It’s wild how prolific Billy Woods is, he’s just shooting out amazing albums like it was nothing. Each more unique than the other. And he doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. I feel like I can’t even keep up, by the time I listened enough to Aethiopes to start to grasp its meaning and its depth, he already made 3 other albums. Not mention all his older stuff that is enough for me to spend months with. He is on of the most unique and interesting rappers that I’ve ever listened to.
You're completely right, and I don't want to diminish woods' accomplishments. But I really, REALLY recommend you go thru some of elucid's solo stuff if you really like the more experimental sound of this record. Elucid's "I Told Bessie" is a really easy jumping in point, but my personal favourite is "Valley of Grace" which has one of my favourite, simple elucid lines: "I used to think bodycams were part of the answer now I just feel stupid"
prof. Skye the "Jimmy Ball" line that youre missing is Jimmy Baldwin, the informal name of James Baldwin. the novelist and activist. amazing orator. woods is saying we lack someone as great and charismatic as him and we are left with lesser and inferior options, so we have to save ourselves. same vibe as the Kendrick "2pac dead, gotta think for yourself" line off of MMATBS
Something that almost always bothers me in analysis of the group... probably doesn't help that it's harder to parse his lyrics. I'm constantly relating them to Outkast in the way that there's one MC who is so obviously among the best ever, but containing another MC who is perhaps much more low-key _ALSO_ among the best ever. Andre3000 and billy woods are constantly named in my top MCs ever list, but I will always go to bat for Big Boi and Elucid as among the greatest ever, as well. Wouldn't be surprised if someone said Big or Elucid are their favorite in their respective duos. E will eventually get his props... (at least, I hope so!)
@@Jimmy1982Playlists Exactly this. I think with woods, as odd as it is to say, what makes him great is more obvious - the punchy one liners, the historical references etc. ELUCID you really do need to be locked into his wavelength. The tracks that made me an ELUCID true believer are "No Grand Agenda", " Bob Barker" and his verse on "Shark Fin Soup" . The way he bends language is second to none and I think he's consistently giving woods a run for his money on these records. I think they're a perfect match and I really feel like people are missing out when they fixate on woods.
@@jakerumbold65 I don't necessarily think ELUCID is any harder to parse than woods tho. I'd like to think Prof Skye has the range to tackle ELUCID too you know?
AVAA: I typed a paragraph that I deleted(too wordy), basically I take umbrage with the God Fahim/Scotty comparison to Elucid. I think Elucid is Dennis Rodman. I think they occupy non-overlapping but complementary areas of play, I don't think Elucid is a foil to Woods as I think sometimes critics depict them. I think Woods' style is probably more grounded in google-able reality, so the gears click seamlessly when you listen to him but Elucid lives in that abstract, Basquiat-like, space. I still prefer Woods, but I think my favorite Armand Hammer moments 7/10 times come from whatever Elucid is doing off the proverbial ball. Damn, it's still a paragraph
Love the paragraph! I also think that you are making great points. Rodman is a great comparison. Next time I review them I'll probably take this idea! (I'll credit you)
Im a big fan of moments in music and from 2:15 to 3:10 in Dont Lose Your Job is one of my favorite "moments" ive heard in awhile. the way Elucid just is chilling there and even starts a line with " like fuck-" and says "what instrument are yall gonna play at my funeral" thats just so crazy, i love everyhting about that part
Bro that’s my favorite track on the whole album. It went from like chill rap to this haunting spiritual/psychedelic feeling. It feels like to me when you go to church and y’all are all there with your eyes closed and your head bowed worshiping the most high
woods has outlined the origins of the armand hammer name a couple times, and it’s not exactly clear but it’s mostly based around the sentiment of two strong things coming together to make something stronger, ie the hammer and sickle or brass (which, btw, is another incredible billy woods record with moor mother. 10/10!). he found the idea of styling the words as a name more interesting but it was not intentionally based around the billionaire of the same name. i’m pretty sure it’s not a crack thing also, on “the happiest africans” line - not sure how this ties in to the lyric but it’s an interesting piece of context - woods registers his songs on the publishing database SESAC under the name ‘F. Porter for the Happiest Africans’
Yeah, I mistakenly thought it was named after the industrialist, considering the man was a capitalist with strong ties to communist leaders, spanning East and West, therefore accustomed to moving amongst different ideologies/dichotomies, different spheres of influence, etc. Glad the recent NY Times article cleared that up so I don't make that claim again 😬
Glad to hear that. I was wary to release this review on the day of the album's release, but I thought that it might actually contribute to some people's listening experience. Its pretty arrogant of me to think that, but it does seem to be true for some folks.
@@professorskyeI always look forward to your reviews especially when it comes to dense rap music because even though I’m always going to have my own interpretation/s, your takes helps to inform them further, and allow me to enjoy the albums even more
@@Missjunebugfreakany record with those two would be abused. El-P/Peggy, El-P/Armand Hammer or a Peggy/Armand Hammer record would all be an instant classic
AVAA, this album lived up to my high expectations. Such rich dense soundscapes and intricate lyricism that i'm still getting through. I feel like this may be my favourite hip hop album of the year.
I held off listening to the album immediately because its become a tradition for me to listen to a new woods or armand hammer album from Monday to Thursday and curl up on the couch on a Friday evenings and watch your videos! So I havent watched this yet but I got a comfy couch waiting for me after work today! Great stuff as always
Would love it if you did an interview/liner notes for Lauren Auder and “the infinite spine” I believe Lauren will be a very important artist in 25 years!!!
I think the line goes: The choice was: Kevin Samuels or Dr. Umar Gentlemen, the choice is yours But I assure you *Jimmy Baldwin* not coming through that door (Sorry) Jimmy Baldwin is probably James Baldwin, the famous black and gay author and civil rights activist who is very much in contrast with Kevin Samuels and Dr. Umar when it comes to black masculinity and homosexuality. Just thought I'd mention it. AVAA, Professor. I enjoy your videos. Very intellectual and very digestible stuff.
