Def Jam Recordings
Maxo’s 2nd major label release, Even God Has A Sense Of Humor, sees the L.A. rapper grappling for a sense of control. In an interview with Cultured Magazine, Maxo described his music as “just a moment in time, and then that’s the project”. The statement encapsulates the immediacy he creates on Even God Has A Sense Of Humor, capturing his feelings and channelling them into music. Decidedly easier than it sounds.
Like many artists, music provides a way of processing life for Maxo, a cathartic, therapeutic experience. 2019’s LIL BIG MAN saw him grappling with depression, anxiety, and fear, weaving his emotions between hazy beats and muddy drums. Maxo’s self-reflective nature allows him to project his vulnerabilities impressively, his languid flow maximising the weight of his words. Maxo has a keen interest in photography, particularly flipping through family photo albums, and through his music, he brings these pictures to life, drawing you into his narratives. Even God Has A Sense Of Humor is no different, but it feels even more personal, more direct, and the contemplations even deeper. Maxo drops you into a pool of his thoughts and lets you explore, his words subtly guiding you.
Maxo views the world with a weariness, understandably shaped by his experiences. On the opening lines of the mellow ‘Nuri,’ he raps, “Imagine baring your soul in a world you don’t trust”, a theme he further explores on ‘Falls Down’, repeating, “This world really it ain’t what it seems”. Maxo’s mistrust of the world reaches its nadir on ‘We Watch’; “Can’t comprehend why this world so shady”. It’s an album largely wrapped in melancholia, the darkness in Maxo’s head seeping into his music. Faith represents a way of understanding the world for Maxo, but it often seems elusive; the mournful ‘onedayatatime’ sees him “Dropping to my knees/Asking God what do you want from me”.
The warm sounds of LIL BIG MAN are still there, but there are also some much grittier cuts, echoing shades of Earl Sweatshirt, with whom he collaborated last year. The opener, ‘Still’, has a distinctly eerie atmosphere with its distorted voices lurking in the background, while Maxo’s flow is at its most confrontational as he snarls, “F**k these politics”. The Madlib-produced ’48’ has a very Earl vibe with its shimmering wobble, while ‘What 4’ is a piece of ghostly funk, Maxo singing “Do you hear my screaming”. It’s an album built on muddy textures, with voices often spilling into one another, but there are lighter moments, such as the music box-like drift of ‘Face of Stone’.
The album features several guests, with long-time friend and collaborator Pink Siifu appearing on ’48’, the duo’s chemistry evident as they swap stories. Liv.e’s wonderfully silky tones float beautifully across the jazzy ‘Both Handed’, while she creates an ethereal background glow on the closer ‘Like I Don’t See U’. KeiyaA provides a nice sultry falsetto on the soulful ‘onedayatatime’, though perhaps the track doesn’t let her showcase the full depths of her talents. When he’s not collaborating, Maxo varies his voice nicely, dipping between intense bursts of rapping and baritone musings.
Musically the album benefits from its greater diversity, from the jazzy ambience of ‘If It Was’, to the more woozy sounds of ‘Free!’ and ‘We Watch’, and the quiet funk of ‘Who Gives Me Breath’ and ‘If It Was’. The majority of tracks are underpinned by these warm, melodic bass lines that have an almost hypnotising effect, creating an intimate environment. The sounds are never overpowering, giving cadence to Maxo’s words, the melodies washing over you gently. The hazy atmospheres give an appropriate air of spirituality, allowing Maxo a space to confide in.
On Even God Has A Sense Of Humor, Maxo’s contemplations feel sharper than ever; he picks apart his vulnerabilities like a scientist, dissecting them and bringing them to life through his music. There’s a poeticism to his lyrics, drifting from vivid imagery (“The smell of rain on the pavement” on ‘If It Was’) to direct emotional statements (“I got my heart on the line” on ‘Like I Don’t See U’). The album reflects Maxo’s growing maturity, his storytelling as sharp as ever, but it’s his emotional dexterity that makes Even God Has A Sense of Humor so engrossing. May Maxo’s evolution continue.