If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Alexander Richter For their latest single, billy woods and ELUCID (aka Armand Hammer) team with producer The Alchemist and rappers Silka and Cleo Reed. "Calypso Gene" keeps the group's stripped down and intense hip hop intact. Somehow Armand Hammer are able to have a song as laid back as "Calypso Gene" with an intensity lurking underneath. The Alchemist's production centers on minimal jazz piano and chilled out beats. 2025 has been a fantastic year overall for underground hip hop, and Armand Hammer keep pushing the genre forward. You can watch the video for "Calypso Gene" below. Mercy is due out November 7 on Backwoodz Studioz and Rhymesayers Entertainment. For more on Armand Hammer, check out the artists on Instagram .

Photo by Alexander Richter billy woods has already released one of the albums of the year with the killer GOLLIWOG , and now he's back with new music with Armand Hammer, his project with ELUCID. "Super Nintendo" is a stripped down hip hop track that focuses on the lyrcs and flow of billy woods and ELUCID. The Alchemist's production includes music that certainly sounds like vintage video game music. In fact, there is barely anything representing a beat in "Super Nintendo." This is certainly not your traditional hip hop track, but Armand Hammer have never been your traditional hip hop group.  You can listen to "Super Nintendo" below. Mercy is due out November 7 on Backwood Studioz and Rhymesayers Entertainment, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Armand Hammer, check out the group on Instagram and Twitter .

Musically, the latest single from the duo of War & Pierce is one of the most pleasant singles you've heard in a while. "Mercy" is a smooth folk and soul song that features Sunny War and Chris Pierce at their absolute best. It's a beautifully chill track that has a little intensity underlying the song. It's reminding me quite a bit of Marvin Gaye. Also, like Gaye's best work, the smoothness and sonic appeal of the song is in stark contrast to the message within the lyrics. It's a song about police brutality where the duo pleads about just wanting some mercy. Chris Pierce explains the message behind the song: “Our new single ‘Mercy’ deals with the constant resilience required by people of color in the United States and beyond. It recollects real-life situations while demonstrating that in life and death situations there remains no assurance that mercy will be shown or even considered on those targeted. It challenges those who target human beings based on...