THE NEED FOR MYSTERY
The mask on the cover of Madvillainy is why I pressed play. I’ve forgotten the day, month, and year, but I remember the thrill of the mystique―the magnetism of his mystery. Shaded in an unloving black and gray, it’s not an inviting cover. The ambiance is anti. Even his eyes, which are barely visible, cast a deadpan glare that shies from emotional connection. He projects not danger, but distance. Elusiveness. A man you are not supposed to see.
Even before MF DOOM passed, the thought of a new, mask-wearing rapper didn’t interest me much. I’m not the biggest fan of gimmicks that aren’t captivating. It’s hard enough to view a face and decide if you’re looking at a man or a moniker. An identity or an idea. Often it’s a bit of both, and sometimes it’s neither.
The guessing is a part of the experience.
DOOM was different, though. You didn’t have to guess. The man was a myth. A three-dimensional supervillain conceived of flesh, beer and rhymes.
On Friday, Newark rapper Mach-Hommy released his latest album, Pray For Haiti, an album that reminded me how enigmatic Hommy has been over the years. He’s elusive in presence, villainous in rhyme, and utterly unpredictable with when and how he’ll release music.
I discovered him back in 2017, when he made headlines for selling albums on Bandcamp and Instagram for more than $100. “I am the vendor,” Hommy said in a rare 2017 interview. Those four words have stuck with me through the years. That’s what Mach-Hommy does better than most, he engraves thoughts and rhymes upon the listener that stands through the clutter of information experienced during this hyperspeed digital age.
While revisiting another rare interview with Tea & Converse, I realized how the same things I found enamoring about DOOM I see in Mach. It’s not just how they hide their faces, but how both men are aware of what they symbolize. There’s something simply enamored by their presence, by their thoughts, by the way they articulate themselves. Even without seeing his face, you understand the person behind the Haitian flag.
There will never be another DOOM, but we are blessed to be living in a time of Mach-Hommy.
The most interesting rapper alive.