#233 — Mach-Hommy — Pray For Haiti (2021)
Face-covered, but bare-faced talent.
If you told me there was a hip-hop artist on this list who kept their face covered and specialised in razor-sharp lyrics over what could be considered classic hip-hop beats, nailed on I’d expect it to be one of MF DOOM’s early 2000’s albums.
Mach-Hommy is like DOOM, in that he’s American but he’s not. For MF it was the UK, for Mach-Hommy it’s Haiti. This album donated funds towards Haiti, a country that’s been repeatedly punished for the crime of being the first free black nation to successfully defeat its colonisers.
He keeps his face covered, his real name hidden. Pray For Haiti is 40 minutes of deep hip-hop that feels like it’s a much longer album but that’s not a criticism.
There’s no fast-past tracks here, no big dance track. But there’s just so much going on in the mix here, that I’ve actually been listening to this one again and again to get a handle on everything that’s happening.
You can spend this album listening to the sharp lyrics, the chorus of guests and the way they’re layered onto tracks.
You can spend it trying to determine all the different elements of the beats. From the introductory track which sounds alien, down to the classic Motown horns later on in the album. You’ll have a good time either way.
I turn 40 this week. This month has been heavy on work-stress, but this project has been something of a salve — discovering albums like this, wonderful pieces of art that make me feel like I’m hearing Madvillainy or Jurassic 5’s debut again for the first time.
The comedian Josh Johnson said recently “Art can save your life, but entertainment will never be your salvation”. He’s right, and this album is art and an artist attempting to be a salvation in the story he is telling about Haiti, and putting money where his mouth is by supporting it.
Mach-Hommy — Pray For Haiti — 2021
Best Track: The 26th Letter. There’s a fucking heap going on in the opening track of this album. What on earth is this beat, how come it feels like there’s twenty people on this track. It sets a tone, and the album delivers.
Underrated Banger: Kriminel. Probably the purest expression of what this album’s about. A gorgeous beat, Haitian creole and American hip-hop flow.
You can find the album here: Pray For Haiti
