Mach-Hommy is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for concealing his real name and face in all public appearances, a practice that has led him to be described as "one of hip-hop's most elusive artists". Mach-Hommy has gained a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

as a result of his work ethic and sense of mystery. His lyrics are often heavily related to the social and political history of his Haitian heritage. Though he predominantly raps in English, he also frequently incorporates Haitian Kreyòl into his lyrics. He disallows his lyrics from being posted on lyric sites, describing such republishing as the sites "monetizing" his work, and he charges hundreds and even thousands of dollars for his releases, many of which are not available on

streaming services A streaming media service (also simply called a streaming service) is an online platform that allows users to watch or listen to content, such as film, movies, Television show, TV shows, music, or podcasts, over the internet. Instead of downloadi ...

Early life

Mach-Hommy was raised predominantly in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, but also spent much of his childhood in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

. His father was a folk guitarist, and Mach credits his father's musical style as an influence on his own. The first music Mach recorded was at the age of 13, when he performed a freestyle over the beat to

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...

's "Verbal Intercourse". In his early career, Mach found the music recording process to be an "unhealthy" environment and sought to take up filmmaking instead. However, at the encouragement of several Griselda members, he performed a verse for the song "Beloved", which motivated him to begin rapping again.

Career

Mach-Hommy first received widespread attention after the release of his 2016 album, ''H.B.O. (Haitian Body Odor)'', which he sold via

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

. Mach pressed only 187 copies of the ''H.B.O.'' CD and sold them for $300 apiece, before eventually uploading the album to

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

in 2017. He released numerous other albums in the following years through services such as

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

, but never released on streaming services. In 2021, Mach-Hommy released his album '' Pray for Haiti'' on most streaming services. Mach stated that he would donate his share of profits from the album to the Pray for Haiti Trust Fund, a charity he established to fund educational services and institutions in Haiti. ''Pray for Haiti'' also brought Mach a greater level of attention from the music press, with ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' honoring the album with a "Best New Music" award and ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' describing it as "a modern hip-hop classic". Mach-Hommy has intermittently associated with the Griselda Records label. Though Mach was once considered part of the Griselda collective, he separated from them after a falling-out with

Westside Gunn Alvin Lamar Worthy (born July 27, 1982), known professionally as Westside Gunn, is an American Rapping, rapper and fashion designer. He co-founded the Independent record label, hip-hop record label Griselda Records in 2012 with his paternal half- ...

, and as of 2017 Mach-Hommy was unaffiliated with the label. Mach and Gunn eventually reconciled in late 2020, as Westside Gunn served as an executive producer of ''Pray for Haiti''. On May 17, 2024, Mach-Hommy independently released '' #Richaxxhaitian''. The album contained features from

Kaytranada Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian music producer, rapper, singer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of m ...

03 Greedo Jason Jamal Jackson (born July 26, 1987), known by his stage name 03 Greedo, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from the Watts neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California. He began to gain recognition for his ' ...

Roc Marciano Rahkeim Calief Meyer (born February 11, 1978), better known by his stage name Roc Marciano, is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for his intricate internal rhymes and wordplay detailing mafioso and pimp themes over sample bas ...

, and

Black Thought Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, singer, actor and the lead Emcee (hip hop), MC of the hip hop group The Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove in Philadelphia. Regar ...

, among others. The album received positive reviews from critics.

Personal life

In an interview with ''Billboard'', Mach stated that he speaks every

Romance language The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...

. He is also an avid fisher and hunter.

Influences

Mach-Hommy cites a wide range of writers as influential upon him, including

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Her best-known work, the play ''A Raisin ...

Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influent ...

, and

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

. He also cites political and philosophical thinkers such as

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

, C. L. R. James,

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

, and

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

. He cites Prodigy and

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo formed in Queens, New York (state), New York in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy (rapper), Prodigy and Havoc (musician), Havoc, they are considered to be among the pr ...

as musical influences.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Goon Grizzle'' (2004, re-released in 2017) *''F.Y.I.'' (2013, remastered in 2016) *''ETA: Greek Fest'' (2015) *''H.B.O. (Haitian Body Odor)'' (2016) *''Dollar Menu'' (2017) *''Dollar Menu 2'' (2017) *''The Spook...'' (2017) *''Dump Gawd: Hommy Edition'' (2017) *''Dollar Menu 3: Dump Gawd Edition'' (2017) *''Dumpmeister'' (2017) *''Luh Hertz'' (2017) *'' The G.A.T...'' (2017) *''Fete Des Morts AKA Dia De Los Muertos'' (2017) *''Bulletproof Luh'' (2018) *''Dump Olympics: Wide Berth'' (2018) *''DUCK CZN: Chinese Algebra'' (2018) *''Notorious Dump Legends'' (2018) *'' Tuez-Les Tous'' (2019) *''Wap Konn Jòj!'' (2019) *''Kill Em All'' (2019) *''Mach's Hard Lemonade'' (2020) *''Bulletproof Luh'' (2021) *'' Pray for Haiti'' (2021) *''Balens Cho (Hot Candles)'' (2021) *''Dollar Menu 4'' (2022) *''Duck Czn: Tiger Style'' (2022) *''Notorious Dump Legends: Volume 2'' (2023) *'' #RICHAXXHAITIAN'' (2024)

