The Hip Hop African

Maxo Kream, born Emekwanem Ogugua Biosah, Jr., is a Nigerian-American from my hometown, Houston, Texas. One of his most beloved songs, “Roaches” is a tale of his life growing up in the streets of Houston, Texas. One could say Maxo is an open book; in many of his songs he talks about his childhood and he also touches on his Nigerian roots, and what it was like to be raised by a Nigerian father. I had the pleasure of interviewing Maxo Kream in 2019 and he talked about how proud he was to be a Nigerian American, and even wanting to visit Nigeria after almost 20 years! Maxo also allows his fans to get an extremely close look at his life before the fame by adding old and new recordings of his father talking, and sometimes even giving him advice. If the song “Roaches” didn’t give you a good enough overview of his life, the video is sure to do it! The music video is the perfect visual representation of his home, friends, and even family- showing multiple scenes of his mother and father. It even features his father wearing traditional African garments. This video is proof that Maxo makes it a goal of his to show both sides of who he is- a Nigerian and Houstonian. With him actually being born in Houston, I would personally say Houston-Culture is the base of his music; his Houston roots are evident. But he also uses his lyricism to touch on the lessons he has learned growing up in a Nigerian household. In my opinion, Maxo Kream is one of the best upcoming artists today, representing both Texas and Nigeria very well. I hope that him allowing his roots to flow through his music encourages other African, U.S. based artists to do the same!