AVAA, great review as always, james baldwin is an american essayist,playwright and a novelist and a voice for the american civil rights, i heavily recommend checking his book "the fire next time".
Took me a few listens but it all fell into place on a dark misty early-morning road-trip. Exceptional record and an important reminder that decent, boundary pushing art is still out there. Soundscape feels alien and dystopian, in many ways reminding me of outkast classic ATLiens. Elucid providing insightful, elegant contributions throughout. Woods staking his claim as one of the best to ever do it. His imagery, dark-wit and social commentary are unrivalled. He will be compared to the likes of MF Doom in the future as one of the all time greats, at least in the underground. Great review as usual!
Listened on vinly one time and then the digital, came here and saw the thumbnail and if i had to describe it in one sentence... you nailed it. Luckily i cant imagine Armand Hammer falling for an Andy Warhol. Looking forward to the review
I used to be down on the Warhol/Basquiat collaborations but my opinion changed recently after the Warhol documentary and after seeing an exhibition on their collaborative work in Paris. I think it was a true symbiotic relationship with each of them benefiting equally. The youth took from the power and the powerful took from the youth. Plus, if you ever get a chance to see a whole exposition dedicated to their work, it is quite breathtaking. I was SHOCKED at how good their work was after dismissing them as a cash grab for most of my life .
I know you said previously on one of your reviews someone should write a book on Billy Woods, but I think all your reviews as an annotated pocket transcript would be an amazing guide. ❤❤ AVAA
avaa. This is definitely one of my favorite videos of yours, I really enjoy you dissecting the meaning and commentary of the title at the front and music on the back end. I feel like it adds so much texture to the actual analysis and meaning of each track. I watched the whole thing, time for the Billy Woods interview next!
AVAA! I’m a 51-year-old, white high school teacher in Vermont and oddly I am very much into underground hip-hop. Same as you I am enamored with Billy woods, Elucid - Armand Hammer. Just wanted to say thank you and that I appreciate you helping me to organize all of my feelings and thoughts about what I’m listening to. Really diggin the avant gardometer for rap beats!
Best album of the year for me and a masterpiece. I enjoy abstract lyrics but it always helps if the album has at least a couple of bangers and the bangers are here in spades.
Great video Skye! 🎉 for the past two years now I have been making beats and pursuing Avant Garde production. With my unreleased stuff I have really explored what makes something that is brand new yet listenable my first project I mixed familiar samples with my weird ideas and it wasn't received how I intended. So when I went to all original production I kept going back to modal patterns, and just exploring new sounds and what can be done with them, my engineers hate it and I often have to remix what they do. I do drums last first comes the feeling and some extremely delicate sound progression that I chased down then saved in a bubble then my goal is making the grimiest fullest most expressive beat around this precious weird frequency that shouldnt even exist and then warp everything to that sound as the lead. The goal is how much can I put in while still hearing that original delicate progression. Thats my style at least.
AVAA Prof. Skye, I did want to let you know that there are a number of woods/Mach-Hommy collars: 383 Myrtle on Dumpmeister, Windhoek on Terror Management, Carnies on Rome, and Chimney on Brass if you want to check those songs out
“All against all / My brother in christ, there’s no I in team / Never wore a fitted in my life, big head bursting out the seams” imo if you disconnect this phrase from the rest of the verse (which i haven’t had the opportunity to pore over yet), the lines are about how he’s selfish, or never been part of a team. “There’s no I in team” is typically used to tell other people to not be selfish, but he’s flipping it and referring to himself as the “I.” He follows it up with saying he’s never worn a fitted cap, i.e. he’s never worn a baseball cap (and thus never been on a team) because his head (ego) is too big. “All against all” is self-explanatory.
AVAA! I've been struggling to grasp what this album means, I'm British so a lot of these references fly over my head sometimes. I was adoring the production and definitely think you outlined the spearheading peggy did sonically. Relistening with your insight in mind has put this as an album of the year contender for me, thanks as always!!
AVAA, prof. You should check out shabakas work as sons of khemet - really important political stuff from here in the UK, and a big influence on the jazz scene here. He, and the London jazz scene in general, are killing it - he’s also just announced he isn’t going to play saxophone anymore, which is interesting. Well worth a listen. Black to the Future is a great record.
AVAA professor! Binging your essays on Armand Hammer and billy woods and learn so much from them, so much to absorb from both your videos and billy woods’s music. One second I’m going down a rabbit hole on Wallace Fard Muhammad, the next I’m rewinding over and over to try and figure out if your Elucid impersonation was good or not lol
@@professorskye at first the impersonation sounded spot on, but after multiple rewinds I’d have to give it a 5/10 haha hard to sound like Elucid lol great vid as always man 🫡
AVAA! Moneynicca is the lead singer of Philly hardcore band Soul Glo. Soul Glo is definitely one of my favorite bands of the last few years their album "Diaspora Problems" from 2022 is an insane mixture of hardcore/hip hop and just chaos. Pierce(moneynicca's real name) is a force to be reckoned with on the mic. His vocals can be basically rapping normally one second then he starts to shriek like hes on the verge of breaking down. Professor Skye i urge you to check out Diaspora Problems i dont think youll be disappointed.
avaa! i remember chatting with elucidate after and a concert regarding the photography used for haram. alexander richter also did the work there. iirc, he walked by a butcher shop and got (quite a few) pictures there, though the shoot wasn’t limited to that. (i’m gonna feel really embarrassed if you talked about this, i’m not quite all the way through yet, so)
The they don't want stories, just numbers has a Jameson-like tinge to it. Jameson felt that narrative is not something we bring to the world but is how we engage with the world. A Frankfurt school would critique the commodity fetishism of stories to keep the capitalist system, but Jameson would say that the capitalis narrative effaces story to keep a focus numbers as the capital.
