previous sins and refreshing views. “Slightly be codependent than codefendants.”
Trendy instances are crammed with uncertainty on “The Versatile Unreliability of Time.” Newspapers are nefarious, one flip of the web page is crammed with tragedy. People inhale smoke from plastic vape pens, Siri and Alexa navigate via our laziness, and society seems to be for objective and position fashions which have exited the room many years in the past. “A home divided, decide sides for the civil conflict,” woods declares, referencing the congress schism between democrats and republicans. Social media influencers have turn into the youth’s position fashions. woods takes the time to deal with this, “The selection was Kevin Samuels or Dr. Umar. Gents, the selection is yours However I guarantee you Jimmy Baldwin not coming via that door,” highlighting the shortage of significant black management in our tradition.
Armand Hammer isn’t alone in tackling the carnage; becoming a member of them is Pink Siifu, Cavalier, Fielded, and Junglepussy. Biblical references, historic regulation, and plagues fill Cavalier’s verse on “I Maintain a Mirror in my Pocket,” making manner for billy and ELUCID to flex their lyrical prowess. Siifu and Junglepussy’s verses on Take a look at Strips really feel extra like texture overlays to the monitor. On “Trauma Mic” Siifu goals his southern scopes on people who don’t maintain their phrase, his voice echoing as if he’s fading out within the horizon. The DJ Haram-produced beat is haunted by industrial creaks and alarms as imminent doom crescendos close to.
“Y’all Can’t Stand Proper Right here” is sonically disagreeable, however that’s the purpose. Suppose Jazz, the chaos crafted from crashing piano keys, hysteric horns, and frantic percussion as a option to present an artist’s angst and misery. The title of the monitor is about woods’ tune “No Onerous Emotions” from final 12 months’s Aethiopes. Junglepussy raps in spoken phrase, like she’s ignoring the burning surroundings round her.
The El-P produced “The Gods Should Be Loopy” is likely one of the most upbeat and downright enjoyable cuts in Armand Hammer’s discography. ELUCID dishes up his verses like a whispering pastor and billy woods stutters his phrases in double time; the duo permits their flows to loosen up which curbs the density of the content material. Armand Hammer faucets into their Cannibal Ox bag with “Supermooned,” billy being the one rapper on the monitor with ELUCID offering background vocals.
We Purchase Diabetic Take a look at Strips challenges society to meditate on our lifestyle, mind-set, and the beliefs that gas us day by day. With every day that passes, expertise replaces one other facet of our lives with out anybody batting a watch. Armand Hammer aren’t prophets, they’re common people feeling the growing pressures of the world. Take a look at Strips focuses on what’s remaining of humanity, and the way our experiences previously are mirrored in maturity.
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