Album of the Year 2017 #15: Armand Hammer - ROME - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Album of the Year 2017 #15: Armand Hammer - ROME - HipHop

Album of the Year 2017 #15: Armand Hammer - ROME - HipHop

Album of the Year 2017 #15: Armand Hammer - ROME

Posted: 15 Dec 2017 03:35 PM PST

Artist: Armand Hammer, consisting of billy woods and ELUCID

Album: ROME

Label: backwoodz studioz

Release Date: 3 November 2017

Listen:

Bandcamp

Spotify

Google Play

Apple Music

YouTube

Background

Armand Hammer was born in 2013 out of the shared musical ethos of New York underground staples billy woods and ELUCID, taking its name from a 20th century petroleum magnate.

Of the partnership, billy woods is the more senior, having established himself in the New York underground scene quite some time before ELUCID. woods experienced a somewhat odd childhood, which in many ways has gone on to inform his lyrics. He is the son of a Jamaican academic mother and a Zimbabwean activist father, and was born in Washington DC. In 1981, after his father's political exile had ended, he and his family emigrated to the newly formed Zimbabwe. His years in Zimbabwe have led to the country and its chequered history being a constant reference point in his work, with Robert Mugabe even appearing on the cover of History Will Absolve Me. Following this period, he moved with his mother for a short time to Jamaica, before returning to the US where he ended up graduating from DC's Howard University. His entry into hip hop came after he had moved to Harlem, where he formed a close friendship with Harlem native Vordul Mega, of Cannibal Ox renown. Vordul encouraged him to write and record, and after some initial trepidation Camouflage, a collaboration with Vordul, was released in 2003. It was at this time that woods established 2 key components of his artistry: Complete independence, and a deliberately cryptic, reclusive persona. Unwilling to engage in the maze of industry politics, woods established his own record label, backwoodz studioz, and self-released Camouflage and indeed all of his future releases, solo and collaborative. Currently the label houses billy woods, ELUCID, Armand Hammer, Henry Canyons, Willie Green, and Blockhead. In spite of a prolific presence both as an artist and as an entrepreneur, woods has shunned most media presence, and has continuously shrouded his face. After a string of releases, including a spell in the acclaimed duo Super Chron Flight Brothers with rapper Priviledge, woods was still left in a state of flux. In 2012 he released History Will Absolve Me potentially his last commercial effort. Fortunately, the album proved to be his most successful yet by quite some distance, firmly establishing him as an important name within underground hip hop.

ELUCID's upbringing is not quite as instantly attention grabbing, his childhood was split between Queens and Long Island, before he eventually centred in Brooklyn, 3 traditional epicentres of hip hop. He comes from a musical background, with both his parents being church musicians, and his uncle DJ Stitches being an original member of Long Island natives and hip hop pioneers De La Soul. It was through this connection to Stitches that ELUCID gained a foothold within the hip hop community, initially allowing him to record his debut release The One in Man in his studio, before fostering the connections that allowed ELUCID to open for acts as big as The Lox in the early 2000s. During this time period ELUCID studied at Manhattan's Pace University. ELUCID started gaining an internet following with a slew of releases he had put on his Bandcamp, all very far removed from conventional hip hop sounds and straying into the the territory of harsh noise.

The pair had first worked together on "Freedman's Bureau" off of woods' 2012 album History Will Absolve Me, followed by another collaboration on his 2013 release Dour Candy, before cementing themselves as a fully fledged unit with 2013's Half Measures mixtape. Although Half Measures was effective at displaying the ability of each MC, it was very much a mixtape in the sense that it lacked cohesion and thematic unity, and the chemistry between woods and ELUCID had not yet been perfected. The individual contributions were fragmented, lacking in fluidity, to the point that "Blame the Devil" went on to appear on ELUCID's Save Yourself, and in fact many of the tracks here are remixes or leftover solo material. But these issues were rectified just a month later with the release of the duo's debut album, RACE MUSIC. Very dark, dense, and politically charged, RACE MUSIC attracted positive attention within the underground hip hop community, building on the reputation woods had steadily been gaining and serving as ELUCID's primary breakthrough. The duo's next undertaking arrived in 2014, with the Furtive Movements] EP. Where RACE MUSIC was grand and far-reaching, Furtive Movements saw a more insular, personal style of lyricism, most apparent on standout track "Touch & Agree" whose concept revolves around the 2 rappers advising their younger selves. The next 3 years saw no official releases from Armand Hammer, but the 2 collaborated on songs from woods' Today, I Wrote Nothing and Known Unknowns, as well as ELUCID's Osage and Save Yourself.

