Maxwell releases his second album, “RAK!M” (Jan 2016)
Maxwell didn’t know where to begin with his next album. He thought perhaps it was too early to begin another album cycle so soon. So, he decided to instead focus on his relationship with his fiancée, Athena. He booked them first class tickets to Aruba, where they vacationed together for 6 months before returning back home in early February 2015. And when they returned, Athena began experiencing pregnancy symptoms. So, her and Maxwell went to the doctor and they got the news that Athena was pregnant with their first child!!
Maxwell was so excited. He wanted to dedicate something to his daughter, deciding it was finally time to hit the studio again. Here and there, when Athena was sleeping, he’d punch in and record new music. By now, Maxwell was a perfectionist. He didn’t bother moving on from a song until he knew it was complete. Despite that, Maxwell was there for Athena during her entire pregnancy. He was so happy to be a father, and he knew he wanted to be better parents than his parents were. And so, Athena gave birth 9 months later on November 16, 2015, Jasmine Blue Baker was born.
From then on, Maxwell was never the same. His family came first, even before music. He finally had a purpose in this world. He wanted to do anything he could for his wife and their daughter. This new found love and life came with its own sacrifices though. Maxwell was still a recording artist and wanted to release music for his fans who had been waiting since his last project in 2013, almost 3 years earlier. So, he decided to take December 2015 off to finalize the tracks for his next album with many producers and writers. And what would come was his second album, “RAK!M.”
“RAK!M” was released on January 15, 2016. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200, selling 276,000 copies first week. The album scored Maxwell his first four Top 10 hits, including his first number one hit “By My Side,” which he wrote Athena and his newborn, Jasmine, as well as “Jezebel” #2, “Alive (feat. Mirabella)” #7, and “Hendrix” #10. Hip hop fans and critics highly praised the album, calling Maxwell one of the defining voices of the current generation. They praised him for leaning into a more experimental rap style instead of sticking the very popular trap rap which was never popular at the moment, although he did lean into Trap with the song “Snake.”
After the album, the label wanted to put Maxwell on tour, though he didn’t want to leave his family. So, he talked to Athena about it and she said he should do it. She said his fans love and deserve to see him, too. And so, Maxwell agreed to do the tour. His first tour since 2012.
The “Distorted Overload Tour” launched in April 2016 and concluded in October 2016, grossing $33 million. Every single stop on the tour, Maxwell gave the fans his all, making sure they got every pennie’s worth. He even brought some of his friends out including Malcolm in Chicago, Rio Lennox in New York, and LilBbyGoyard in Los Angeles, where they debuted a new, unreleased song.
When Maxwell returned home, he greeted his family with the biggest smile and hugs ever. He kissed Athena like he never seen her before. He was so happy to be back home. In February 2017, Maxwell had been nominated at the Grammys Awards for Best Rap Artist, Best Male Rap Performance, and Artist of the Year, winning all three!! During his speech, he thanked his wife and date, Athena for “Staying down while he was down until he got up.” Saying she always believed in him. He also thanked and praised his now 1 year old daughter, Jasmine for being the flyest, cutest baby girl in the world.
After the award ceremony, Maxwell remained MIA on social media, choosing to instead focus primarily on his family rather than music. He wasn’t retiring, he was just enjoying his success. He bought a new house for his family as by 2018, Athena and Maxwell were expecting their second child, due for May 2019. Maxwell had his hands tied, but he was a happy, and when he’d returned to music was up to him. But it will happen.