AVAA: you mentioned you wanted Billy Woods to colab with Mach-Hommy. Acually he did do a single with him back in 2019 on his album “Western Education is forbidden”, called “Windhoek. Another funny thing about this one is this is one of the only songs where Hommy’s verse is actually written on all platforms. Check it out if you haven’t heard of it before!
AVAA, was always gonna like it but decided to hit the button when you told people who aren't saddened by the state of healthcare for diabetes to shut up. Well said!
a rapper that i feel like puts out complete gibberish level of avant garde rap is al.divino idk if you've heard of him but he's affiliated with the griselda folks. honestly id describe some of his releases as straight up noise rap but he does have some more conventional stuff but because of his voice and rapping style it still comes off as highly unconventional even for griselda standards, i can't think of anything by name because he just has so many projects but i think you should check him out
I think Professor Skye would enjoy 'The Crashing Sound of How it Goes' from Cities Aviv. Not as industrial sounding as this album, yet captures the essence of city life with a strange, overwhelming sound.
Avaa but jesus profe you need to listen to all the other armand hammer and woods records they have collab multiple times, wont tell you when so youve to listen and do videos on allf the abums (source: trust me bro)
_Trust me, bro, too!_ 😁 I've been saying the same thing... in particular, dying to hear Skye discuss _Paraffin_ - still my current favorite Armand Hamme project (will have to see how this one grows on me).
As a diabetic who’s privileged enough to have a Dexcom, so that I don’t have to use test strips, I feel I need to get in on this racket. I got test strips for days! But I’d also happily give my test strips away for free…
AVAA! He said Jimmy Baldwin as in James Baldwin! What I think he’s saying is that these are the choices black men have to look up to as role models in this modern era. Not because they are the only ones, but because of the internet and algorithmic schemes of the manoshphere these are the ones being put on a pedestal. Woods is driving home the fact that the intersectional thinkers of the past aren’t gonna come and save us from this mess and we have to think progressively for ourselves.
I love how AVAAnt garde this album is! So happy I got this in vinyl and managed to listen to it on vinyl at my first time listening too (which this may be blasphemous but it's the first album I have ever listened to first on vinyl) and the art surrounding the album really helped me understand the sort of dingy horrible capitalist hellscape we live in. However I get a lot of hope on this album especially with the direction that the art on Armand Hammer's albums become more live music based and more afrocentric is lyrical and instrument wise. Another high point is the mending of relationships between JPEG and Billy and Elucid as when I realized on LP there were disses fired in both directions I was scared I would never get to see my favourite artists possibly work together as Peggy's production is art in itself to me. Love your reviews and had to make sure I had listened to this album enough so that I didn't feel stupid listening to your review as they are so in depth and you point out so many things I miss!!
Also I love that you mentioned the line about PHD's! My favourite rhyme on this album because of the expectations it puts on someone to have family who are well educated but who may not do well in the education system themselves!
Super late here, but around 58:55, the two lines you’re wondering about in the video - I think woods is saying he doesn’t represent anything. People often have their team, their politics, their religion displayed iconically on their hats. I believe woods is indicating he’s either too smart to fall into this trap - and/or that he cannot be contained by just one category or team. (also AVAA)
AVAA. These are my two favourite rappers and they’re at the top of their game. It’s really a great time to be alive for people with a particular taste in rap and poetry. Also I’ll add woods and E L U C I D were really the main artists who made me realise just how meaningless it is to try and rank objectively who the greatest rappers are. Cos sure in one way JAY Z could be best (tho I’m personally not a fan), but view it in another light it’s Kendrick etc etc, but how could you look at what woods and EL (‘CID? I don’t know how people abbreviate it at all) are doing and say they’re objectively not as good as them or any other rapper? It’s in a whole different realm. Maybe the way people put all rap music in a box despite the plethora of sub-genres is one of the issues. Keep up the great work PS
I'm a Type 1 diabetic, and I feel it is important to make the distinction between the two types of diabetes, when discussing their merits in regards to the analysis of this albums title, specifically at around 15:00 when discussing Phife Dawg. While it is true that african americans are more at risk for diabetes, Phife is an exception to this rule by the nature of his Diabetes being Type 1. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that can affect anyone, regardless of health or race because its causes are unknown barring genetics. With type 1 diabetes, your pancreas effectively stops working on its own. Whereas, with type 2, you essentially make it unable to produce insulin due to poor nutrition and insulin resistance buildup. It is because of less access to nutritious food and lack of knowledge etc and of course the disproportionate amount of disadvantaged non-white people that causes the black community to be affected by diabetes. TLDR: While yes, diabetes does disproportionately affect black people, it is Type 2 diabetes that does this. Phife Dawg unfortunatley passed away due to diabetic complications which he struggled with for most of his life, perhaps due to lack of proper education on the subject by health professionals, or poor ability to control his diabetes due to lack of access to affordable materials. Regardless, rest in power to The Funky Diabetic ❤
Shabaka Hutchings is an incredible UK jazz artist behind the groups The Comet Is Coming, Shabaka And The Ancestors, and Sons Of Kemet. All worth your time if you want to know what he's about.
When I first started listening to this guy he had referenced not listening to any MF DOOM and he also is not the type to go back and listen to older stuff. If that hasn't changed he is doing a huge disservice to hiphop.
AVAA! You didn't talk much about the repetition of "I ain't seen the bottom yet". It's so infectious yet nihilistic (or depressing, not sure if nihilistic was the best word there but it somewhat fits).