On 26 October 2017, Armand Hammer announced ROME, accompanied by an animated video for new single "It Was Written." The album was released on 2 November 2017 through backwoodz studios, primarily engineered by producer Willie Green, with cover art designed by Shane Ingersoll. ROME features guest contributions from Mach-Hommy, Quelle Chris, Denmark Vessey, and Curly Castro, all celebrated underground peers of billy woods and ELUCID.

Review

When you open ROME, you are instantly enveloped in flame. Shane Ingersoll's album cover depicts a scene of destruction, a once-great civilization descending into complete pandemonium. This image bleeds into opening track Pakistani Brain. A looped vocal sample, subtly beautiful, is periodically interrupted by flashes of distortion. We are experiencing in real-time the transition between utopia and dystopia. This deeply unsettling effect sets up the cynicism at the heart of Armand Hammer's content; around the corner of everything beautiful is the potential for ruin. woods in particular embodies this idea, his lyrics steeped in paranoia while he portrays the role of a recluse from society. But the album does not just speak of chaos, its very structure reinforces it. The madness of Pakistani Brain persists down the tracklist, and on the second track Dead Money billy woods declares:

Seaworthy or not

Too late to stop

Too far to turn back

To close to crack glass water

The tone is no longer ominous, we have immediately dived into the mass confusion and fear. By the time we reach the Mach-Hommy featuring Carnies, we are trapped inside some kind of debauched circus, the 3 rappers can only laugh as their surroundings crumble. The oddly enthusiastic chant of "I knew tonight would be the end of my life" is repeated, the song acting as a sort of entry point into hell.

Across the album, the style of rapping itself further develops this chaotic mood. The verses are often short, fractured even, lines are repeated and certain words are emphasised with a shout or whisper, choruses bleed into verses. At no point is ROME neat or predictably formulated.

This idea of collapse persists throughout ROME. Taken at face value, this is in reference to the fall of the Roman Empire, as alluded to by the title and artwork. But Armand Hammer extends this analogy to modern times, prophecising the same downfall to our own society, putting all its flaws on display. woods raps about a "white supremacist living in squalor ranting 'bout kikes on the internet", hiding behind "memes." The album responds to those who might label it melodramatic by illustrating the sheer farce that has become normalised in our society. woods and ELUCID fluctuate between rage and dark humour, the confusion the listeners feels is a reflection of the writers' own position. ELUCID snarls the following lines:

Several ways to skin a coon

Magnolia bloom with the blood pool

Lord who can I run to

Live feed from slumview

The anger intermingles with disbelief and desperation. There is no single point being made, ROME doesn't pose easy questions or take simple stances. It is instead a vivid encapsulation of the thoughts and feelings which consume someone who is stranded at the centre of a world which has betrayed them.

The history of hip hop is intertwined with Black culture, both in its origins and in its current face. Throughout the genre's lengthy and rather convoluted path, the somewhat abstract concept of 'Blackness' has stood as an inextricable thematic presence. Frequently, rappers have tackled this theme in 3 distinct ways. Most commonly, this is done through simple reference to ubiquitous Black cultural figures, the likes of Martin Luther King; Tupac Shakur; Bob Marley. Relatable, clearly defined idols are used as points of comparison, it's simplistic but it can be effective. The second avenue comes in the form of Afrocentrism, ideas of positivity and Black affirmation as exemplified by the Native Tongues collective. While the D.A.I.S.Y. Age is certainly over, and such overt 'hippieness' has faded from mainstream consciousness, these values of self-love continue to be prominent. And then we have the factually dubious forays into history of someone like Nas, vague mentions of ancient bloodlines. Africa is mythicised, painted as a homogenous slab of rock whose sole function is to bestow Black Americans with some inner royalty. ROME shirks these conventions in favour of a more focused, critical outlook. The aforementioned figures make way for South African politician and cultural leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Zimbabwean saviour/dictator Robert Mugabe, much reviled South African president Jacob Zuma, post genocide Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, influential race-scholar Frantz Fanon - none of whom are evoked as one-dimensional icons, but are instead closely evaluated as complex individuals. So often in Western culture, 'Black' is constricted into a single box, be it done with positive or negative intentions. It is a great credit to Armand Hammer that they are able to craft an appropriately complex representation of these themes.

