The first voice you hear on the debut album of Houston rapper Maxo Kream is that of his father. “Your name is Emeknawem Ibamakanam Ogugua Biosah!,” he rumbles declaring the name he and Maxo both bear. He continues by explaining that “Emeknawem” means “don’t fuck with me!” Basically, don’t even think of making him mad or North Korea’s gonna be his buddy. It is a brash and triumphant intro to “Punken”, Maxo’s first album and a true family affair.
Maxo has an eye for detail that he uses to create visceral images of a young boy abandoned by an imprisoned father and older brother who fights the hands of a strict grandmother as he grows into a fearsome drug lord. Yeah, it’s a lot. For a less skilled rapper, these heavy topics could be conveyed with a heavy hand giving us overly long songs with clunky flows. Maxo’s southern drone, easily glides over the bouncy production on songs like “Grannies,” turning the densest of topics into songs that deserve to be blasted out your car window. “Grannies” finds him delivering crisp snapshots of his youth with lines like “My granny’s oldest son is Alvin Jr, call him Uncle Maine. That’s my favorite uncle, on occasion he smoke crack cocaine.” What seems like a somewhat humorous bar quickly turns dark as he lets us know that “When I was 6, I seen him stab a nigga and he bled to death.” Through it all, Maxo spits a tight but disaffected flow, rapping with the same urgency as a coworker recalling an awkward Thanksgiving dinner.
“I’m cold as hell you feel me? I’m cold, but I’m feeling great.” That’s how Maxo described his general feeling in an interview with ‘Passion of The Weiss’ in early February, only a few weeks after the release of Punken. This is evident throughout the entirety of Punken. While his last mixtape, ‘Persona Tape’, skewed towards angry violence and paranoia, Punken finds Maxo with a more comfortable state of mind. He loves his drugs and guns and isn’t afraid of anyone that wants to try him. Standout track ‘Beyonce’ has him paying homage to the queen of Houston by stating that his chopper sings like her. Also, Drake, Quavo, and Frank Sinatra. His rumbling, gravelly voice proudly declares “I’m a slut, I’m a thot, I got hoes, I got bops” on ‘Astrodome Pt. 2”, a hook begging you to repeat it at random points during your day. Absurd and playful lines like these are delivered with a steeliness that leaves you with no choice but to believe his boasts. Maxo’s self-assuredness shines through, showing the kind of confidence that comes from going through hell and somehow finding a way to unrepentantly stand in your truth.
Family, one of the most prevalent themes on this album, is what ties it altogether. On ‘Roaches’ the album’s final track, Maxo recalls his entire life in one song with milestones like the Sixers losing to the Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals and when his Uncle Sidney got shot in the head. His heavy drawl carries a bit of warmth as he takes us through the events that turned him into the man that he is today. The song finishes with his story of how Hurricane Harvey hit while he was in Vegas, leaving his family stranded on their rooftop. It’s a harrowing story that jolts the album back into the present leaving listeners wondering what will be next for Maxo Kream.
Released on the 12th of January, it’s not a surprise that Punken seems to have missed out on the level of popularity that an album of its caliber deserves. With new projects being dropped from any number of rappers every week, it’s hard for rappers that have not achieved mainstream recognition to stay above the noise, even when they’re making music at a high level. While albums like Key!’s ‘777’ and Tierra Whack’s ‘Whack World’ have deservedly generated a buzz through the year, Punken has not. Despite this, Punken is firmly in my top 10 albums of the year. Maxo is a rapper’s rapper with a rumbling flow that inexplicably never sees him taking a breath. His pen has grown sharper as he has learned to seamlessly blend haunting personal stories into speaker-breaking bangers. Few, if any, albums this year have been able to present such vivid storytelling and imagery while still making music that you feel compelled to replay over and over again. Even though it’s only his debut album, Maxo has been able to create a piece of work that feels authentic in a time where industry gimmicks and tricks are at an all time high. With Punken, we’re able to see how Emekwanem became Maxo. Hopefully 2019 will have Maxo taking us on the next part of his journey.
