Photo by Mach Hommy
"Put This 38 In Your Mouth, Go Ahead And Spit Your Magnum Opus..."
“Pray For Haiti”. You may have heard this name, slogan or title banded about on a few occasions throughout 2021. In fact, it’s likely to have been followed up by some kind of “album of the year” declaration, whether verbatim or insinuated as such. To be honest, it was for good reason.
Mach-Hommy is an artist and a showman. He’s put every ounce of his inventiveness to work in order to create, distribute and brand his art. He enjoyed a fruitful year in 2021, but it was the product of years of building. As always, people see the success, but the grind often goes unnoticed. In Mach-Hommy’s case though, the grind is arguably more headline-worthy than the fruits of his labour - which is impressive in itself given the sheer quality of his “Pray For Haiti” album and other bodies of work in his stacked catalogue. Not one to rest on his laurels, he followed up with a second brilliant project in 2021 too, titled “Balens Cho”.
For this piece, having an insight or background into Mach’s journey is a must. I consume hip-hop related content far and wide in my spare time, so believe me when I say you will not find a better analysis or explanation than this short video on Youtube produced by Def Goldbloom.
The reason I described Mach as a showman should now be quite clear to see. Mach has complete control over his work and how he choses to deliver it to his audiences - whether small or large scale, niche or to the masses. His anonymity and inconspicuousness in the modern age is impressive and fascinating. At a time where everybody is throwing their hats into rings, Mach-Hommy lurks in the shadows before picking his moments to strike. When he does, it’s a full-blown barrage of hip-hop mastery.
Mach-Hommy’s creative capacity and vision to create an abstract world parallel to his stage persona/alter ego is a staggering display of genius and flair. We’ve seen this brilliant execution with other acts too, namely MF DOOM’s villainous adventures and The Wu-Tang Clan’s cosmic, warrior-like and superhero themed excursions, but Mach-Hommy has upped it a notch. He’s mastered the art of overlapping his own reality with ours, which is evident in his ability to monetise his entire operation through his pricing strategy and supply-chain logistics. It’s not that everybody wants a piece of Mach, but those that do fight tooth and nail to be part of his expansion.
[Usually, I would post parts/chunks of lyrics from the song that includes the headline, but Mach-Hommy is known for not wanting his lyrics to be published for reading - see here for details. So I will respect the artist’s wishes.]
For Mach-Hommy, middle-ground simply cannot exist. He can’t release mediocrity with the security of knowing he can bounce-back with more corporate sponsored studio time and a plethora of features on speed-dial or an email away. He releases supreme quality with the constant threat of a piano hovering over his head, ready to drop at any moment. Is it madness, or even insanity, that he’s the one dangling it over himself? If anything, it’s what symbolises the beauty of his journey the most and why his bar of wisdom paints his approach to hip-hop so vividly.
When you really care, you put the pressure on yourself to go that extra mile. Manifesting desired outcomes are a product of setting high standards or expectations of yourself. This is Mach’s sense of identity. His savviness in his mic-skills are matched by his business acumen and marketing wizardry, which stretch far beyond his mystery and enigma. From a man who accompanies his release with a trust fund set-up to donate the profits of his own sweat back to his people, you can see why he likens spitting his verses or dropping mastermind projects to staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, as he so eloquently raps.
Mach-Hommy means business. He means change. He‘s a different kettle of fish with the sole purpose of helping his fellow countrymen through times of desperation. He found a way to propel his message and cause without having to come up short. When it all concludes, he can look back on a journey that scored a full house on the table that secured his 1000 true fans, enriched himself and left a legacy to inspire the next generation. Every creator in the world can learn from the wisdom of Mach-Hommy. And if you can’t grasp it? Your loss.
“The artist should never try to be popular. Rather the public should be more artistic.”
Oscar Wilde
Do yourself justice, utilise your mind.
PS. I am excited to share that on next week’s edition of Bars Of Wisdom, I’ll be sharing a Q&A with Def Goldbloom, the creator of the sensational Youtube video linked earlier. We’ll talk all things hip-hop, Mach-Hommy, his content and more.
A Word On The Song/Artist
I can’t say I’ve dug deep into Mach Hommy’s catalogue to the same extent as my man Def Goldbloom did above, but I can most certainly say that I am equally as impressed and blown away every time I tune in to hear what the man has to say. Simply put, the minute I heard this song, and in particular this line, I knew I was going to write about it. The underground scene is experiencing a renaissance at the moment, and Mach-Hommy is an artist (and person in general) at the forefront you should know about. Make no mistake, “Pray For Haiti” will be seen as a very important project in years to come, musically and beyond. Mach is on a path to artistic and moral greatness...
Written by: @WhosAria
