Haram
Studio album by
Armand Hammer and the Alchemist
ReleasedMarch 26, 2021 (2021-03-26)
GenreHip hop, Art rap
Length39:54 (Standard)
43:08 (ALC Records release)
Label
  • Backwoodz Studioz
  • ALC
Producer
Armand Hammer chronology
Shrines
(2020)		 Haram
(2021)		 We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
(2023)
The Alchemist chronology
Alfredo
(2020)		 Haram
(2021)		 This Thing of Ours
(2021)

Haram is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo Armand Hammer, in collaboration with hip hop record producer the Alchemist. It was released on March 26, 2021, via Backwoodz Studioz.[1]

Cover controversy

The album art, which depicts two bloody decapitated pigs,[2] drew criticism from animal rights group PETA, who called it "terrifying" and "cruel", and told the Alchemist to change it and "focus on the music, not the shock value of dead animals", after he posted it on Twitter.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Clash7/10[6]
Pitchfork7.8/10[7]

Haram was met with widespread critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 83, based on six reviews.[4]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Paul Simpson felt that "The result is a dizzying swirl of disembodied soul samples and hazy beats that frequently dissolve and return, as the emcees deliver complex, metaphor-heavy rhymes addressing subjects such as colonialism and white supremacist oppression."[5] In the Review for Clash, Nathan Evans claimed that, "The best tracks on 'Haram' come together with crooked production that twitches with sharp samples and cuts, and AH’s billy woods and Elucid filling the space with pointed flows. The boys are stiff-nosed and mean-mugged, tightly rapping about dead bodies and vulgar sex to such a degree, it could classify as vore fantasy. To match, Alchemist crosses his signature style with crimson atmospheres that are as wet and eerie as a blood-soaked slaughterhouse."[6] Concluding a review for Pitchfork, Matthew Ismael Ruiz from wrote that "Haram offers another perspective of New York City’s hard heart, rooted in ruminations on power and how it’s wielded. These are the spiritual descendants of Def Jux, rappers that not only embrace the darkness, but wear it as a protective cloak."[7]

Accolades

Haram on year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2021
16
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2021
26

Track listing

All tracks are produced by the Alchemist, except for track 6 co-produced by Earl Sweatshirt.

Haram track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sir Benni Miles"
2:59
2."Roaches Don't Fly"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
1:28
3."Black Sunlight" (featuring Kayana)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
2:43
4."Indian Summer"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
2:40
5."Aubergine" (featuring Fielded)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
3:17
6."God's Feet"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
2:17
7."Peppertree"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
2:00
8."Scaffolds"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
2:55
9."Falling Out the Sky" (featuring Earl Sweatshirt)
3:40
10."Wishing Bad" (featuring Curly Castro and Amani)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
  • Kinte McDaniel
  • Amani
3:45
11."Chicharrones" (featuring Quelle Chris)
3:28
12."Squeegee"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
2:53
13."Robert Moses"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
1:35
14."Stonefruit"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
4:17
Total length:39:54
ALC Records release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Moneylenders"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Maman
3:14
Total length:43:08

References

  1. ↑ "Armand Hammer and The Alchemist unleash new album Haram: Stream". Consequence of Sound. 2021-03-26. Archived from the original on 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  2. ↑ "Decoding Armand Hammer & The Alchemist's Stunning New Album 'Haram' - Okayplayer". www.okayplayer.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  3. ↑ "Please change this terrifying, cruel cover". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  4. 1 2 "Haram by Armand Hammer Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "The Alchemist, Armand Hammer - Haram | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  6. 1 2 "Armand Hammer x The Alchemist - Haram". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  7. 1 2 "Armand Hammer / The Alchemist: Haram". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  8. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Paste. November 29, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  9. ↑ Green, Dylan (December 7, 2021). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
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