Emekwanem Ogugua Biosah Jr. (born March 29, 1990), known professionally as Maxo Kream, is a Nigerian-American rapper. His debut album ''
Punken'' was released in 2018, and the follow-up and major label debut, ''
Brandon Banks'', was released in 2019.
Maxo Kream is known for his honest lyricism, speaking to his past life living in poor neighborhoods within
Houston, Texas
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
. He is a member of the 52 Hoover Crips.
Maxo Kream's younger brother, KCG Josh, is also a rapper.
Early life and career
Maxo Kream grew up in
Southwest Houston, and attended
Kempner High School. He is of Nigerian descent through his father, who is a Nigerian immigrant to the U.S. Kream began rapping in high school as part of the group Kream Clicc. In 2012, he started to gain popularity after releasing a remix of
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
's "
Rigamortus" on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. His early mixtapes ''Retro Card'' and ''Quicc Strikes'' pushed him into the limelight, hitting over 85,000 hits on
LiveMixtapes. In 2013, he supported
Chief Keef on the Texas leg of his tour.
His 2015 mixtape ''
#Maxo187'' received attention from
XXL Magazine
''XXL'' is an American hip hop magazine, published by Townsquare Media, founded in 1997.
History
In August 1997, Harris Publications released the first issue of ''XXL''. It featured rappers Jay-Z and Master P on a double cover. In December 200 ...
and
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
among others. He followed it up in 2016 with ''The Persona Tape''.
On October 22, 2016, Maxo Kream was arrested for engaging in "organized crime" under the
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.
RICO was e ...
. He, along with members of the Kream Clicc Gang, held charges sourcing from money laundering, possession of 85 pounds of mariijuana, 2,000 Xanax pills, 13 firearms, cash, and drug manufacturing/distribution paraphernalia. Maxo was held at Fort Bend County Jail in
Richmond, Texas. He was released on bail of $200,000 the next day and denied the allegations, claiming to only be "organizing his music". Maxo turned himself into authorities on April 3, 2023, for RICO related charges.
In 2018, he released his debut album ''
Punken''.
On June 27, 2019, he signed a deal with
Roc Nation.
On July 19, 2019, he released his major label debut, ''
Brandon Banks'' via Big Persona/88 Classic/
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
.
On October 18, 2021, he released his second major label album ''
Weight of the World''.
The album largely focuses on Maxo's experience since popularity, and dealing with the death of his brother Money-Du. Money Du was murdered on March 9, 2020, in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
Mixtapes
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Guest appearances
References
External links
Maxo Kream's Soundcloud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kream, Maxo
1990 births
Living people
American hip-hop musicians
Rappers from Houston
Crips
21st-century American rappers
African-American male rappers
21st-century American male rappers
20th-century American male rappers
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
American musicians of Nigerian descent