Written by Jaden Reynolds
In this series of reviews, Jason Marecki and I are covering each major Armand Hammer release in preparation for their new album Mercy, out November 7th, 2025.
Four albums into this deep dive, E L U C I D and Billy Woods continue to amaze me with the artistic progression that occurs from release to release. Still considered early in their career, Paraffin was the first album by the duo I ever listened to. It holds a special place in my heart as one of the records that opened my ears to this innovative and haunting style of abstract hip-hop.
Paraffin is Armand Hammer at their darkest. It’s uncomfortable with the questions it asks about the future of our civilization, generational trauma, and the impending doom we are facing as a country. The production matches this, taking the darker sounds we heard on Rome and fully leaning into it.
The lyricism on Paraffin is some of the best of their careers. There is a clear juxtaposition across the entire record. Woods and E L U C I D are trying to keep their faith alive for themselves, their children, and humanity, but are faced with this impending nihilism that seems to never leave them. There aren’t many other records that make me think about the world the way this one does.
It’s mind-blowing how relevant some of the topics the duo raps about are in modern society. A lot has changed in seven years, but Woods and E L U C I Ds’ bars are as close to spot on as you can get. In No Days Off, the duo raps about the lack of resources in a modern-day America in conjunction with the haunting chorus “You don’t work you don’t eat.” Bars like these is why I listen to Armand Hammer. They are thought-provoking in nature and allow the listener to think about their position in the world. There are other instances of this all over the record. The duo consistently tackles modern-day problems with the attitude that the world will always be like this.
Paraffin‘s production keeps the same ideas going, being the most dark and gritty of their careers thus far. A personal favorite of mine is If He Holla featuring a fantastic verse from Skech185. The beat is a looped soul sample behind dark drums that sound like they are hitting a trashcan with a stick. Just when you thought it was done, Skech185 comes in at full energy over the damning guitar tones to close out the track. Skech185 is angry and aggressive, making his verse one of the best moments of the album.
Other highlights of the record include Alternate Side Parking, which talks about this overwhelming sense of paranoia Woods faces every time he leaves his apartment. It’s over this haunting instrumental with distant drums that fit the paranoia theme perfectly.
Fuhrman Tapes is the filthiest beat on the record. I don’t believe there’s a way to explain it without listening to it, but it deserves the mention.
Lastly, I want to highlight E L U C I Ds progression as a writer on this record. In my opinion, in earlier releases, E L U C I D wasn’t on par with Woods as a lyricist. On Paraffin though, E L U C I D fully finds his groove and writes some of the greatest lyrics in hip-hop history. Dissecting his verses on this thing feels like an english project in the best way possible. Whatever happened from 2017 to 2018 for E L U C I D made him take an exponential jump as a writer, and he only gets better with later releases.
Over this course of this discog dive, I’ve become fully immersed in Armand Hammer’s sound. Abstract hip-hop is one of the most innovative genres in music that continues to grow every year. In my opinion though, no one will ever top the creativity and lyricism of this duo. The sheer jump in quality of their releases from the beginning to where we are now is mind-blowing. Paraffin is the duo’s first release that they are firing on all cylinders. While not my favorite Armand Hammer record, this is the most important record of their career. Paraffin is the first fully realized vision of the Armand Hammer we know today.
Fav Tracks: If He Holla, Alternate Side Parking, Fuhrman Tapes, Black Garlic
9/10
You can find the previous review in this series of Rome here