Mach-Hommy & Westside Gunn Are Having Their Ric Flair-Bobby Heenan Championship Run

When wrestling legend Ric Flair entered the 1992 WWE Royal Rumble, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan stood right by the 16-time world champion as he dominated the competition. Flair entered the Rumble at number three and lasted a full hour to become the victor in the annual event. 

Westside Gunn, a big Ric Flair fan, likens himself and New Jersey rapper Mach-Hommy to Heenan and the Nature Boy. On Mach-Hommy’s new album, Pray For Haiti, the long-awaited reunion that fans thought would never happen came to life and showed the power of two strong forces coming together. 

“He’s Flair and I’m Bobby,” Westside Gunn tells Billboard. “Mach was with me first when I started Griselda, and now, he told me to turn him up, so I turned his ass up [laughs].”

Pray For Haiti is the first collaboration between Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy since they first went their separate ways in the early 2010s. Fans came up with all types of theories as to why there was friction, but at the end of the day, as Westside Gunn says, “We picked up right where we left off.” 

Time apart couldn’t tarnish the impeccable synergy Mach-Hommy and Westside Gunn show on Pray For Haiti. Mach leads the way with his complex array of bars, while Gunn’s ability to curate a well-rounded tracklist brings the masked rapper’s vision to life. “Who the f–k I’m supposed to call?” says Mach when asked why Gunn was the best choice to executive produce his album. “There’s somebody else for me to call? He’s bringing the message in a form that they can receive, and he gets me. That’s rare.” 

Flair didn’t need “The Brain” to have a successful run in the WWE, and the same can be said about Mach and his music. The “Stellar Ray Theory” rapper built a revered body of work without any real promotion or rollouts, and he made a name for himself with his mysterious yet intriguing persona. 

Pray For Haiti is something of a coming-out party for Mach, who says he’s having a different type of fun this go around. Every album released up until Pray For Haiti was Mach having fun for himself, and now he’s ready to share that fun with fans. “I kept everybody in mind when I was having fun with Pray For Haiti,” Mach says. “What I’ve been doing for the past couple of years was be in my zone by myself, doing what I f–king like. But now I’m thinking in terms of us and we and stuff like that.”

Mach-Hommy is also making himself slightly more available to fans with this new chapter in his career. Interviews aren’t his thing, and there’s barely any information on him besides the music he’s put out. You won’t find Mach on social media either, but he realizes through Gunn the usefulness behind putting himself out there. 

“I don’t like this press s–t, but that’s the whole point in having friends — because you get access through a different lens. And social media, I use it, but it’s just being used differently,” Mach admits to Billboard. “I can’t give all the game away, but I found a way to be there without having a burner account. Real talk, we need one social media per ten n—as, for real. We need to start carpooling to work and stop polluting the air.”

For Gunn, the reunion with his longtime friend is a chance for him to display what he calls “the top two ears for production of all time.” It’s a bold statement to make, but one that’s worth listening to, especially when that person was instrumental in resurrecting a dormant sound. 

“Some people aren’t even confident to even let a Westside Gunn take the lead because they want to be the ones doing what I’m doing,” Gunn says confidently. “When you have someone that understands what I actually do, and they realize what they do, it’s undeniable. That’s why I really don’t like doing features, because I gotta rap on a beat that they picked. I do what I can, but I don’t do features — because other people don’t have the ear, they just have the money, and it’s never about the money. So my challenge was to give him the craziest beats I can hear him rap on.”

Westside Gunn is helping Mach achieve a monumental goal with Pray For Haiti, just like “The Brain” led Flair to a WWE championship. Pray For Haiti is not only an album, but a piece of Haitian culture that Mach is injecting into hip-hop. “I’m at the point in my life that I don’t need an excuse to do the inevitable,” Mach tells Billboard. “I was always headed towards this just off the way they nurtured and brought me up. I have the Pray For Haiti trust fund, and we’re putting money in that to give back to the country. Any country that’s having the type of difficulties Ayiti has had as a nation for so long, that’s real generational poverty and societal ills.” 

