Video: Maxo Kream – “Roaches”
The Houston Storyteller Brings His Skeletons to Light in the Shomi Patwary-directed Video
11.15.2018
Critical Praise for Maxo Kream:
“Over the last couple years, Maxo Kream has established himself as one of Houston’s most exciting young rappers by way of being one of Houston’s least traditionally minded artists.” – Noisey
“A sinister and visceral portrait of Houston street life.” – Pitchfork
“(Punken) is 44 minutes of some of the best storytelling you’re liable to find this year, broken up into mesmerizing syllabic arrangements.” – The Ringer
The Video:
Quickly developing a reputation as the South’s best storyteller, Houston’s Maxo Kream packs evocative details and visceral imagery into his metronomic rhymes. Taking a deep look into traumatic and mundane moments in his past and present, Maxo shares “Roaches,” his latest video. The most personal and complete portrait yet of the young rapper, “Roaches” takes an innovative approach towards bringing Maxo’s distinct verses to life. For the first verse, director Shomi Patwary recreates Maxo’s childhood apartment, complete with a rotating cast of his friends and family members, filmed to give the impression of a single shot, with inventive effects highlighting his lyrics. In the second verse, about his family’s struggle through 2017’s destructive Hurricane Harvey, the video evokes Maxo’s scattered state-of-mind, as the screen fills with water and shows news reports from that tumultuous moment in his life. “Roaches” is the climactic moment from the critically lauded album Punken, released by Maxo in January.
Titled after one of Maxo Kream’s childhood nicknames, Punken takes a deep and revealing look into the rapper’s past, with Maxo mastering his storytelling ability and hypnotic flows atop forward-thinking production. Featuring appearances from Trippie Redd, 03 Greedo, and D. Flowers, and with production from The Wlderness, Beatboy, Sonny Digital, Ethereal, Honorable C Note, $uicideboy$, Tommy Kruise, Wolfe De Mchls, Teddy Walton, and MexikoDro, Punken builds upon 2015’s Maxo 187 and 2016’s The Persona Tape with emotionally and sonically diverse tracks sitting side-by-side with insane drug-dealing bangers. In their glowing review of the album, Pitchfork praised the album as “full of unsparing storytelling, pusher anthems, and a dynamic array of trap production over which Maxo delivers some of his most effective writing.”
Watch “Roaches”: https://youtu.be/NFshaFXrfTQ
Listen to Punken:
- Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/punken/1327576441
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/maxo-kream/sets/punken
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1DQGBofK4pgOylFMRRy7dB
Please contact Michelle or Scott for more info.
Maxo Kream Background:
Upon meeting him, gangsta rapper isn’t the impression that most would get from buzzing Houston emcee, Maxo Kream, age 27. He has a surprisingly goofy and playful demeanor, often cracking self-aware jokes and displaying a smile which showcases either his gold grin or his trademark gap in the upper row of this teeth. But, make no mistake, Maxo’s backstory is a tale consisting of crime and death that would catch the attention of the most jaded followers of gangsta/trap rap.
Inspired by his college trip to SXSW and the fact that other street cliques throughout Houston such asFDAB (founded by late rapper T.O.Y, a childhood friend and Crip associate of Maxo) and MashMode(which has now resulted in the buzzing careers of Houston rap duo, The Sauce Twinz) were transitioning into music as a form of expression, Maxo and his younger cousin Lyndon (rap moniker Lyndo C), jumped into music. Maxo’s latest album, Punken, takes a deep and revealing look into the rapper’s past, with Maxo mastering his storytelling ability and hypnotic flows atop forward-thinking production. Featuring appearances from Trippie Redd, 03 Greedo, and D. Flowers, and with production from The Wlderness, Beatboy, Sonny Digital, Ethereal, Honorable C Note, $uicideboy$, Tommy Kruise, Wolfe De Mchls, Teddy Walton, and MexikoDro, Punken builds upon 2015’s Maxo 187 and 2016’s The Persona Tape with emotionally and sonically diverse tracks sitting side-by-side with insane drug-dealing bangers.
Links:
official site | twitter | instagram | soundcloud | spotify
Bio, pictures, and streams available here: http://www.audibletreats.com/maxo-kream
“Roaches”: https://youtu.be/NFshaFXrfTQ
Punken: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/punken/1327576441 // https://soundcloud.com/maxo-kream/sets/punken || https://open.spotify.com/album/1DQGBofK4pgOylFMRRy7dB
“Pop Another”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGh0op5Bo1E
“5200”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCI6GmGZtg8
“Go” ft. D. Flowers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOT5pvE_ep8
“Bussdown” (prod. by Wlderness): https://soundcloud.com/maxo-kream/bussdown || https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bussdown-single/1309216336|| https://open.spotify.com/track/37ddfWZT6PtJpyKBm6TJy6
“Mars” ft. Lil Uzi Vert: https://soundcloud.com/maxo-kream/mars
“5200”: https://soundcloud.com/maxo-
“Grannies”: https://youtu.be/0p4S9P1DFrE // https://soundcloud.com/maxo-kream/grannies/s-0DWkP // https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/grannies-single/id1198308266