ELUCID and billy woods have pounded the pavement for over two decades, which can feel like several lifetimes in underground rap years. Together as Armand Hammer, and separately on their own, the catalog runs deep. But even as more co-signs, features and bigger-name producers take note, a deep undercurrent remains: They reflect and refract the horrors and joys of the world, creating a kind of kaleidoscopic healing. As my colleague Rodney Carmichael puts it: The more complicated the times get, the easier it is to understand them.
But this ain't just for the heads; it takes a heart to feel what they're putting down. Frequently backed by warped and warbled production, these New York emcees trade reference-heavy and emotionally taut verses like oral histories passed down from front stoops. How does that translate to the Tiny Desk? That's where LA comes in, with producer Kenny Segal, jazz trio Human Error Club and guitarist Ryan Crosby.
Segal's arrangements channel the core Armand Hammer tension into a band that leaves smoke trails for the emcees to clear. Guitar fuzz squeals on "Laraaji." Whimsical chiptune melodies soundtrack an escapist nostalgia loop on "Super Nintendo." We get solo tracks from both ELUCID ("Spelling") and woods ("Spongebob" and "Discolated"), whose face is strategically placed behind a pop filter — anonymity is part of his art. Closing us out, "Stonefruit," which has become a calling card for the duo, embodies a tag-team whose hunger for life is both contemplative and carnal.
SET LIST
- "Laraaji"
- "Super Nintendo"
- "Spongebob"
- "Spelling"
- "Dislocated"
- "Stonefruit"
MUSICIANS
- billy woods: vocals
- ELUCID: vocals
- Kenny Segal: keys, sampler, Omnichord, music director
- Ryan Crosby: guitar, bass
- Diego Gaeta: keys
- Jesse Justice: keys
- Mekala Session: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Lars Gotrich
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Engineer/Mix: Neil Tevault
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame
- Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Copy Editor: Sheldon Pearce
- Photographer: Vanessa Castillo
- Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Felix Contreras
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
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