Westside Gunn added, “I’m an honorary Haitian now. It feels good to do something for the country. Mach has the foundation that people can donate to and get things going. I want to support him for that. We’re bringing something beautiful to the culture while we’re doing something beautiful for the country. I’m happy to be involved. And I have to start talking Kreyòl lessons.”

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DaBaby, H.E.R., Tyler, The Creator, Leon Bridges & More: What’s Your Favorite New Music Release? Vote!

Music lovers had some great new releases to dive into this week, including standouts from DaBaby, H.E.R., Tyler, The Creator, and more. Billboard wants to know which one tops your list!

This week, Charlotte superstar DaBaby dropped “Ball If I Want To,” his second solo single of 2021 after “Masterpiece.” Clocking in just under two minutes, the raunchy new track is filled with not-so-thinly veiled sexual innuendo, and finds the rapper making his music video directorial debut with a rowdy high school-themed visual.

On the heels of winning a Grammy Award for “I Can’t Breathe” and an Academy Award for “Fight For You,” H.E.R. releases her engrossing new album, Back of My Mind. The R&B star’s debut full-length spans 21 tracks and features appearances by Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Baby, Thundercat, Chris Brown, DJ Khaled, and others. On the set, she explores new terrain as a vocalist, particularly on ballads like the yearning “My Own” and the wounded “Mean It.”

Ahead of the release of his next album, Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator offers the new track “Lumberjack,” which seemingly masquerades as a straightforward rap song flexing fame and fortune. But a closer looks reveals that it’s an irrepressible Tyler tune, with ad-libs from DJ Drama and outlandish wordplay.

So which new music release is your favorite? Vote below!

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Nile Rodgers Re-Elected Chairman of Songwriters Hall of Fame

Nile Rodgers was unanimously re-elected to a second three-year term as chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame by the group’s board of directors at its annual board meeting on June 11. Rodgers was first elected to the post in 2018, when he succeeded Philly soul architects Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.

“Three years ago, I was honored and humbled to be elected by my peers as the chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame,” Rodgers said in a statement. “It has been one of the most important experiences of my life to represent and advocate for the songwriting community. To now be given the opportunity to serve for another three years is a responsibility I take very seriously. We’ve done great work in the first three years despite the pandemic but we are just getting started. There is no music industry without the song and I’m delighted to serve the songwriters that have delivered the most iconic songs of all time.”

“Nile is tremendously respected and admired by his peers and fans of all generations for being a musical pioneer,” said Linda Moran, SHOF president and CEO. “…Having him as a partner has been a very special and rewarding experience and the Songwriters Hall of Fame can ask for no better representative, both to the songwriting community and to the world at large.”

Rodgers, 68, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016. He was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in the award for musical excellence category, the following year. He has won three Grammys — all for his work on Daft Punk’s 2013 smash “Get Lucky” and the duo’s Random Access Memories album.

As a songwriter and producer, Rodgers has been responsible not only for many hits with his former group Chic, such as “Le Freak” and “Good Times,” both of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but also also hits for Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, INXS and Duran Duran, among many others.

Other re-elected officers are Moran as president and CEO; Tom Kelly as CFO and treasurer; senior vice presidents David Israelite, Beth Matthews and Mike O’Neill; secretary Mary Jo Mennella; and deputy secretary April Anderson.

Elected members to the board of directors who will serve three-year terms are Paul Williams, Desmond Child, Steve Dorff, Ne-Yo, Martin Bandier, Caroline Bienstock, Donna Caseine, Samantha Cox, Charlie Feldman, Fletcher Foster, Pete Ganbarg, Randy Grimmett, John Josephson, Jody Klein, Evan Lamberg, Carianne Marshall, Nancy Munoz, Jon Platt, Irwin Z. Robinson, Patrice Rushen and John Titta. Barry Slotnick will continue as counsel.

