Complex's

Idea Generation

How Mach-Hommy Turned Battle Raps Into $7,000 Pieces of Art

In 2016 a self taught videographer and former battle rapper from Newark, New Jersey had an idea. Born in Haiti, the grandson of a judge, Mach-Hommy moved with his family to the US at the age of 9 and fell in love with hip hop. After honing his skills as an MC, Mach eventually got caught up in the street for a time, before shifting gears into filmmaking. Through a chance encounter with the Griselda crew while shooting, Mach would be encouraged to pursue music and create one of the most innovative business models in music. And it all started with one idea. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:30 Why Mach-Hommy Wears a Mask 4:10 Parents Influence 6:40 Childhood in Haiti 8:33 Discovering Hip Hop 11:10 Recording His First Raps 14:30 Dropping Out of High School 15:35 Legal Troubles and Jail 17:00 Getting Into Filmmaking 18:45 Meeting the Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine 20:35 First Songs with Griselda / Home Studio 23:05 Becoming Mach-Hommy / Honing His Craft 27:05 Cultivating a Fan Base and Building Demand 30:30 Pricing Music / Gaining Industry Knowledge 35:05 Releasing 'Pray For Haiti' 38:50 #Richaxxhaitian 41:00 Meeting Jay-Z / Dinner or $50,000? 43:20 What's Next? IDEA GENERATION is a 360° media platform catering to the creative class which exists to educate and inspire the mavericks of tomorrow. Follow IDEA GENERATION on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ideageneration/ Subscribe to IDEA GENERATION’s The Spark Newsletter for creative entrepreneurs: https://ideageneration.substack.com/