In many ways, hip hop is a somewhat closed off culture. It is the story of young men living in the urban United States. But ROME reaches through time and across the earth and is much richer for it. Most notably, the album treats Africa with a respect that is all too rare. Individual nations, individual figures within those nations, are given agency and power beyond what is reserved for another cog in the Western machine. With a relatively crude line, "Mangosuthu Buthelezi blows smoke in Mandela's face like fuck you pay me", woods goes into further depth regarding South Africa than any rapper I've encountered. Even the clearly intelligent Kendrick Lamar is guilty of falling into the same blank 'motherland' trap, an arena that is rather exploitative. Simple hip hop slang is applied to complex historical situations. This goes further than Africa, ELUCID brings up the first Intifada, a Palestinian revolt against Israel, as a reference point to protest in the United States. Through the sheer act of glancing between cultures, Armand Hammer adds immeasurable power to their words. These are not lyrics for today, or for one group or event, ROME spans history and individual identity. In this lies the mark of a timeless piece of art.

Perhaps customary for a political hip hop album in 2017, state violence and police brutality occupy a position of focus. ELUCID evokes the following haunting image:

Pigs that shoot hoops with the kids

A few months later slapping cuffs, boots on they wrists

ROME is set in a world that moves "to the rhythm of bodybag zipper swipes", where the people are subject to the will of an oppressive state that will always conspire to make the "dash cam grainy". This 'state' is a constant, it continually topples and reestablishes. woods raps:

Ruthless how they did Ruth First, I let the package sit overnight

Let it open on the desk, how he live is anybody's guess

He effortlessly connects police violence in the US to the actions of South Africa's Apartheid regime, evoking the case of activist Ruth First, who on government orders was murdered by a letter bomb. This can be interpreted either as a global rallying cry or as a proclamation of doom, the oppressor is ever-present, beyond the scope of any one community.

The key to ROME's success lies in the on-wax relationship between the two MCs. billy woods' verses function as a second line of percussion, he stays on top of the beat, spitting out each word with a forceful venom. His delivery is manic and untamed, echoing the disorder chronicled in his lyrics. By contrast, ELUCID seems to glide across the production, he adds a nearly ethereal quality. His words come across as clinical, his voice represents if not calm then cold harmony. Where woods is embroiled in the turmoil, ELUCID is somehow above it. This duality allows the duo's content to be truly comprehensive, they're able to engage with these issues on a visceral, emotional level, while always keeping hold of facts. They bounce effortlessly between introspective tales of youth and family and uncompromising political indictments, all weaved together in an intricate tapestry comprising links to Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Israeli occupation, Scientology, and postcolonial thought.

ROME concludes with an epilogue, Overseas. billy woods nonchalantly flows over a laidback horn riff. It's not a continuation of the unrelenting darkness which permeates through the rest of the album, and neither is it some kind of optimistic 'light at the end of the tunnel' moment. Instead we are left with a sense of complacency. The flames on the album cover have subsided and we are faced with the remnants of the previous night's chaos. The terror is still lingering and the disarray still has the potential to be repeated, but perhaps something is salvageable.

Favourite Lyrics

Freedom not given but deliberately engineered

No mystery hidden it's all in the clear

Worse for the wear

Light bursts from a flare impenetrable black

They scared to say

  • ELUCID on "Fanon's Ghost"

Word to my mommy

To the question why

It's at the end of the belt she replied

You'll get that when you get it

I don't move if i don't feel it in my spirit

A lyric ain't a lyric til i spit it

  • ELUCID on "Dead Money"

Son we skimmed through your music

Found no reason not to approve it

It was all relatively toothless

You're just a guy

Ruthless how they did Ruth First, I let the package sit overnight

Let it open on the desk how he live is anybody's guess

  • billy woods on "Tread Lightly"

Shoulder shrug coldest studio thug overdubs

They found the peace in some shrubs

Microscopic droplets of blood

If God made the world motherfucker was wearing gloves

  • billy woods on "Dead Money"

