“We Buy Diabetic Test Strips” by Armand Hammer

Celebrating one of 2023's best rap records.

Hello! 😊👋

Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!

Today’s music pick is the latest from Armand Hammer, another must-hear entry in the duo’s extended universe.

Genre: Alternative Hip-Hop, Experimental

Label: Fat Possum

Release Date: September 29, 2023

Vibe: 😵‍💫

“I want you to have a physical reaction when you listen to a Backwoodz record,” label engineer Willie Green has said. “It’s not just some s*** to throw on while you’re playing spades or doing dishes. Sit down and stop what you’re doing, because you’ll miss something if you’re not paying attention.” The latest Armand Hammer LP, We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, rewards that level of involvement from the listener. It combines blunted, sometimes chaotic instrumentals and biting lyrics for a visceral, philosophical experience that grapples with the trauma and societal challenges left behind by the global pandemic.

Production from Child Actor, JPEGMAFIA, Kenny Segal, Messiah Musik, and SteeltippedDove layer snatches of television recordings, industrial clangs, and whispers of static, giving even the fun cuts like “The Gods Must Be Crazy” an unsettling energy. Like Maps, this record is more proof that billy woods and his label are two of hip-hop’s most reliable sources of virtuosic creativity. More than any other writer working in the genre, he understands the state of the world, what we’ve lost, and what we need to gain to move forward.

The highlights are the tracks with the most urgent, cutting observations. In “The Flexible Unreliability of Time,” woods doesn’t mince words about the current lack of Black leadership. “The choice was: Kevin Samuels or Dr. Umar/Gentlemen, the choice is yours/But I assure you Jimmy Baldwin not coming through that door.” He talks of news consumers as “a house divided,” making it unsurprising when he remarks later, “I put money towards getting the door reinforced.” Elsewhere, you have “I Keep a Mirror in My Pocket,” full of vivid Biblical references that underscore woods and Elucid’s incomparable lyrical economy, and “Y’all Can’t Stand Right Here,” as unnerving a track as the duo have ever created. The best moment may come from Brooklyn’s Junglepussy, who comes through with some of the most cold-blooded bars in recent memory, including, “Sitting on his face ’til I’m inspired/Why f*** him, I’m a better writer.” Like, damn.

In what was an excellent year for underground hip-hop, Test Strips earned a spot on my best-of list not just for its precise writing and execution. It oozes the kind of creative confidence other rappers could learn a thing or three from.

👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