Compilation albums

*''Supertape'' (2013) *''MHz'' (2017)

EPs

*''Back II the Future'' (2011) *''Depth Cum In 3s'' (2012) *''Uppity N*****'' (2012) *''iGRADE'' (2013) *''Good Grease'' (2013) *''Good Bye Uncle Tom'' (2013) *''#wellBREADUCATED'' (2013) *''May Day'' (2013) *''#foreignOBJECTS'' (2013) *'' Don't Get Scared Now'' (2016) *''Saturday Night Lights, Vol. 1 & 2'' (2018) *''No Chill 45 Series 001'' (2020) *''No Chill 45 Series 002'' (2020) *''Dump Gawd: Triz Nathaniel'' (2022) *''Dump Gawd: Triz Nathan'' (2022) *''Dump Gawd: Triz Nate'' (2022) *''Dump Gawd: Triz 9'' (2022)

Guest appearances

*"Beloved" by Conway the Machine (''Reject 2'') (2015) *"Donna Karen" by

(''Roses Are Red... So Is Blood'') (2016) *"King City" by Westside Gunn (''FLYGOD'') (2016) *"Floor Seats" by the Alchemist (''The Good Book, Vol. 2'') (2017) *"Btchs Bru" by Melanin 9 (''Old Pictures'') (2017) *"52 Handblocks" by Al.Divino (''DUMP GAWD: Divino Edition'') (2017) *"Carnies" by

Armand Hammer Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American businessman and philanthropist. The son of a Russian Empire-born communist activist, Hammer trained as a physician before beginning his career in trade with the newly estab ...

(''

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

'') (2017) *"Sell Me This Pen" by

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports the proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the proposition is truth, true. The exact definition and role of evidence vary across different fields. In epistemology, evidence is what J ...

('' Weather or Not'') (2018) *"Rare Paradigms" by Koncept Jack$on (''The Tale Of Mutant Root'') (2018) *"Daddy Love You" by DJ Preservation (''February 4th'') (2018) *"Windhoek" by Billy Woods (''Terror Management'') (2019) *"RST", "Funeral March (The Dirge)" by

Your Old Droog Dmitry Kutsenko, known by his stage name Your Old Droog, is a Ukrainian-born American rapper and producer from Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. He first gained public attention in June 2014 when online rumors were circulated that his self-p ...

(''It Wasn't Even Close'') (2019) *"Lies U Tell" by Koncept Jack$on (''Thot Rap Vol. 1'') (2019) *"4N" by

Earl Sweatshirt Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (born February 24, 1994), known professionally as Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper and record producer. Kgositsile was originally known by the moniker Sly Tendencies when he began rapping in 2008, but changed his na ...

('' Feet of Clay'') (2019) *"Wild Minks" by

Quelle Chris Gavin Christopher Tennille (born October 19, 1984), known as Quelle Chris, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He has released over 15 albums as a solo act and with his collaborative projects. Career Te ...

(''Guns'') (2019) *"Shamash", "BDE", "Desert Eagle" by Your Old Droog (''Jewelry'') (2019) *"Save Me" by Kamaal Williams (''Wu Hen'') (2020) *"Chimney" by Moor Mother and Billy Woods (''Brass'') (2020) *"New Religion", "Uzbekistan", "Pravda" by

(''DUMP YOD: Krutoy Edition'') (2020) *"Margiela Split Toes" by Westside Gunn (''Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf'') (2021) *"Best Dressed Demons", "RIP Bergdorf" by Westside Gunn (''Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B'') (2021) *"$payforhaiti" by

(''Intimidated'') (2021) *"Spin Off" by Big Cheeko (''Block Barry White'') (2022) *"Double Layup" by Camoflauge Monk (''Priye Pou Ayiti'') (2022) *"Let's Make A Deal" by Tha God Fahim (''Iron Bull'') (2023) *"1000 HP", "Butter Levers", "Designer" by Tha God Fahim (''Dump Gawd Reloaded'') (2023) *"Indeed" by Tha God Fahim (''Dump Gawd: Tha Knocking Of Loose'') (2023)

References

External links

* * {{Discogs artist Living people Haitian rappers American male rappers Rappers from Newark, New Jersey 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people) American hip-hop record producers English-language singers Unidentified musicians Masked musicians