With much vigor

To the rhythm of bodybag zipper swipes

Never paid the asking price

Double down on paradise

  • ELUCID on "Tread Lightly"

Several ways to skin a coon

Magnolia bloom with the blood pool

Lord who can I run to

Live feed from slumview

  • ELUCID on "Tread Lightly"

Walk past homeless like cry me a river

No question about it doc i'm getting sicker

When she said the magic word definitely got bigger

No question about it i'm definitely getting sicker

Smoke like dry ice every line is a mirror

Try as they might they never see him clearer

  • billy woods on "Dry Ice"

Tryna melt my face on my born day

Shape of things to come

Practicing for a world where they don't exist

Pigs that shoot hoops with the kids

A few months later slapping cuffs, boots on they wrists

  • ELUCID on "Dry Ice"

Discussion Questions

1) A large part of the album is 2 great rappers going bar for bar, who came out on top?

2) How do you feel about more "academic" hip hop, dense stuff that deliberately shuns relatability?

3) Is hip hop too narrowly focused, ignoring or diminishing large parts of the world and its history?

4) What is the duty of the political album? Is simple rage acceptable, should we expect artists to bring "solutions"?

4) For those who have listened, how does ROME compare to previous Armand Hammer work, as well as to each rappers' solo stuff?

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Rank Artist Album Label Pure Sales Sales + Streaming
1 Kendrick Lamar DAMN. TDE/Interscope 362K 610K
2 Drake More Life YMCMB/Republic 230k 505K
3 Logic Everybody Def Jam 199K 251K
4 Big Sean I Decided G.O.O.D./Def Jam 65K 156K
5 DJ Khaled Grateful We The Best/Epic 52K 151K
6 Future FUTURE Freebandz/Epic 57K 139K
7 Gorillaz Humanz Parlophone/Warner Bros 108K 135K
8 Lil Uzi Vert Luv Is Rage 2 Generation Now/Atlantic 28K 126K
9 Migos Culture Quality Control 40K 121K
10 Future HENDRXX Freebandz/Epic 44K 117K
11 Bryson Tiller True to Self TRAPSOUL/RCA 47K 116K
12 Tyler, the Creator Flower Boy Odd Future/Colombia 72K 106K
13 2 Chainz Pretty Girls Like Trap Music Def Jam 57K 106K
14 Meek Mill Wins & Losses Atlantic 37K 102K
15 Rick Ross Rather You Than Me Epic 69K 100K
16 XXXTENTACION 17 Bad Vibes Forever/Empire 18K 86K
17 Mary J. Blige Strength of a Woman Capitol 70K 76K
18 21 Savage Issa Album Slaughter Gang/Epic 22K 75K
19 Future & Young Thug Super Slimey Epic/300/Atlantic 12K 75K
20 Kodak Black Painting Pictures WMG 15K 70K
21 Gucci Mane Mr. Davis Atlantic 22K 64K
22 Trey Songz Tremaine The Album WMG 42K 63K
23 Calvin Harris Funk Wave Bounces Vol. 1 Columbia 24K 63K
24 A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie The Bigger Artist Highbridge/Atlantic 10K 61K
25 Kehlani SweetSexySavage WMG 30K 57K
26 Chris Brown Heartbreak On A Full Moon RCA 25K 56K
27 SZA CTRL TDE/RCA 24K 55K
28 Quality Control Quality Control: Control the Streets, Vol. 1 Quality Control/Motown/Capitol N/A 54K
29 Big Sean & Metro Boomin Double or Nothing Republic 10K 54K
30 NF Perception NF Real Music/Caroline 36K 53K
31 French Montana Jungle Rules Bad Boy/Epic 15K 52K
32 Joey Bada$$ All-Amerikkkan Badass Cinematic Music/Pro Era 24K 51K
33 Russ There's Really A Wolf Colombia 24K 49K
34 Macklemore Gemini Bendo LLC 27K 48K
35 21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin Without Warning Slaughter Gang/Epic 11K 48K
