Stanisland Magazine

Billy Woods, Elucid, and The Alchemist release their third single — this time, they team up with Earl Sweatshirt for “California Games“

Super rap duo Armand Hammer and producer The Alchemist are upping the ante. Their introspective new work, California Games, featuring Earl Sweatshirt, crafts an immersive musical world of music.

---

---

Review: A Lyrical Rollercoaster

Without feigning depth, Sweatshirt opens the track with a bold series of rhymes, and from the get-go, his opening line, “What makes mice out of many a man”, fortifies the track with a fermenting opener. Earl’s fleet of wordplay is dense, from his reference to “Barnum and Bailey’s”, to double entendres like “I ain’t in the trap, the rats in the precinct singing like Toni Braxton”.

RELATED STORY: Armand Hammer Unveil Vulnerable New Track “Calypso Gene”

This leads to the work of his hosts, Armand Hammer, who lean into their distinct line of rhyme schemes, though they sometimes pull on the thread too much. Both Billy Woods and Elucid weave abstract and cerebral visions that reward multiple listens, though, at times, like Woods’ final verse, it can feel heavy-handed and cliché, especially the closing bar, one that evokes rap deja vu.

“Sixth sense, stars pointed at people not conditions”.

The Verdict

Everyone licks off verses ripe for understanding, that, like Earl’s, showcase their delectable relationship with language, though, at times, is in need of change despite lifting the pancake from the same pan. Nonetheless, it’s an enjoyable track — thanks to The Alchemist — though it often tapers off too quickly.