This seems an easier record to admire than to enjoy. The overall musical backdrop is very samey, the pacing is off, and peculiarly for a Willie Green helmed record, the transitions between tracks don't really work (a lot of dead air). The lyrical content holds real nuggets, but the beats don't have me going back often enough to appreciate them... In a year it will be my favourite Armand Hammer record. AVAA.
That's what I thought, too... it made perfect thematic sense, to me. But in a recent NY Times article (never thought we'd get an Armand Hammer article in the Times!), billy said he wanted to name the group after two objects that are stronger in combination with each other, and that formulating it as a name just seemed better. He also said he hadn't heard of the industrialist or his actor grandson at the time they named the group. PS. Naming two of the best solo artists in music as stronger in tandem makes a _whole_ lotta sense, now that I think of it. Especially these two. They make immaculate work that is only better when together.
I believe that AVAA may be and understatement for this one prof. We may need a new tier acronym, possibly GVY (greatest video yet) One thought that I recently had about the name Armand Hammer is that, at least on iTunes, the album is by Armand Hammer and all of the songs include “Feat. Billy Woods, ELUCID, etc” my personal theory is that it is sort of a crack reference with the idea being the Music is Armand Hammer, but Woods and ELUCID bring the heat and expertise to cook something up that is quite addictive, yet potentially controversial. Could be way off base, but it’s what I always imagine.
I'm pretty sure I remember hearing woods or elucid say in an interview that if they put (featuring billy woods and E L U C I D) on each Armand Hammer song, it ups both their individual streaming numbers, as well as counting for Armand Hammer streams, which just allows them to make more money off the fucked-up system of artist revenues in streaming, where, unless you're a big mainstream artist, you make pennies. As woods says on the Armand Hammer track "If He Holla," "Son ask what I be doing in the kitchen-KID I"M TRYNA BEAT THE FUCKIN SYSTEM!"
It’s wild how prolific Billy Woods is, he’s just shooting out amazing albums like it was nothing. Each more unique than the other. And he doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. I feel like I can’t even keep up, by the time I listened enough to Aethiopes to start to grasp its meaning and its depth, he already made 3 other albums. Not mention all his older stuff that is enough for me to spend months with. He is on of the most unique and interesting rappers that I’ve ever listened to.
um... You know this is a hip hop DUO. Yall gotta stop completely forgetting E L U C I D...
You're completely right, and I don't want to diminish woods' accomplishments. But I really, REALLY recommend you go thru some of elucid's solo stuff if you really like the more experimental sound of this record. Elucid's "I Told Bessie" is a really easy jumping in point, but my personal favourite is "Valley of Grace" which has one of my favourite, simple elucid lines: "I used to think bodycams were part of the answer now I just feel stupid"
I'm impressed by how much Billy Woods makes and it's all really thoughtful. He's possibly a genius
@@AffirmingtreeElucid is great. He has some of collabs outside Armand Hammer like Nostrum Grocers
The amount of wonderful E L U C I D quotables on this album are insane. I’m falling more and more in love with his work every day
Is* insane?
I feel the same with billy woods too, so many ridiculously good lines even on first listen
he's a legend
@@rapmusicplugpod I love The Rap Music Plug Podcast
@@ambientbosatsu haha much love!!
prof. Skye the "Jimmy Ball" line that youre missing is Jimmy Baldwin, the informal name of James Baldwin. the novelist and activist. amazing orator. woods is saying we lack someone as great and charismatic as him and we are left with lesser and inferior options, so we have to save ourselves.
same vibe as the Kendrick "2pac dead, gotta think for yourself" line off of MMATBS
Bingo
43:12 - believe he says Baldwin not Ball. And James (Jimmy) Baldwin definitely makes sense as a contrasting figure to Kevin Samuels and Dr. Umar.
Loving this so far, but the skimming over ELUCID Is killing me😭
Something that almost always bothers me in analysis of the group... probably doesn't help that it's harder to parse his lyrics.
I'm constantly relating them to Outkast in the way that there's one MC who is so obviously among the best ever, but containing another MC who is perhaps much more low-key _ALSO_ among the best ever. Andre3000 and billy woods are constantly named in my top MCs ever list, but I will always go to bat for Big Boi and Elucid as among the greatest ever, as well. Wouldn't be surprised if someone said Big or Elucid are their favorite in their respective duos.
E will eventually get his props... (at least, I hope so!)
It’s really annoying but tbf ELUCID is a lot harder to break down
@@Jimmy1982Playlists Exactly this. I think with woods, as odd as it is to say, what makes him great is more obvious - the punchy one liners, the historical references etc. ELUCID you really do need to be locked into his wavelength. The tracks that made me an ELUCID true believer are "No Grand Agenda", " Bob Barker" and his verse on "Shark Fin Soup" . The way he bends language is second to none and I think he's consistently giving woods a run for his money on these records. I think they're a perfect match and I really feel like people are missing out when they fixate on woods.
@@jakerumbold65 I don't necessarily think ELUCID is any harder to parse than woods tho.
I'd like to think Prof Skye has the range to tackle ELUCID too you know?
@@Jimmy1982PlaylistsI absolutely agree. I was thinking for quality as well Armand Hammer feels like the next best rap duo since Outkast
AVAA: I typed a paragraph that I deleted(too wordy), basically I take umbrage with the God Fahim/Scotty comparison to Elucid. I think Elucid is Dennis Rodman. I think they occupy non-overlapping but complementary areas of play, I don't think Elucid is a foil to Woods as I think sometimes critics depict them. I think Woods' style is probably more grounded in google-able reality, so the gears click seamlessly when you listen to him but Elucid lives in that abstract, Basquiat-like, space. I still prefer Woods, but I think my favorite Armand Hammer moments 7/10 times come from whatever Elucid is doing off the proverbial ball.
