Album Review: Mercy by Armand Hammer & The Alchemist

All, and others, contributed to the evolution of Black Expressionism. They're the forebears of today's rap, including the poetic, interrogative, and abstract-leaning work of billy woods, Elucid, and Armand Hammer (woods' and Elucid's collaborative moniker). Following the politically charged Haram and raconteurial We Buy Diabetic Strips, Armand Hammer return with their latest project, Mercy.

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Armand Hammer's second collaborative effort with producer the Alchemist, Mercy falls short of the dizzying, Dada-esque thought experiment that was 2021's Haram. While rappers Billy Woods and Elucid remain incisive and mercilessly exacting verbal forces, the Alchemist seems to be coasting a bit too heavily on instinct this time around. The album sounds good but rarely attains the abrasive sonic character or ambitious genre fusion of 2023's We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, which drew on the skills of 15 different producers, along with a group of live jazz musicians, to shape its cacophonously cerebral sound.

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