Maxo Kream

Street life, economic hardship, and their ripple effects on family ties shape the unflinching stories told by rapper Maxo Kream. The Texas native rose from regional favorite to national presence in the early 2010s. Punken (2018) marked his first appearance on the charts and secured a contract with RCA, which then released Brandon Banks (2019) and Weight of the World (2021). He later went independent via Stomp Down, issuing tracks such as the Key Glock-assisted “Bonecrusher” (2023), before delivering his fourth album, Personification, in 2024.

Born Emekwane Ogugua Biosah, Jr. in Houston and raised in nearby Alief, Maxo Kream began recording during high school, drawing directly from neighborhood experiences. A personalized reinterpretation of Kendrick Lamar’s “Rigamortis” first brought him wider notice. His initial two mixtapes, Retro Card and Quicc Strikes, appeared independently in 2012 and 2013. Aligning with TSO, he issued #Maxo187 in 2015, The Persona Tape in 2016, and Punken in 2018—the last of which became his earliest project to register on Billboard’s Independent Albums and Heatseekers charts. Those results led to management and recording deals with Roc Nation and RCA, followed by the major-label debut Brandon Banks in 2019. Featuring Travis Scott and Megan Thee Stallion, the album debuted at number 68 on the Billboard 200. Around that period he also contributed to Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers III compilation, later nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rap Album category.

Weight of the World arrived in 2021, a reflective collection anchored by the bold Tyler, The Creator collaboration “Big Persona.” A 2022 deluxe edition added five tracks, among them the solo “Jigga Dame” plus cuts with Benny the Butcher, Anderson .Paak, and Babyface Ray. Departing RCA for Stomp Down—the independent imprint co-founded by his longtime manager—Maxo Kream released “Fatt Blacc Twins” (with Bfb Da Packman), “Bonecrusher” (featuring Key Glock), and “Whatchamacallit” (with Luh Tyler) in 2023. Personification (2024) included appearances by Tyler, The Creator, BigXthaPlug, and That Mexican OT. He also joined LoLife Blacc on the single “Big B’s.”