Damn, it's still a paragraph
Love the paragraph! I also think that you are making great points. Rodman is a great comparison. Next time I review them I'll probably take this idea! (I'll credit you)
Im a big fan of moments in music and from 2:15 to 3:10 in Dont Lose Your Job is one of my favorite "moments" ive heard in awhile. the way Elucid just is chilling there and even starts a line with " like fuck-" and says "what instrument are yall gonna play at my funeral" thats just so crazy, i love everyhting about that part
it is a great part
Bro that’s my favorite track on the whole album. It went from like chill rap to this haunting spiritual/psychedelic feeling. It feels like to me when you go to church and y’all are all there with your eyes closed and your head bowed worshiping the most high
@@keelowiththesteelo233 thats mad
woods has outlined the origins of the armand hammer name a couple times, and it’s not exactly clear but it’s mostly based around the sentiment of two strong things coming together to make something stronger, ie the hammer and sickle or brass (which, btw, is another incredible billy woods record with moor mother. 10/10!). he found the idea of styling the words as a name more interesting but it was not intentionally based around the billionaire of the same name. i’m pretty sure it’s not a crack thing
also, on “the happiest africans” line - not sure how this ties in to the lyric but it’s an interesting piece of context - woods registers his songs on the publishing database SESAC under the name ‘F. Porter for the Happiest Africans’
Yeah, I mistakenly thought it was named after the industrialist, considering the man was a capitalist with strong ties to communist leaders, spanning East and West, therefore accustomed to moving amongst different ideologies/dichotomies, different spheres of influence, etc.
Glad the recent NY Times article cleared that up so I don't make that claim again 😬
I suspect even if it’s not “really” a reference to crack, it’s still intentionally subversive and in conversation with rap tropes
I always enjoy your reviews, super enlightening as a companion to my own listening. AVAA.
Glad to hear that. I was wary to release this review on the day of the album's release, but I thought that it might actually contribute to some people's listening experience. Its pretty arrogant of me to think that, but it does seem to be true for some folks.
@@professorskyeI always look forward to your reviews especially when it comes to dense rap music because even though I’m always going to have my own interpretation/s, your takes helps to inform them further, and allow me to enjoy the albums even more
@@professorskyeA new perspective is always good.
A jpegmafia produced album with hammer would be dope.
Either Jpegmafia or El-P. I think that would be mindblowing.
True... As long as it's mixed well.
@@Missjunebugfreakany record with those two would be abused. El-P/Peggy, El-P/Armand Hammer or a Peggy/Armand Hammer record would all be an instant classic
been catching up with woods and your reviews have been really helpful cheers prof AVAA
AVAA, this album lived up to my high expectations. Such rich dense soundscapes and intricate lyricism that i'm still getting through. I feel like this may be my favourite hip hop album of the year.
AVAA! The longer your videos are, the more I enjoy them!
Glad to hear, cuz every time a video goes over 30 minutes I think "Oh geez, this is too long"
@@professorskye Oh, no way, Prof! I'd be here for a _3 hour_ video of yours on these genius artists.
Just so you know, Mach-Hommy & billy woods have a great song together that is hard to find but worth the search called 383 Myrtle.
on Dumpmeister. How I first heard Woods.
AVAA Skye. Been waiting on this one with bated breath, I’ve only listened twice so far before your video but I’m excited to revisit again!
The enthusiasma u had describing the baby bar had ne in tears…
swear ur channel gives me too much energy man…thx for beeing u!
I held off listening to the album immediately because its become a tradition for me to listen to a new woods or armand hammer album from Monday to Thursday and curl up on the couch on a Friday evenings and watch your videos! So I havent watched this yet but I got a comfy couch waiting for me after work today! Great stuff as always
Would love it if you did an interview/liner notes for Lauren Auder and “the infinite spine” I believe Lauren will be a very important artist in 25 years!!!
the infinite spine is a cool album title, i will go listen to this thank you brother.
I think the line goes:
The choice was: Kevin Samuels or Dr. Umar
Gentlemen, the choice is yours
But I assure you *Jimmy Baldwin* not coming through that door (Sorry)
Jimmy Baldwin is probably James Baldwin, the famous black and gay author and civil rights activist who is very much in contrast with Kevin Samuels and Dr. Umar when it comes to black masculinity and homosexuality.
Just thought I'd mention it.
AVAA, Professor. I enjoy your videos. Very intellectual and very digestible stuff.
"when you live in a city, words become part of your vocabulary" made me chuckle, AVAA
not sure if he noticed, but the wd fard lyric might also be talking about wd-40 and inhalant abuse
When I first heard it I thought it was only a WD-40 lyric and then I listened closer.
AVAA, great review as always, james baldwin is an american essayist,playwright and a novelist and a voice for the american civil rights, i heavily recommend checking his book "the fire next time".
Shabaka Hutchings is from Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, Melt Yourself Down, and Shabaka and the Ancestors. You might know one of those
Wow, that is great to know! I should have looked up their work before starting the video. I love the last Sons of Kemet and reviewed it here.
I'd recommend going back to their previous album 'Your Queen is a Reptile' if you haven't already heard it.
@@splazshedindeed. “My queen is Harriet Tubman” is timeless from that lp.
Took me a few listens but it all fell into place on a dark misty early-morning road-trip. Exceptional record and an important reminder that decent, boundary pushing art is still out there. Soundscape feels alien and dystopian, in many ways reminding me of outkast classic ATLiens. Elucid providing insightful, elegant contributions throughout. Woods staking his claim as one of the best to ever do it. His imagery, dark-wit and social commentary are unrivalled. He will be compared to the likes of MF Doom in the future as one of the all time greats, at least in the underground. Great review as usual!
Billy Woods is a true poet laureate he needs a chapter in a rap almanac for his discography.
