History of "maxx." 

About maxx.

maxx. – Max Chernykh – is a Canadian independent music artist known for his genre-blending style and conceptual storytelling. As a rapper, vocalist, and producer, maxx. fuses elements of dark pop, experimental rap, and “spiritual trap” influences into a distinctive sound. His work often unfolds in thematic sagas, with emotionally charged narratives exploring despair and hope, rage and redemption, and the search for identity.

Originally performing under the name A$pect, Max released multiple projects that built the foundation of his artistic identity. This era culminated with the release of Funeral on April 10, 2025 — a symbolic farewell to A$pect and the moment of rebirth as maxx.. Since then, he has continued to carve out his path with renewed clarity, embracing his new name as a symbol of transformation.

The Lost Haven (2023) (A$pect)

The Lost Haven marked A$pect’s debut in 2023, introducing listeners to his vivid conceptual approach. Framed as the first chapter of a larger saga, this release set a haunting, introspective tone. The project’s title hints at sanctuary and innocence lost, and its music delivers accordingly – blending melancholic melodies with hard-hitting beats to evoke a sense of yearning for refuge amid darkness. Throughout The Lost Haven, A$pect lyrically navigates themes of isolation and hope, using atmospheric production and emotive vocals to create a brooding soundscape that feels both otherworldly and deeply personal. This debut firmly established A$pect’s penchant for cinematic storytelling in music, laying the groundwork for the narrative to come.

City Of Hell (2023) (A$pect)

Released later in 2023, City of Hell served as a stark counterpart and second installment to The Lost Haven. Where his debut sought a lost sanctuary, City of Hell plunged headlong into the chaos that followed. The project expanded A$pect’s sonic palette with heavier, more aggressive tones and faster tempos, mirroring the urban nightmare implied by its title. Across its tracks, he paints a visceral picture of inner demons and external pressures – “city” as metaphor for a mental state engulfed in turmoil. Gritty trap beats and distorted samples underscore themes of anger, vice, and entrapment. Yet even amid the project’s incendiary energy, moments of bleak humor and defiant resilience shine through. City of Hell not only intensified the emotional stakes of his story but also showcased his versatility, oscillating between ferocious rap deliveries and anguished, melodic refrains. Together with The Lost Haven, it set the stage for the climactic finale to their narrative arc.

The End (2024) (A$pect)

In 2024, A$pect delivered The End, the highly anticipated culmination of the trilogy introduced by his 2023 projects. This full-length album consolidated the themes of its predecessors into a dramatic finale. On The End, he confronts finality and collapse head-on: the production swings from thunderous bass and percussion to eerie, somber lulls, reflecting a story of apocalypse – both external and internal. Lyrically, he channels despair, catharsis, and dark triumph, as if narrating the last hours of a world or the death of an old self. Tracks on The End are often sweeping in scope, with layered vocals and dynamic arrangements that heighten the sense of conclusion. The album’s narrative structure – complete with interludes and callbacks to earlier motifs – gives it an almost cinematic feel. By resolving the journey that The Lost Haven and City of Hell began, The End solidified his reputation for ambitious concept-driven work.

The End (Deluxe) (2024) (A$pect)

Following the initial release of The End, A$pect unveiled The End (Deluxe) later in 2024. This deluxe edition expanded the album’s world with additional tracks and alternate versions, offering a deeper dive into the story’s aftermath. The bonus material accentuated the album’s emotional spectrum – from quieter reflections to explosive epilogues – effectively serving as codas to the main narrative. New songs continued the motif of ending and transcendence, sometimes introducing collaborations and experimental production flourishes that broadened the album’s sonic horizon. The End (Deluxe) not only rewarded fans with extra content but also demonstrated A$pect’s commitment to fully realizing his creative vision.

