Street life and the struggle to make ends meet, as well as the multitude of effects they have on family relations, inform the frank narratives of rapper Maxo Kream. The native Texan went from local to national phenomenon during the front half of the 2010s. He first charted with Punken (2018), a full-length that led to a deal with major-label RCA, which issued subsequent albums Brandon Banks (2019) and the indicatively titled Weight of the World (2021). Maxo has since gone independent on the Stomp Down label, releasing an assortment of singles such as the Key Glock collaboration "Bonecrusher" (2023).

Maxo Kream (Emekwane Ogugua Biosah, Jr.) was born in Houston and raised in nearby Alief. He was drawn to recording music in high school, inspired by his everyday life on the streets, and first gained attention outside his region with a highly personalized revamp of Kendrick Lamar's "Rigamortis." Retro Card and Quicc Strikes, Maxo's first two mixtapes, were self-released respectively in 2012 and 2013. He then connected with the TSO label for 2015's #Maxo187, 2016's The Persona Tape, and 2018's Punken. The last volume in this run was Maxo's first recording to register with Billboard, most notably on the Independent Albums and Heatseekers charts. The rapper consequently signed high-profile management and recording contracts with Roc Nation and RCA and made his major-label debut in 2019 with Brandon Banks. That album, featuring contributions from Travis Scott and Megan Thee Stallion, entered the Billboard 200 at number 68. Around the same time, he appeared on Dreamville's Revenge of the Dreamers III compilation, which would be nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rap Album.

Maxo returned in 2021 with Weight of the World, a deeply ruminative set led by the brash Tyler, The Creator collaboration "Big Persona." A deluxe edition of the album followed in 2022 with five new cuts including the solo "Jigga Dame" and tracks with Benny the Butcher, Anderson .Paak, and Babyface Ray. He moved from RCA to Stomp Down, an independent label co-founded by his longtime manager, and in 2023 continued with "Fatt Blacc Twins" (with Bfb Da Packman), "Bonecrusher" (featuring Key Glock), and "Whatchamacallit" (assisted by Luh Tyler). ~ Andy Kellman