Listened on vinly one time and then the digital, came here and saw the thumbnail and if i had to describe it in one sentence... you nailed it. Luckily i cant imagine Armand Hammer falling for an Andy Warhol. Looking forward to the review
I used to be down on the Warhol/Basquiat collaborations but my opinion changed recently after the Warhol documentary and after seeing an exhibition on their collaborative work in Paris. I think it was a true symbiotic relationship with each of them benefiting equally. The youth took from the power and the powerful took from the youth. Plus, if you ever get a chance to see a whole exposition dedicated to their work, it is quite breathtaking. I was SHOCKED at how good their work was after dismissing them as a cash grab for most of my life .
I know you said previously on one of your reviews someone should write a book on Billy Woods, but I think all your reviews as an annotated pocket transcript would be an amazing guide. ❤❤ AVAA
Great review; can tell you really care, deserves more views!
thanks for going so in depth with this one, an incredible album that deserves the time!! AVAA
avaa. This is definitely one of my favorite videos of yours, I really enjoy you dissecting the meaning and commentary of the title at the front and music on the back end. I feel like it adds so much texture to the actual analysis and meaning of each track. I watched the whole thing, time for the Billy Woods interview next!
I enjoyed the addition of the meter.
AVAA! I’m a 51-year-old, white high school teacher in Vermont and oddly I am very much into underground hip-hop. Same as you I am enamored with Billy woods, Elucid - Armand Hammer. Just wanted to say thank you and that I appreciate you helping me to organize all of my feelings and thoughts about what I’m listening to. Really diggin the avant gardometer for rap beats!
Best album of the year for me and a masterpiece. I enjoy abstract lyrics but it always helps if the album has at least a couple of bangers and the bangers are here in spades.
Basquiat and warhol have an Arm & hammer series
AVAA really love hearing what you see and recognise in these reviews ❤❤
Wow, glad you got over that stove situation. I can see it no longer bothers you in any way shape or form. A true development
Great video Skye! 🎉 for the past two years now I have been making beats and pursuing Avant Garde production. With my unreleased stuff I have really explored what makes something that is brand new yet listenable my first project I mixed familiar samples with my weird ideas and it wasn't received how I intended. So when I went to all original production I kept going back to modal patterns, and just exploring new sounds and what can be done with them, my engineers hate it and I often have to remix what they do. I do drums last first comes the feeling and some extremely delicate sound progression that I chased down then saved in a bubble then my goal is making the grimiest fullest most expressive beat around this precious weird frequency that shouldnt even exist and then warp everything to that sound as the lead. The goal is how much can I put in while still hearing that original delicate progression. Thats my style at least.
AVAA - I adore this album and basquiat is one of my favorite artists
43:44 i thought the lyric was "jimmy baldwin" not "jimmy ball," but i may have misheard
edit: nope, definitely jimmy baldwin, avaa!
AVAA Prof. Am addicted to your reviews..thank you
AVAA Prof. Skye, I did want to let you know that there are a number of woods/Mach-Hommy collars: 383 Myrtle on Dumpmeister, Windhoek on Terror Management, Carnies on Rome, and Chimney on Brass if you want to check those songs out
“All against all / My brother in christ, there’s no I in team / Never wore a fitted in my life, big head bursting out the seams”
imo if you disconnect this phrase from the rest of the verse (which i haven’t had the opportunity to pore over yet), the lines are about how he’s selfish, or never been part of a team.
“There’s no I in team” is typically used to tell other people to not be selfish, but he’s flipping it and referring to himself as the “I.” He follows it up with saying he’s never worn a fitted cap, i.e. he’s never worn a baseball cap (and thus never been on a team) because his head (ego) is too big. “All against all” is self-explanatory.
Great points. This is why my 1 & 1/2 hour video was still too short!
AVAA! I've been struggling to grasp what this album means, I'm British so a lot of these references fly over my head sometimes. I was adoring the production and definitely think you outlined the spearheading peggy did sonically. Relistening with your insight in mind has put this as an album of the year contender for me, thanks as always!!
AVAA, prof. You should check out shabakas work as sons of khemet - really important political stuff from here in the UK, and a big influence on the jazz scene here. He, and the London jazz scene in general, are killing it - he’s also just announced he isn’t going to play saxophone anymore, which is interesting. Well worth a listen. Black to the Future is a great record.
I did actually review that album, but somehow forgot Hutchings name.
Stoked to watch this. Great album.
why is the VIDEO SO BRIGHT! also great video on such a great album
I do not know how to make it less bright. Seriously, it’s like it brightens when I upload!
Will wavaatch the video tonight =] now to listen to the album!
It’s indeed elusive!! I’ll need some more time before I watch the video^^
another great review! merci pour ces éléments de compréhension qui complètent toujours l'écoute :) cheers from Morocco
wach a l ferda
AVAA professor! Binging your essays on Armand Hammer and billy woods and learn so much from them, so much to absorb from both your videos and billy woods’s music. One second I’m going down a rabbit hole on Wallace Fard Muhammad, the next I’m rewinding over and over to try and figure out if your Elucid impersonation was good or not lol
What’s the verdict ?
@@professorskye at first the impersonation sounded spot on, but after multiple rewinds I’d have to give it a 5/10 haha hard to sound like Elucid lol great vid as always man 🫡
Blonde Redhead review when?! 😍🍓
Yeah Mach and Woods have collabed at least 4 times 🫂
AVAA! Moneynicca is the lead singer of Philly hardcore band Soul Glo. Soul Glo is definitely one of my favorite bands of the last few years their album "Diaspora Problems" from 2022 is an insane mixture of hardcore/hip hop and just chaos. Pierce(moneynicca's real name) is a force to be reckoned with on the mic. His vocals can be basically rapping normally one second then he starts to shriek like hes on the verge of breaking down. Professor Skye i urge you to check out Diaspora Problems i dont think youll be disappointed.
