Since 2018’s Paraffin, rap superduo Armand Hammer consisting of ELUCID and Billy Woods has embraced a kind of psychedelic abrasion that is rarely seen in the rap scene nowadays. 2021’s Haram was the first time the duo collaborated with legendary producer The Alchemist for a full-length album, and Mercy is the spectral continuation of their collaborative arc. Laraaji sets the tone for the rest of the album as the Alchemist loops an eerie melody as ELUCID and Billy Woods go back and forth. It sounds straight out of a horror movie and is the perfect opener for Mercy. Dogeared is another one where the Alchemist brings together this soulful instrumental, where Woods is confronted by a woman as to ”What’s the role of a poet in times like these”, and his verse about day-to-day activities as he wonders about this question is mesmerizing.

The biggest issue with Mercy is not the verses. In fact, lyrically, this record is easily comparable to Haram and We Buy Diabetic Test Strips in its ethereal, almost dystopian lyricism. What really brings down Mercy is The Alchemist placing the rappers into a box that prevents these tracks from ever fully breathing. Nowhere is this clearer than on Crisis Phone, where the beat thins out so drastically it’s as if the floor drops from under the track, and the rappers are left floating in a half-formed space. Admittedly, these beats never feel out of place on an Armand Hammer record, as the duo’s past works were filled with unnerving instrumentals, but one can’t help but wonder if another producer would propel the duo’s vision even further.

By the time you get to No Grabba and You Know My Body, it starts to become clear that the Alchemist is not pushing the sonic boundaries of beatmaking as much as he used to. The former is a low-effort, hazy track with too much empty space where the duo raps about the self-destructivity of certain black communities , while the latter just feels too loose for its own good. Sure, ELUCID and Billy Woods are amazing wordsmiths who have cemented their place in abstract hip-hop, but even they feel disengaged on some of these tracks.

The contributions by Cleo Reed are definite highlights on the record. For an album that feels really clouded and unsure of what it wants to be, the artist brings a sense of direction and excitement to the album. On Calypso Gene, she and Silka put together this outro that almost feels like a seamless sample by the Alchemist. Meanwhile, Reed’s chorus on Longjohns elevates the track, and the Alchemist’s production actually feels engaged, and Quelle Chris has an enthusiastic verse that cuts through the haze with personality.

California Games is the must-listen on Mercy. Earl Sweatshirt, Billy Woods, and Elucid slide over an intricate jazzy instrumental where each dusty chord opens a new pocket for them to disappear into further abstraction. Closing track, Super Nintendo, lives up to its name as The Alchemist brings together this electronic melody that is reminiscent of soundtracks from Nintendo classics, and it feels like a proper end to the rocky project that is Mercy. While by no means a failure, Mercy sees Armand Hammer fight against numerous underwhelming Alchemist beats as Billy Woods and ELUCID stretch themselves to deliver gripping performances that often outshine the Alchemist’s uneven production.

Order Mercy by Aramand Hammer and The Alchemist HERE