36 Lil Pump Lil Pump Tha Lights Global/Warner Bros. 7K 45K
37 Lil Yachty Teenage Emotions Quality Control/Motown/Capitol 18K 44K
38 Kodak Black Project Baby 2 Atlantic 8K 44K
39 Kevin Gates By Any Means 2 Bread Winners' Association/Atlantic 18K 41K
40 A$AP Mob Cozy Tapes, Vol. 2: Too Cozy A$AP World/Polo Grounds/RCA 8K 40K
41 Miguel War & Leisure Bystorm/RCA 15K 37K
42 Khalid American Teen Right Hand Music/RCA 13K 37K
43 Jhene Aiko Trip Def Jam 10K 37K
44 Big K.R.I.T. 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time BMG 22K 35K
45 Fabolous & Jadakiss Friday on Elm Street Def Jam 18K 33K
46 Young Thug Beautiful Thugger Girls Atlantic 6K 32K
47 Lecrae All Things Work Together Reach 20K 31K
48 Gucci Mane Droptopwop Atlantic 9K 31K
49 Nav & Metro Boomin Perfect Timing XO/Boominati/Republic 6K 31K
50 Ty Dolla $ign Beach House 3 Atlantic 7K 30K
51 Yo Gotti I Still Am Epic 12K 29K
52 Playboi Carti Playboi Carti AWGE/Interscope 8K 28K
53 Vince Staples Big Fish Theory Def Jam 16K 27K
54 PnB Rock Catch These Vibes Atlantic 4K 27K
55 Dave East Paranoia: A True Story Mass Appeal/Def Jam 12K 26K
56 Moneybagg Yo Federal 3X N-Less/Interscope 10K 26K
57 Wu-Tang The Saga Continues 36 Chambers/eOne 19K 25K
58 Wale Shine MMG/Atlantic 13K 25K
59 Moneybagg Yo & Youngboy Never Broke Again Fed Baby's N-Less Entertainment/Never Broke Again 5K 25K
60 Jaden Smith Syre MSFTSMusic/Roc Nation 4K 24K
61 Young Dolph Thinking Out Loud Paper Route Empire 7K 23K
62 A$AP Ferg Still Striving RCA 5K 23K
63 G Herbo Humble Beast Machine Entertainment 7K 21K
64 Lupe Fiasco Drogas Light 1st and 15th 14K 20K
65 Big Boi BOOMIVERSE Epic 13K 20K
66 Nav Nav XO/Republic 4K 20K
67 Mike WiLL Made-It Ransom 2 WMG 4K 19K
68 Tech N9ne Dominion Strange Music 15K 17K
69 AI YoungBoy YoungBoy Never Broke Again Never Broke Again 5K 16K
70 Amine Good For You Republic 4K 16K
71 Pitbull Climate Change Polo Grounds/RCA 10K 13K
72 Keyshia Cole 11:11 Reset Epic 9K 13K
73 Vic Mensa The Autobiography Roc Nation 7K 13K
74 DVSN The Morning After OVO Sound/Warner Bros. 4K 13K
75 Yelawolf Trial By Fire Shady/Aftermath/Interscope 10K 12K
76 Action Bronson Blue Chips 700 Vice/Atlantic 8K 12K
77 Ugly God The Booty Tape Atlantic N/A 12K
78 Fat Joe & Remy Ma Plata O Plomo RNG/Empire 8K 11K

FAQ:

Q: Source?

A: http://hitsdailydouble.com/building_album_chart

Q: How is this list sorted?

A: It's sorted by sales + streaming

Q: What are pure sales?

A: Pure sales are purchases of the album (itunes, amazon, physicals, etc)

Q: Where is X album?

A: Only albums with 10K in sales + streaming are listed

Q: Aren't those numbers low for Drake/Chris Brown/Offset, 21, and Metro?

A: Drake released "More Life" on a Saturday night which means that he lost around 2 full days of sales. Similar scenario for Chris Brown and Offset, 21, and Metro.

Q: What about "4:44"?

A: It didn't have any sales first week as it was a Tidal exclusive and Tidal did not report their streaming numbers.

Q: Why are Ugly God/Quality Control's pure sales "N/A"

A: Ugly God/Quality Control's pure sales were outside of the top 50 for there release weeks, meaning the exact number was unknown. Ugly God sold fewer than 3K pure copies. Quality Control sold fewer than 6K pure copies.

Q: Where can I find last year's list?

A: 2016 list, 2015 list

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