I took a break and came back to watch the video at the part you mentioned taking a break…
If you like the idea of mach and woods check out 383 myrtle off Mach’s Dumpmeister. It’s one of woods best verses imo
^^^
Need the skye dumpmeister review
avaa! i remember chatting with elucidate after and a concert regarding the photography used for haram. alexander richter also did the work there. iirc, he walked by a butcher shop and got (quite a few) pictures there, though the shoot wasn’t limited to that. (i’m gonna feel really embarrassed if you talked about this, i’m not quite all the way through yet, so)
it really just goes back into the basquiat theming.
Jpeg credited as the creator of vaporwave??? You're tripping, that's James Ferraro and opn with the eccojams.
The they don't want stories, just numbers has a Jameson-like tinge to it. Jameson felt that narrative is not something we bring to the world but is how we engage with the world. A Frankfurt school would critique the commodity fetishism of stories to keep the capitalist system, but Jameson would say that the capitalis narrative effaces story to keep a focus numbers as the capital.
AVAA: you mentioned you wanted Billy Woods to colab with Mach-Hommy. Acually he did do a single with him back in 2019 on his album “Western Education is forbidden”, called “Windhoek. Another funny thing about this one is this is one of the only songs where Hommy’s verse is actually written on all platforms. Check it out if you haven’t heard of it before!
AVAA, was always gonna like it but decided to hit the button when you told people who aren't saddened by the state of healthcare for diabetes to shut up. Well said!
a rapper that i feel like puts out complete gibberish level of avant garde rap is al.divino idk if you've heard of him but he's affiliated with the griselda folks. honestly id describe some of his releases as straight up noise rap but he does have some more conventional stuff but because of his voice and rapping style it still comes off as highly unconventional even for griselda standards, i can't think of anything by name because he just has so many projects but i think you should check him out
skye don't miss!
Love the OME reference there
I think Professor Skye would enjoy 'The Crashing Sound of How it Goes' from Cities Aviv. Not as industrial sounding as this album, yet captures the essence of city life with a strange, overwhelming sound.
Never thought id see someone mention it i salute
@@ganzvv3726 I’m concerned people don’t mention Cities enough, what they’ve been doing in music is special for sure 🫡
I'd definitely buy an "Avant-Gardometer for Rap Beats" T-shirt
AVAA I watched this on 2X speed and it truly sounded like a very long rant of a madman.
Hey prof. Skye. AVAA I think you should review ex-military by Death Grips.
Avaa but jesus profe you need to listen to all the other armand hammer and woods records they have collab multiple times, wont tell you when so youve to listen and do videos on allf the abums (source: trust me bro)
_Trust me, bro, too!_ 😁 I've been saying the same thing... in particular, dying to hear Skye discuss _Paraffin_ - still my current favorite Armand Hamme project (will have to see how this one grows on me).
As a diabetic who’s privileged enough to have a Dexcom, so that I don’t have to use test strips, I feel I need to get in on this racket. I got test strips for days!
But I’d also happily give my test strips away for free…
Loved the avant-gardometer AVAA
AVAA profe my comment was about how MACH HOMMY and woods/AH have collabed previously, gotta check their entire discog to find out when tho
AVAA! He said Jimmy Baldwin as in James Baldwin! What I think he’s saying is that these are the choices black men have to look up to as role models in this modern era. Not because they are the only ones, but because of the internet and algorithmic schemes of the manoshphere these are the ones being put on a pedestal. Woods is driving home the fact that the intersectional thinkers of the past aren’t gonna come and save us from this mess and we have to think progressively for ourselves.
I love how AVAAnt garde this album is! So happy I got this in vinyl and managed to listen to it on vinyl at my first time listening too (which this may be blasphemous but it's the first album I have ever listened to first on vinyl) and the art surrounding the album really helped me understand the sort of dingy horrible capitalist hellscape we live in. However I get a lot of hope on this album especially with the direction that the art on Armand Hammer's albums become more live music based and more afrocentric is lyrical and instrument wise. Another high point is the mending of relationships between JPEG and Billy and Elucid as when I realized on LP there were disses fired in both directions I was scared I would never get to see my favourite artists possibly work together as Peggy's production is art in itself to me. Love your reviews and had to make sure I had listened to this album enough so that I didn't feel stupid listening to your review as they are so in depth and you point out so many things I miss!!
Also I love that you mentioned the line about PHD's! My favourite rhyme on this album because of the expectations it puts on someone to have family who are well educated but who may not do well in the education system themselves!
Pretty sure that on 'The flexible' billy woods says Jimmy Baldwin not Jimmy Ball
[43:17] According to the Genius lyrics of this album, he says Jimmy Baldwin or James Baldwin, which would make sense in the context of this line.
Super late here, but around 58:55, the two lines you’re wondering about in the video - I think woods is saying he doesn’t represent anything. People often have their team, their politics, their religion displayed iconically on their hats. I believe woods is indicating he’s either too smart to fall into this trap - and/or that he cannot be contained by just one category or team.
(also AVAA)
Hats also have ties to gang culture, might indicate that woods was not a part of that life and/or had ties beyond a single group
Assumed James Baldwin is Jimmy Ball
Great video! But who has ever credited JPEGMafia as a pioneer of vaporwave??? Perhaps you confused him for Oneohtrix Point Never?
