“This song is about a simple date, not the consequences of capitalism.” Abstract rap duo “Armand Hammer” will perform in Riga

Billy Woods’ father was an independence fighter in Zimbabwe and served in the first government after independence in 1980, while his mother was a researcher of Jamaican literature. These two streams of influence in the family left a special impression on the rapper and developed a literary talent combined with a sharp, sociopolitically analytical mind.

It is not for nothing that Woods found a common language with his colleague ELUCID, whose lyrics range from detailed descriptive to freely associative and dreamy. “The New York Times” described the musician’s work as “challenging art rap”.

As ELUCID, Woods regularly releases solo albums. Woods album Mapscreated in collaboration with producer Keny Siegal (Kenny Seagal), was included in the lists of the best music records of the year by “The Wire Magazine”, “Pitchfork”, “Stereogum” and “Rolling Stone”.

Also the duo’s most recent album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips among the best records of the year by media outlets such as Vulture, PopMatters, Crack Magazine, and Brooklyn Vegan. The Quietus admits it “could be a masterpiece” and music critic Pitchfork gave it an 8.1 out of 10, calling it “moody, restless and stinging” and adding that “the intelligence and experience of ELUCID’s voice is have made gurden”.

Music commentators often emphasize Armand Hammer’s balance between ambiguous lyrics and direct social criticism, but it should be kept in mind that these rappers don’t always expect an overly thoughtful interpretation of their lyrics.

“Sometimes I want to tell people that this song, for example, is about a date I went on, and not about the destructive consequences of capitalism and racism,”