Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.

I'm Jesse Thorn, it's Bullseye.

Max O'Cream, my guest, is a rapper.

He's a big friendly guy. When you talk to him, he keeps the mood light.

If you're a fan, you want a selfie with him, it's no sweat.

You might even crack a little joke.

But that isn't always how his records sound.

He's a big friendly guy, but that's not all he has.

Max O'Cream has been in and out of jail, along with many other members of his family.

When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston a few years ago, many of them lost their homes.

He's also lost friends and relatives to gun violence, including his brother just last year.

In other words, Max O'Cream has endured an extraordinary amount of pain.

And he's not afraid to put that pain on wax.

People often compare him to his Houston forebearer, Scarface,

another MC with a gift for elegant, almost beautiful, verses about life's most intense and difficult moments.

Max O's new album is called Weight of the World, and it's about big stuff.

He wraps about losing his brother and grandmother and about becoming a parent.

But like Max O, it isn't all big moments and tears. It's a rap record.

He also talks a lot of mess.

Here's a single from the new album called Big Persona featuring Tyler the Creator.

This is the song that makes you feel like you're a real man.

It's about big true and big.

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