Mach-Hommy
Born: ?
Location: Part-au-Prince, Haiti
Genre: Hip Hop, Drumless, Abstract Hip Hop
Years Active: 2011 -
Real Name: ???
Meaning of the Name: Mach is used to measure sound. Hommy is Haitian slang for homicide. Therefore, something like "murder at the speed of sound", but the rapper has never revealed the "real" meaning.
A.K.A.: Dumpmeister
Way of Working: Raps over a producer's beats
Associated: Tha GOD Fahim, Westside Gunn
Essential Releases
F.Y.I. (2013)
Raw, lo-fi, abstract, politically-charged.
HBO
(Haitian Body Odor)
(2016)
Breakout album that introduced the elusive emcee to a wider audience.
The G.A.T... (2017)
Highly sought after record that sells for over $1000.
Pray for Haiti (2021)
More accessible. Mach for the masses.
You could be standing next to Mach-Hommy at this very moment and not know it. Launching his rap career in 2011, he wears the Haitian flag as a face, personifying his troubled homeland and its tragic slump into lawlessness. To the public at large he remains elusive, but far from anonymous, speaking with his music in a distinctive patois.
As a result, his depictions of street life hit harder than typical East Coast fare, an effect compounded by his ground-level perspective and unpredictable, stop-start flow that glides over the beat while other rappers bludgeon the same part mercilessly.
Due to this unique delivery, his dense bars feel spontaneous and honest instead of pre-conceived, as if a train of thought. This authenticity doesn't come from revealing personal details, mystique being a key part of his appeal. Despite rarely revealing his face, Mach Hommy's incendiary point of view is exposed regularly and resonates with diehard fans of the genre eager for the 'truth'.
He regularly imparts the type of thing you simply wouldn't hear on a major label, such as his lyric from 'Egypt': "It has been the role of these handmaidens of colonialism, to destroy your confidence in yourself." On the track, he satirises commercial hip hop by sending shout outs to the very same handmaidens: the Bank of America, Mitsubishi Financial, and Citigroup. Additionally, Mach's disdain for the mainstream also informs his business model.
Seeing hip hop as a valuable commodity, the rapper found an audience willing to pay up to $3000 for an album, and $1000 for a t-shirt, in large part to support underground artists dedicated to preserving the bottom-up nature of the music.
Initially, hip hop was made by real, ordinary people and spread within communities via word of mouth; the corporations came later. Mach has inspired his contemporaries, such as Ransom and Rome Streetz, to adopt a similar business model: designed around keeping circles exclusive and overheads low. For example, his album The G.A.T... was limited to only 28 copies and has never been available on streaming services.
As such, owning a copy became a badge of honour for underground heads, an expensive display of support reserved for the truly dedicated, or the fiscally imprudent. Selling many albums for a low price was standard industry logic reversed by Mach; he was the fillet mignon to their McChicken sandwich, the boutique to their chain store. In an industry dominated by mass appeal and struggling musicians, Mach-Hommy proved that exclusivity, authenticity, and a little bit of mystery can lead to riches.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
65
Mental Impact
80
Originality
90
Artistry
90
Authenticity
80
Live
65
Production
80
Musicianship
65
Rapping
90
Songwriting
85
Danceability
45
Fun
65
Consistency
80
Range
60
Cool
85
Charisma
80
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications
Charts
Critics >>>
- Complex: Pray for Haiti - Best Albums of 2021 : 8th
- Pichfork: Pray for Haiti - Best Albums of 2021 : 20th
- The Fader: Pray for Haiti - Best Albums of 2021 : 6th
