Mach-Hommy Shares The Lessons He Learned Working with MF DOOM and JAY-Z

In a new interview, Mach-Hommy also discussed his love for Ghostface Killah, his Haitian roots, and how he donated a portion of the masters from his new album to an aid fund for his home country.

Rarely one to offer an interview, Mach-Hommy made some time for Pete Rosenberg to unpack his new album, Pray For Haiti, and the gems he's picked up from legends throughout his career.

Sitting alongside the project's executive producer, Westside Gunn, the Newark rapper shared some of the lessons he learned directly (and inadvertently) from his encounters with JAY-Z and the MF DOOM. "Just another villain, you know, we come from the same cloth, the same vein," the masked (well before the pandemic,) rapper says of DOOM's influence. "This person took time out to, you know what I'm saying, create with me, as elusive as he may have been," Mach added, noting how his own enigmatic image was inspired by the late rapper. . In 2019, DOOM traded bars with Mach on a pair of songs featured on two separate Your Old Droog albums.

Later in the interview, Rosenberg asks the rapper to contextualize the photo of him and Hov that surfaced in late 2019. "Man, that was a funny day," Mach tells the Hot 97 host, before recalling a less than ideal interaction with the rap mogul. Mach goes on to explain that he was (veering towards inexcusably) late for their meeting, but much his surprise, Hov was patient enough to stick around. "Long story short, I was wild late, son. I was so late he had to call friends to keep him company," the rapper admits. According to Mach, the Roc Nation founder was also a big fan of the young rapper's work and it was clear Hov attuned to what was happening in subterranean rap circles. "He's a student of his culture. He's not bigger than the culture," Mach adds. Not long after their meeting, Mach released his 2020 album, Mach's Hard Lemonade, exclusively on TIDAL and tipped a hat to the streamer's former owner by pricing deluxe vinyl packages of the album at $444.44.

Elsewhere in the interview, the rapper discusses his appreciation for Ghostface Killah, his Haitian roots and how he donated a portion of his masters from the new album to an aid fund for his home country.

Pray For Haiti was released on May 21st via Griselda Records, featuring appearances from Tha God Fahim, Keisha Plum, and Melanie Charles, along with production by Camoflauge Monk, Conductor Williams, Messiah Musik and others. A vinyl edition of the project is expected to arrive in the weeks ahead. Daupe, a longtime handler of Griselda's highly-coveted and limitedly-pressed vinyl drops, is reportedly behind the Pray For Haiti treatment. However, a firm date for that release has yet to be announced.

Watch Mach-Hommy and Westside Gunn's interview with Pete Rosenberg below. Keep an eye on Daupe's Bandcamp page for pre-orders of the Pray For Haiti vinyl pressing in the weeks ahead.