Mach-Hommy’s New Album Has The Best Raps of 2021
Examining the new release by the enigmatic rapper
Don’t bother looking up Mach-Hommy’s lyrics. You won’t find them. Due to a DMCA takedown, he’s not on Genius, and finding reliable transcripts is still difficult. Mach-Hommy’s Pray For Haiti is something you need to hear for yourself. Any line I quote would be nothing without the context of his voice, the lines around it, the beat underneath it. Each line is a contender for rewinding back the track, but he does not get bogged down in detail. Instead, throughout the album, Mach-Hommy is constantly on the move. He is an artist in motion, carefully building the monument but doing it with such casual candor.
A loose “sequel” to Westside Gunn’s Pray For Paris, Gunn is the curator and executive of this masterpiece. Joining back up with Westside Gunn was one of the best decisions Mach-Hommy could’ve made. Acting as a mastermind and hypeman, Gunn is the perfect foil to Mach-Hommy’s off-kilter approach. It’s almost unfair, how many good beats are given to Mach-Hommy here, from the trumpet of “The 26th Letter” to the piano of “Magnum Band.”
And Mach-Hommy is weird this time around. It’s nearly impossible to think of where he’s going, from the cyclical beat of “The 26th Letter” to the Haitian Creole of “Kriminel.” But, like all good artists, he is a kaleidoscope of influences- self-referential to hip hop landmarks like MF Doom, 50 Cent, and even himself at times. Unpacking a single track can take an entire day, but they function as hits on their own. They are almost spring-loaded with incredible raps, ready to burst.
Mach-Hommy has always been a bit of a mystery. Gaining his infamy through self-releasing on Bandcamp, his scarce inventory was charged by the hundreds to get a physical copy. In recent years, more experimental rap has come to the forefront with MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt among the biggest names pushing forward the genre. Maybe Mach-Hommy is a part of this movement, though he may disagree with it himself. His raps are more direct, his punchlines more piercing than contemplative.
Pray For Haiti stands on the shoulders of classic New York Rap and boom bap. But even then, this seems too limiting for Mach-Hommy. He lies on the in-between of Earl Sweatshirt and Raekwon, but off the path in his own way. He is not only advancing New York rap, but building his own legend.
Mach-Hommy always struck me as a talented rapper, but something about it always made me think that it wasn’t quite all it could be. Maybe it was his affinity for charging exorbitant prices for his work, maybe it was my own ignorance. Immediately from “The 26th Letter,” you know you’re in for something special- his words circle the drain and you hang on every single one. By the time Westside Gunn comes in talking smack, you’ve texted every single friend that they need to hear this.
Westside Gunn is without a doubt a guiding influence on the album. On “Folie Á Deux,” he is afforded the chance to open up the track, easily gliding over the beat. On other tracks, he lies in the background, backing up Mach-Hommy with his knack for hating. On every feature, though, he brings his best, matching Mach-Hommy (who is operating at his best) bar for bar.
Like almost all great albums, Pray For Haiti has a strong concept. It’s a story of Mach-Hommy himself and about the country of Haiti. It’s tied in with Mach-Hommy’s creole diversions and the “Kreyol” skit, but it never weighs down the experience. The “Kreyol” skit is an archived discussion on creole and its’ development as a spoken and written word. It’s a contemplative piece that allows the album to breathe, but also serves as a point by Mach-Hommy- his work may be obtuse to some, but his strength lies in this power.
Mach-Hommy will never be for the masses. He is singular in his talent, but he is already a legend. On Pray For Haiti he adds to his mythos. A master of the written word, not a single line is wasted. At a time when other artists strive for the next hit, Mach-Hommy cruises in his python trench coat, Westside Gunn in the passenger seat, laughing at you.
Together with the FLYGOD himself, Mach-Hommy has created his masterpiece and almost elevated it to high art. The songs are short, in-and-out rap labyrinths. Through extended metaphors about the sun, bragging about his closet, and creole soothsaying, he has created a monumental work with seemingly little effort. His album is one of the must-listens for 2021, and easily one of the best rap projects in recent memory.