Four of these board members have been honored by the SHOF. Williams was inducted into the SHOF in 2001, followed by Child in 2008 and Dorff in 2018. Ne-Yo received the Hal David Starlight Award in 2012. Williams is slated to receive the organization’s top honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 2022. The award has been delayed two years because of the pandemic.

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Which of Taylor Swift’s Re-Recorded ‘Red’ Songs Are You Most Excited to Hear? Vote!

Now that Taylor Swift has announced her next album re-recording project, Billboard wants to know: Which Red song are you most excited to hear all over again?

The album includes four Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including Swift’s first-ever No. 1 on the chart: “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”; the other three to make it to the top 10 were “Begin Again,” “I Knew You Were Trouble” and the album’s title track.

There were three other singles released from the album too: “22,” “Everything Has Changed” with Ed Sheeran and “The Last Time” with Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody. And while it was never released as a single, “All Too Well” has become a true fan favorite since Red’s 2012 release — especially Swift’s live performances of the brooding piano ballad, most notably at the 2014 Grammys telecast.

In her note announcing her next re-recording, Swift wrote: “This will be the first time you hear all 30 songs that were meant to go on Red.” But for today’s poll, we’ll just focus on the core 16 tracks from the original release since we don’t know what those bonus 14 songs (!) will include.

So ahead of the Nov. 19 release of Red (Taylor’s Version), which track are you most excited to hear? Vote below!

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Miami lawmaker bears witness as Biden makes Juneteenth a federal holiday

For years, Miami Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson commemorated Juneteenth with her Congressional Black Caucus colleagues, and Black celebrities frequently joined lawmakers in Washington to celebrate. But this year, Wilson, South … Click to Continue »
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Man in shootout with officers was kicked out of his house for not paying rent, police say

After being kicked out of his grandfather’s home in Davie for not paying rent or taking his medications, Kaazim Campbell pulled out a handgun and fired five times into the … Click to Continue »
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One man hurt, suspect in custody following shooting at Sweetwater intersection, police say

A man was shot several times after pulling his truck over in Sweetwater Thursday afternoon, police said. The shooting happened at around 3 p.m. at the intersection of Southwest Fifth … Click to Continue »
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Miami man’s securities fraud made relatives $4 million, lost others $5 million, SEC says

A Miami investment advisor used a form of securities trading fraud to channel $4.6 million to accounts under his parents’ names while sticking other clients with more than $5.5 million … Click to Continue »
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Judge says sweeping LA criminal justice reform measure is unconstitutional

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has declared that Measure J, which county voters approved last year to set aside public funds for social services and jail diversion programs, … Click to Continue »
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Amythyst Kiah on Her Powerful New Album ‘Wary + Strange’: ‘I’m What I Needed to See When I Was Younger’

For a significant portion of her career as a singer-songwriter, Amythyst Kiah was a Black woman from  Chattanooga imprisoned by her passionate, queer human desires and the closet in which they were trapped. Alcohol abuse and depression clouded her mind even further.

But her new album Wary + Strange, out Friday on Rounder Records, is a raw, crystal-clear statement of Black power and gay pride that is intensely personal, yet also speaks directly to America’s current sociopolitical moment and quest for racial justice.

Lead single “Black Myself,” which was nominated for a Grammy for best American roots song, finds Kiah making bold, self-aware statements about her hard-lived experience, finally assessing and repossessing her self-worth and self-respect.

The brackish rock serving as the underbelly of Kiah’s countrified timbre, announcing that “I don’t creep around, I stand proud and free/ ‘Cause I’m black myself/ I go anywhere that I wanna go/ ‘Cause I’m black myself.” The song serves as a clarion call, shining a light on Black liberation and Kiah’s reclamation of her physical and mental health. Other tracks, namely “Soapbox,” “Sleeping Queen” and Firewater,” continue this navigation down the, yes, “wary and strange” road to her Black, femme, queer and uniquely American freedom.

“Hiding myself to please everybody wore me down. In order to truly be happy and fulfill my purpose in life, I had to embrace who I honestly am, in every way,” Kiah says, smiling via Zoom.

