Personification

Maxo Kream's best songs feel like Spike Lee dolls: focuses tightly on a character while slowly tilting their world off its axis. “Roaches,” off the Texas rapper's release, Punknimbly shifted from rosy childhood nostalgia for FUBU and Limewire to an anxious coming-of-age account of trying to protect his family during a hurricane. “Spice Ln.”, from Brandon Banksit began with a proud review of its street dealer and transformed into a spinning trap that is tragic and funny. Autobiography fuels Maxo's narrative, but at heart he is a stylist who molds experiences and syllables like clay.

2021 has passed The weight of the world flexing his range as he swept over the backwards trill, smoky soul loops and rippling snare. Although the narratives were not as vivid as these Brandon Banksthe songwriting was polished and dynamic. The varied soundscape accentuated the elasticity of his flows and encouraged fleeting narrative. He runs a similar storefront Personificationa collection of goon, swag and cloud rap billed as a reflective spin on his career thus far. But there is no grand arc in the Maxo Kream Künstlerroman. These unfair songs are just facsimiles of his previous work.

Déjà vu is meant to show growth and progress, but callbacks and echoes are more often unnecessary. Brooding opener “Mo Murda” calmly reprises ideas about the overlap between religion and gang life that Maxo has already passionately explored on “Cripstian” from The weight of the world. It doesn't help that the middle verse leads to Maxo calling himself a “sub-Crip,” a pun that even Ab-Soul would shy away from. “Drizzy Draco 2” recycles a Brandon Banks song title for a shorter piece combining two lines from earlier Personification: “All my followers can go to hell, they can't live on Earth anymore/I'm the Crip John Wick, turn a follower on John Doe.” The bars weren't even memorable the first time he said them.

Constant retreading causes vertigo. “Cracc Era” reunites Maxo with Tyler, the creator for funny talk of the mixtape era that is fun but derivative of their 2021 group “Big Person.” “Smokey” returns to “Big Worm” by The movie Personausing it Friday characters for a general story of the road to debt repayment. Memphis' horror track “Triggaman” brings back ads from Maxo's 2016 song “Hit Mane,” but isn't nearly as graphic or menacing. the Denzel Curry live action is the only saving grace. Familiarity can be an effective setup for surprise or refinement, but these songs veer frustratingly in place.