Haitian American rapper Mach-Hommy’s personal history is mostly shrouded in mystery—other than what he reveals in his raps. Armed with a bandana over his mouth and a desire to stay as close to the vest as possible, this secretive art-rap genius has evolved from a New Jersey underground hero to an international star. His early albums, like the cult classic from 2016, H.B.O. (Haitian Body Odor), and 2019’s Tuez Les-Tous, introduced fans to his fascination with the Haitian diaspora and the plague of colonialism in his ancestral country. But his true ascent was due in large part to two albums from 2021—Pray For Haiti and Balens Cho (Hot Candles). The first was made with executive producer Westside Gunn, who provided soul samples and drumless loops to underscore Mach’s tales of Haitian history, while the second finds the rapper celebrating his personal successes with songs like, “LAJAN SAL”, where he triumphantly exclaims, “I ain’t seen my P.O.in a while!”