Maxo Kream, born Emekwanem Ogugua Biosah Jr., reigns from the Lone Star state of Texas. His tumultuous upbringing from the streets of Alief, Texas is evident within his syrupy drawls and dirty south demeanor. In high school, he moved from the low end suburb of Alief and into Fort Bend. He first began rapping with his cousin Lyndo. As a rapper and producer, he began to gain major recognition from his “Rigamortis” remix and collaboration on “Mob of Gods” with A$AP Ant (YG Addie).
Affiliations and Repercussions
As a multipurposed artist, Maxo admires production from the likes of ScHoolboy Q and Kid Cudi. Another thing that he has in common with ScHoolboy Q is a crip affiliation. Growing up, Maxo identified as a member of the 52 Hoover Crips. As a matter of fact, this affiliation came back to bite him on his first tour. When traveling the country on Danny Brown’s “The Exhibition” tour Canadian officials declined him entry into the country due to a Google search on his name. The search brought back countless results of gang affiliation.
This basic search does not escape Maxo Kream very easily. A rough upbringing and surrounding background activities stole the innocence right out of this man’s life. Rather than succumb to adversity, he used this troubled existence to his advantage. America loves a rags-to-riches story and hip-hop loves someone who is unapologetically hood. Maxo was able to overcome his shortcomings by putting authenticity into his rhymes and utilizing terrific breath control. As someone who never sugarcoats or fabricates his material, Kream gained the respect of his peers instantaneously. Houston old school legends like Pimp C, DJ Screw and The Geto Boys played an instrumental role in propelling his career to where it is today.
Wisely Blending into the Right Crowd
Maxo developed an affinity for networking with important individuals. He became so good at connecting with like-minded people that many people would ask him to perform at the Texas legs of their tour. Some artists that brought Maxo out were Chief Keef and A$AP Ferg (Turnt n Burnt tour). If there is one thing that he learned from touring it is to make sure to keep a balanced and nutritious diet for the long nights and hours of traveling.
Houston Drip
Maxo often raps over MexikoDro beats and his first extremely popular song titled Fetti featured Playboi Carti and Da$h. Actually, Maxo Kream was the catalyst between Playboi Carti and A$AP Rocky’s first in person interaction. The “Fetti” video was shot in Rocky’s mansion home. Kream was also one of the early artists who received support from A$AP Yams who had an unparalleled ear for discovering musical talent and encouraged him to keep pursuing the path of Houston hip-hop. 
Between the old-school Houston sounds and the new school A$AP Rocky “trill” type movement Maxo stands firmly at the intersection of the two. At 26 years old, he often refers to himself as the bridge between the old and new school. As a genuine street dude, he earns the respect of everyone around him by remaining true to the game.
Experimentation
Growing up within times of hardship and struggle provided a lack of guidance for Maxo Kream. Being as that many of his family members and peers were accustomed to taking drugs, as did he partake in this type of illicit activity. When he sold drugs he would get one over on his customers by cutting cough-syrup type medicine called, “Lean” with Karo syrup. This way, he could yield a greater profit by saving more of the product. For those unaware, Houston is the originator of drinking lean with promethazine which is considered an opiate. Very similar to heroin, Maxo Kream bought his first cup at the age of 17 and sipped it for nine years. This product has dastardly affects on your stomach’s inner linings and the withdrawals are very severe. Maxo Kream said that he had to cut back on the “drank” because he could not arise from bed one day. Also, one of his Kream (Kicks Rule Everything Around Me) fatally shot the other due to extreme inebriation from Xanax usage. Since these two occurrences, Maxo has cut back significantly on his drug intake.
Maxo’s Debut Project
After a mixtape streak that spanned a few years and spawned about five tapes, Maxo finally released his debut album. “Punken” came out on January 12, 2018 and is also his childhood nickname. This visceral collection of songs deals with his upbringing and goes into great detail about encounters with those immediately close to him. It deals with his juvenile delinquency without any sense of sentimentality. He candidly raps about disobedience and duality of being. He turns a linear album into a cycle of raps that discuss a damaged perspective and traumatic experiences. The album is comprised of gory details surrounding home invasions and sinister reenactments of Houston life. We get to know every member of Maxo’s family better as this album goes into painstaking detail about his corrosive childhood.
Authenticity is a core component of Maxo’s overall nature. He is not traditionally minded and uses morph as a device to explain his stories. Morph deals with the conceptualization of idea in art that is only previously considered before in secret. The morph occurs when this idea formulates into fruition through music and becomes wholesome in existence through artistic expression. As a creature of Houston survival, loyalty is the premium theme that rings true throughout Maxo’s catalogue. He is an inspiring observationalist who goes into deep, granular detail on every track.
What separates Maxo from the Soundcloud generation is his able to spit clear and loquacious elocution. Also, his execution speaks volumes about the way which he was able to traverse from the trials and tribulations of the street into a lifestyle that allows everyone around him to flourish. During Hurricane Harvey, he was attending the Mayweather versus McGregor fight and felt devastated. To be in a position where he was unable to help, he felt rather hopeless. His mother was stranded for days in the aftermath of the Harvey wreckage. Rest assured, Maxo flew to the scene of the catastrophe and instantly picked his family up out of the turmoil. One thing is for sure, Maxo holds down his kinfolk and does everything in his power to assure their well-being. Not but three days later, he had purchased a new home for his mother and put everyone back on their feet.
As a self-aware hip-hop star, Maxo Kream has an intense sense of responsibility and commitment. His street persona greatly differs from his goofy and playful demeanor. Although, intimidation is his appeal, he is able to grip his audience from just being original and sticking to his roots. His main audience is white hipsters and oddballs but that does not lead him astray. His ominous chopped and screwed noir plays a major factor in redefining the genre of rap and hip-hop.
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