Armand Hammer played the Tiny Desk on 28 July 2026, and the New York duo did not do it over beats. Kenny Segal assembled a band for the occasion: the jazz trio Human Error Club and the guitarist Ryan Crosby, with Segal himself on keys, sampler and Omnichord as music director.
ELUCID and billy woods have been at this for over two decades, which in underground rap runs like several lifetimes. Bigger co-signs and bigger-name producers have arrived, and the work has not softened. NPR's Rodney Carmichael has described the effect as the times getting more complicated and their records getting easier to understand.
Segal's arrangements do not smooth the tension out. Guitar fuzz squeals through Laraaji. Super Nintendo runs on chiptune melodies and an escapist nostalgia loop. The band leaves gaps for the two emcees to work in rather than filling everything.
The set carried a solo track from each. ELUCID took Spelling. woods took Spongebob and Dislocated, performing with his face placed behind a pop filter, since anonymity is part of how he presents his work. They closed on Stonefruit, the song that has become the pair's calling card.
The band was Diego Gaeta and Jesse Justice on keys, Mekala Session on drums and Crosby on guitar and bass alongside Segal. Lars Gotrich produced the session for NPR and Joshua Bryant directed it.
Other sets from the series in our coverage include redveil with a live band and Vince Staples playing Cry Baby material. More rap coverage is on the hip-hop hub.
The facts
- Armand Hammer played a Tiny Desk Concert on 28 July 2026
- Kenny Segal assembled the band and served as music director
- The jazz trio Human Error Club and guitarist Ryan Crosby played the set
- The six songs included solo cuts from ELUCID and billy woods
- woods performed with his face behind a pop filter
- The set closed with Stonefruit
- ELUCID and billy woods have worked together for over two decades
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