Haram is a tremendous success, largely due to the powerful lyrics by its antiheroes. It is built to make you uncomfortable, from its harsh cover art to its incendiary lyrics.
It’s not a guaranteed easy ride the whole time, and may struggle to convert your casual Radio 1xtra listener, but for lovers of confrontationally experimental music, it ticks the boxes with unnerving aplomb.
Throughout, the album’s 14 tracks unravel into convoluted tangles of disembodied voices, discordant jazz piano, and droning synths.
The Alchemist helps Armand Hammer make their most surreal album yet.
On their collaboration with the Alchemist, ELUCID and billy woods drag postcolonial wounds onto the examination table. They don't just embrace the darkness; they wear it as a protective cloak.
The best tracks on 'Haram' come together with crooked production that twitches with sharp samples and cuts, and AH’s billy woods and Elucid filling the space with pointed flows.
A legendary pair of hip-hop’s greatest visionaries, Billy Woods and Elucid have spent the last decade molding a platform for themselves built upon meticulous repartee and rhyme-labyrinths, of sorts, that will leave you entangled in confusion as you attempt to decipher what two near-poets have just said. Both artists having incredibly extensive and prolific solo catalogs under their belts, it only makes sense that they would gel so well when put in the same room. It almost feels as if ... read more
Ew. This cover is awful.
This album is best when it makes sense. The beats are amazing throughout, with some moments being more memorable than others. The Alchemist stole the show with this project, and I wouldn’t care for it as much without him.
Armand Hammer is an interesting duo of very wordy individuals. Sometimes it makes perfect sense, and it’s exciting to follow along with every word, but other times I feel like the assault of brain food is so dense that I get lost in the ... read more
(First Listen) - 84
This is a recipe that literally couldn't be anything less than great. Alch's production here is stunning. Each beat transitions into the next effortlessly, features great samples, and is truly serene and intoxicating. It almost makes catching anything that Billy and ELUCID say a tougher task than what it would be anyways. There's a sincerity and convincing nature to their deliveries that even when I don't understand what they're saying, I believe them. There's so much ... read more
1 | Sir Benni Miles 2:59 | 86 |
2 | Roaches Don't Fly 1:28 | 80 |
3 | Black Sunlight 2:43 feat. Kayan.a | 88 |
4 | Indian Summer 2:40 | 86 |
5 | Aubergine 3:16 feat. FIELDED | 84 |
6 | God's Feet 2:17 | 75 |
7 | Peppertree 2:00 | 75 |
8 | Scaffolds 2:54 | 83 |
9 | Falling out the Sky 3:40 feat. Earl Sweatshirt | 93 |
10 | Wishing Bad 3:45 feat. Curly Castro, Amani | 82 |
11 | Chicharonnes 3:27 feat. Quelle Chris | 82 |
12 | Squeegee 2:53 | 82 |
13 | Robert Moses 1:35 | 80 |
14 | Stonefruit 4:17 | 85 |
#4 | / | Treble |
#5 | / | Passion of the Weiss |
#8 | / | Beats Per Minute |
#9 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#13 | / | Sound Opinions: Greg Kot |
#15 | / | Gorilla vs. Bear |
#15 | / | The FADER |
#16 | / | Paste |
#16 | / | SPIN |
#17 | / | Okayplayer |