Houston’s Maxo Kream has definitely made a name for himself as one of the best rappers to emerge from the South, and one of the best to come from the storied streets of Houston, Texas. On his new album Brandon Banks, Maxo Kream adds to the narrative of the Houston rap scene while paying homage to his roots and keeping it real from open to close.

The flow of the album feels very natural, opening with the bomb track “Meet Again” where Maxo drops rhymes that feel like second nature. The song has such a hook that it’s hard not to blast when you hear it. Where “Top Golf” has words from Maxo’s father Brandon Banks, the song has a dark side that contains a smart stride causing it to pop, even if it’s only a couple hairs below the two and a half minute mark. The album has a lot of verses that sound like Maxo has no issue dropping bars quick and fast. “8 Figures” shines as the beat is hard to forget and Kream spits with a quickness that’s been absent from hip hop for a while now.

But as strong as the rhymes are here, as sick as the beats are, the real magic comes in how Maxo Kream puts a track together. “She Live” is catchy but doesn’t feel like pop rap while Meghan Thee Stallion adds plenty of snap to the track. “Drizzy Draco” has one of the best drops of the release and stays quick but also doesn’t steer towards a place where the song doesn’t shine. With all of that, the biggest stand out of the album is the track “Dairy Ashford Bastard.” Maxo Kream goes deep and personal on the song, but it’s the Southern hip hop touches that grace the track without sounding dated is how the song makes waves. So much of the Southern rap world has been bookmarked by rappers sticking with a style too long, yet Maxo pays homage to the scene here while adding his own touch and staying modern at the same time. Brandon Banks is a letter from son to father, a peace offering and a piece of Southern rap’s history that only works with Maxo Kream as the narrator.

Brandon Banks will be available to stream when it gets released tomorrow. It will also be available to purchase through all digital outlets via RCA Records. Maxo Kream will be on tour starting August 10 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA until November 17 in El Paso, TX at Lowbrow Palace. His complete tour schedule can be accessed here. 

Image Credits: Photo by Jordan Marble.