Armand Hammer, the duo of billy woods and E L U C I D, tell it like it is. Theses rappers aren't here to make big-time pop bangers or club-ready anthems set to soundtrack the best night out. Instead, they're here to give you a reality check and as it turns out, shit's bleak. The first single from their recently announced sixth album features production from frequent collaborator DJ Haram and over the blanket of noise, the pair take turns painting pictures of the world as they see it. The clanging production shakes the track to its core, keeping things firmly rooted in their underground space, never once bucking from their style or longing for radio-friendly beats. Armand Hammer remain true to themselves here and get straight to the facts as seen from their point of view. "There's no healing in the light, White Jesus got jokes" boasts E L U C I D while woods declares "Let me tell you a secret / Them niggas ain't dyin' for you." There are plenty of barbs on this one and as usual, it's free of a chorus, letting the rappers drop their thoughts almost as they come to mind, giving it a sense of free-style, although there's clearly loads of thought and intention with each bar. After gaining steady attention over the past few years, the prolific output from these two (billy woods already dropped one of the best albums of the year so far) seems to still be appearing at a rapid clip and even as they rise to the status of two of the most popular rappers in the underground scene, there's no sign of them caving to the masses. Like it or not, this is what they have to say and their message is important. We can't always look away from the things that are right in front of us and just assume things will get better, there's an importance in accepting where we're at and going from there.
We Buy Diabetic Test Strips is out September 29
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