And in doing so, others are embracing her. Last month, Kiah earned three nominations for September’s  Americana Music Awards — the most nods earned by any artist this year (tying with Jason Isbell). Her nods include emerging act of the year, song of the year for a solo rendition of “Black Myself,” and duo/group of the year as part of collective Our Native Daughters (Rhiannon Giddens, Kiah, Leyla McCalla and Allison Russell).

On a day off in southern Florida after opening for the Indigo Girls, her conversation with Billboard was poignant, revelatory and, overall, Black and proud.

This album feels like a statement of self-actualization that has broader human potential. Is that a correct read?

I’d agree. This album serves as a way to cope with the crippling anxiety I’ve felt about my identity, who I was and where I fit in. For me, music has always served as a way to try to deal with that. [Moreover] my music — and especially this album — serving as part of a solution to not just my own issues, but possibly to achieving greater Black visibility [in country and Americana] is amazing. I’m what I needed to see when I was younger. To be the artist that proves that there are funny-talking, sci-fi-loving, queer Black people who look like me and who thrive outside of mainstream Black culture and mainstream expectations of Black people is important.

Throughout your career, and especially with Our Native Daughters and the collective’s 2018 release, Songs of Our Native Daughters, rootsy folk music has been intrinsic to your sound. How did that impact the creation of Wary + Strange?

My professional career has been a progression of me figuring myself out. When I first got interested in roots music, it was cathartic to play traditional songs that I didn’t write myself but still felt connected with. In hindsight, I realized that served as a barrier because I wasn’t yet able to channel and share my own feelings with my own songs that sounded like the ones I was singing. With this record, I’ve finally — after five years of therapy — [been] able to tell my story, while also calling back to the music that aided me in helping me understand my personal and creative evolution.

Sonically, this album — especially tracks like “Firewater” and “Black Myself” — sounds much heavier and harder than anything you’ve made before. It’s diverse, but the funk, the grooves, for lack of a better term, feel larger. Was it intentional?

These players — alongside producer Tony Berg and engineer Will McClellan — love all types of music and adapted without hesitation to whatever the songs needed. They look at music the way I look at music: Regardless of genre, does it move me? Kane Ritchotte is the drummer on this album too. He’s played with Portugal. The Man, plus is a fantastic session musician. We recorded the album at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, and when we recorded the drum parts, Tony put the drums out in the main studio room to create this big sound. I’ve never quite had my drums sound so heavy, but I knew I always wanted it. On [Wary + Strange], it finally happened. I’m a very rhythmic musician, so I always wanted my music to pack a greater “punch,” so to speak.

Speaking of songs packing a punch, “Soapbox” bookends the album, and the songwriting here is particularly pointed. You rhyme “sophistry” with “atrophy,” which absolutely feels like you chose lyrical violence. What does that song mean?

“Soapbox” was the last song I wrote before recording. For most of my life — in high school, in Chattanooga, Tennessee — I was out as queer. However, when I moved to Johnson City, Tennessee, in my 20s, I thought, “This is a smaller town, so I don’t know how this will be received,” so I went back into the closet for, like, seven years. However, as I got deeper into roots music, I started to realize something: “I’m already Black, androgynous, gay, a woman, and I’m holding in so much about myself and not being open with people.” So I decided to make a proclamation and not be afraid of people believing these truths of who I am. I realized that every time that I’ve been truthful about who I am, I end up gaining the support of more people than I lose.

If you were to sum up the goals of crafting this album as a mission statement to your fans, new listeners and other artists, what would that be?

If you’re using something to impose legislation or make people feel like they don’t belong, that’s problematic. We can no longer allow things that the public uses against us to have power over our lives. We all have a greater purpose that’s being limited. We have to break free from that. Also, to help people achieve these goals, we, as artists, have to bare our souls. When we bare everything, we create strong, emotional music that allows people to grieve, feel less alone and discover themselves.

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