Four years ago, Armand Hammer, the consistently great duo of New York rappers ELUCID and billy woods, joined forces with veteran rap producer the Alchemist on the truly staggering album Haram. That felt like a huge moment of recognition for Armand Hammer, and it was the Alchemist meeting them on their own turf, giving them warped, feverish instrumentals and fitting right in with the group's established canon. Now, Armand Hammer and the Alchemist are running it back.
This fall, Armand Hammer and the Alchemist will release Mercy, their second collaborative album. Earl Sweatshirt, the man who introduced the Alchemist to Armand Hammer in the first place, makes an appearance. It's also got contributions from Armand Hammer's peers Quelle Chris, Cleo Reed, Pink Siifu, Kapwani, and Silka. Armand Hammer haven't shared any advance singles yet. According to a press release, the album is "made out of blood and empire, children’s laughter, unpaid parking tickets, and unkept secrets." I believe it.
Earlier this year, billy woods released his solo LP GOLLIWOG, and it might still be the best rap album of 2025 thus far. Maybe the man will be his own competition. ELUCID released his own solo album REVELATOR last year, and Armand Hammer's last album as a group was We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, which came out in 2023. The Alchemist and Freddie Gibbs just released Alfredo 2, their second collaborative album, and Abi & Alan, the album that Alc made with Erykah Badu, is apparently still on the way. Check out the Mercy tracklist below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Laraaji"
02 "Peshawar"
03 "Calypso Gene" (feat. Silka & Cleo Reed)
04 "Glue Traps" (feat. Quelle Chris)
05 "Scandinavia"
06 "Nil By Mouth"
07 "Dogeared" (feat. Kapwani)
08 "Crisis Phone" (feat. Pink Siifu)
09 "Moonbow"
10 "No Grabba"
11 "u know my body"
12 "Longjohns" (feat. Quelle Chris & Cleo Reed)
13 "California Games" (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)
14 "Super Nintendo"
Mercy is out 11/7 on Backwoodz Studioz, with global physical distribution through Rhymesayers Entertainment. Pre-order it here. Armand Hammer and the Alchemist will play a show together 10/23 at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles.