AVAA. These are my two favourite rappers and they’re at the top of their game. It’s really a great time to be alive for people with a particular taste in rap and poetry. Also I’ll add woods and E L U C I D were really the main artists who made me realise just how meaningless it is to try and rank objectively who the greatest rappers are. Cos sure in one way JAY Z could be best (tho I’m personally not a fan), but view it in another light it’s Kendrick etc etc, but how could you look at what woods and EL (‘CID? I don’t know how people abbreviate it at all) are doing and say they’re objectively not as good as them or any other rapper? It’s in a whole different realm. Maybe the way people put all rap music in a box despite the plethora of sub-genres is one of the issues. Keep up the great work PS
“Meet me in the float tank I got boomers in my system” 😂🔥
“Meet me in the float tank I got boomers in my system” 😂🔥
That four way rap album would be nuts
Avaa, Mike, Wiki & The Alchemist just dropped an incredible album Estee Nacks latest drop is also phenomenal.
Professor! The other cool thing about Peggy producing so many tracks on this record is that I means the beef he had with Armand hammer is squashed!
I'm a Type 1 diabetic, and I feel it is important to make the distinction between the two types of diabetes, when discussing their merits in regards to the analysis of this albums title, specifically at around 15:00 when discussing Phife Dawg. While it is true that african americans are more at risk for diabetes, Phife is an exception to this rule by the nature of his Diabetes being Type 1.
Type 1 diabetes is a disease that can affect anyone, regardless of health or race because its causes are unknown barring genetics. With type 1 diabetes, your pancreas effectively stops working on its own. Whereas, with type 2, you essentially make it unable to produce insulin due to poor nutrition and insulin resistance buildup. It is because of less access to nutritious food and lack of knowledge etc and of course the disproportionate amount of disadvantaged non-white people that causes the black community to be affected by diabetes.
TLDR: While yes, diabetes does disproportionately affect black people, it is Type 2 diabetes that does this. Phife Dawg unfortunatley passed away due to diabetic complications which he struggled with for most of his life, perhaps due to lack of proper education on the subject by health professionals, or poor ability to control his diabetes due to lack of access to affordable materials.
Regardless, rest in power to The Funky Diabetic ❤
AVAA!
Thanks for this precision!
“Words end up becoming part of your vocabulary.” - You must be a philosopher.
It’s funny, I misspoke when I said that, but now I kind of like it.
@@professorskye It’s a Wittgensteinian thing.
Shabaka Hutchings is an incredible UK jazz artist behind the groups The Comet Is Coming, Shabaka And The Ancestors, and Sons Of Kemet. All worth your time if you want to know what he's about.
It’s wild for someone to interpret all these wild references but not know the DOOM sample that the song was tilted after
Not that it’s this terrible sin, just unique to have understood most the references skye misses
When I first started listening to this guy he had referenced not listening to any MF DOOM and he also is not the type to go back and listen to older stuff. If that hasn't changed he is doing a huge disservice to hiphop.
Which song?
@@jeremyvassallo3914 y’all can’t stand here
What was that about Peggy creating vaporwave? I think not (love the vid tho)
Jimmy Ball might be short for James Baldwin who woods references a lot.
AVAA! You didn't talk much about the repetition of "I ain't seen the bottom yet". It's so infectious yet nihilistic (or depressing, not sure if nihilistic was the best word there but it somewhat fits).
The just listening to the new Armand Hammer would kill a 15th century peasant.
This seems an easier record to admire than to enjoy. The overall musical backdrop is very samey, the pacing is off, and peculiarly for a Willie Green helmed record, the transitions between tracks don't really work (a lot of dead air). The lyrical content holds real nuggets, but the beats don't have me going back often enough to appreciate them... In a year it will be my favourite Armand Hammer record. AVAA.
AVAA! Also you look great in a fitted
AVAA, I think the group is named after Soviet businessman Armand Hammer. I think it is supposed to highlight contradictions
Moor Mother sounds like a celestial being, transmitted from somewhere else. Her flow sounds like a glitching incoming message
AVAA i think they are named after Armand Hammer the person, aka “Lenin’s favorite capitalist.” But I haven’t seen confirmation of that.
That's what I thought, too... it made perfect thematic sense, to me. But in a recent NY Times article (never thought we'd get an Armand Hammer article in the Times!), billy said he wanted to name the group after two objects that are stronger in combination with each other, and that formulating it as a name just seemed better. He also said he hadn't heard of the industrialist or his actor grandson at the time they named the group.
PS. Naming two of the best solo artists in music as stronger in tandem makes a _whole_ lotta sense, now that I think of it. Especially these two. They make immaculate work that is only better when together.
Got my copy today, no sticker. :(
jimmy baldwin is referring to james baldwin the author
certified avaa prof
Heyyyyy I’m on that list
Shabaka Hutchins is an amazing artist. You should check out his work with Sons of Kemet and Shabaka and the Ancestors.
I believe that AVAA may be and understatement for this one prof. We may need a new tier acronym, possibly GVY (greatest video yet) One thought that I recently had about the name Armand Hammer is that, at least on iTunes, the album is by Armand Hammer and all of the songs include “Feat. Billy Woods, ELUCID, etc” my personal theory is that it is sort of a crack reference with the idea being the Music is Armand Hammer, but Woods and ELUCID bring the heat and expertise to cook something up that is quite addictive, yet potentially controversial. Could be way off base, but it’s what I always imagine.
I'm pretty sure I remember hearing woods or elucid say in an interview that if they put (featuring billy woods and E L U C I D) on each Armand Hammer song, it ups both their individual streaming numbers, as well as counting for Armand Hammer streams, which just allows them to make more money off the fucked-up system of artist revenues in streaming, where, unless you're a big mainstream artist, you make pennies. As woods says on the Armand Hammer track "If He Holla," "Son ask what I be doing in the kitchen-KID I"M TRYNA BEAT THE FUCKIN SYSTEM!"
avaa i believe the jimmy ball line was a reference to james baldwin but dont quote me
and the interpolating beyonce line was about hillary clinton interpolating that line from beyonce about pepper spray