HELLFIRE (2024) (A$pect)

Later in 2024, A$pect launched HELLFIRE, a project that ignited a brand new era with ferocious intensity. As its name suggests, HELLFIRE is unapologetically incendiary – a collection of tracks charged with explosive energy, searing electronics, and raw emotion. Where the previous saga concluded in ashes, HELLFIRE rises in flames: A$pect uses this release to channel rage and empowerment, almost as a rebirth through fire. Thematically, he delves into wrath, retribution, and liberation, spitting verses with sharpened ire and confidence.

HELLFIRE [EXTRA FILES] (2024) (A$pect)

Complementing the main release, HELLFIRE [EXTRA FILES] arrived as a companion piece in 2024. This collection provided fans with additional content born from the HELLFIRE sessions. EXTRA FILES features unreleased tracks, and experimental cuts that further explore the fiery themes of the core project. By releasing HELLFIRE [EXTRA FILES], A$pect demonstrated his prolific creativity and willingness to share the full breadth of his vision.

Funeral (2025) - The Death Of A$pect

Released on April 10, 2025, Funeral marked the final EP under the name A$pect, closing an important chapter in Max Chernykh’s artistic evolution. This project serves as a poignant farewell to the A$pect era, encapsulating his introspective exploration of mental health, isolation, and the search for meaning. Each track blends melancholic melodies with candid lyricism, offering listeners a raw and unfiltered glimpse into his inner world.

More than just an EP, Funeral became the symbolic “death of A$pect,” closing that identity while paving the way for the rebirth of maxx.. It was both an ending and a beginning — an acknowledgment of the past, and a declaration of the future. For longtime listeners, it stood as a moment of remembrance, honoring where Max came from while clearing the path for where he was headed next.

PITSTOP (2025) - The Birth Of maxx.

In early 2025, maxx. shifted gears with PITSTOP, a high-octane EP that offered a moment of both acceleration and introspection. Containing seven tracks, PITSTOP is described as “Fast. Loud. Broken. Beautiful.” – an apt summary of its emotional and sonic dynamic. The EP plays on racing and road metaphors: thundering 808s and rapid-fire flows evoke adrenaline and speed, while sudden melodic breakdowns capture vulnerability. With its blend of relentless energy and weary reflection, PITSTOP captured an artist pausing to take stock, even as he refused to slow down for long.

OTHALA (2025)

Mid-2025 saw the release of OTHALA, one of A$pect’s most conceptually rich and personal works. Titled after a rune symbolizing heritage and inheritance, OTHALA finds him digging into themes of ancestry, identity, and spiritual rebirth. Sonically rich and lyrically unflinching, the album was widely noted as a creative milestone, showcasing a maturity in songwriting and a willingness to push genre boundaries.

PITSTOP & OTHALA (DELUXE) (2025)

Building on the EP’s success, PITSTOP (DELUXE) arrived in 2025 with one extra track and surprises. The deluxe edition extends the ride with one bonus song that enhance the project’s narrative of speed and self-discovery. By broadening the scope of PITSTOP, the deluxe release gives a fuller sense of the journey’s arc and reaffirms its theme: even in an artist’s most frenetic chapter, there’s room to pull over, confront one’s reflection, and then charge forward stronger.

Later in 2025, OTHALA (DELUXE) added a new chapter to the album’s narrative, exploring legacy and self-transformation further. With one extra track ranging from meditative to urgent, the deluxe edition served as both continuation and closure, granting listeners a last deep breath in the world of OTHALA before moving forward.

Legacy & Identity

From the lost sanctuaries and hellish depths of 2023, through the apocalyptic climax and fiery rebirths of 2024, to the reflective pit stops and ancestral reckonings of 2025, Max’s journey has been one of constant reinvention and uncompromising emotion.

With defining tracks such as “Love & Guilt,” “Love is Magic,"  "Arcane,” and “WHO THEY WANT ?”, maxx has proven his ability to craft both emotionally resonant ballads and hard-hitting anthems. His artistry represents transformation — from the raw honesty of A$pect to the rebirth and maturity of maxx. — while always staying true to the authenticity that drew listeners in from the beginning.

Today, maxx. continues to evolve with every release, using music not only as a form of expression, but as a chronicle of survival, growth, and self-discovery. His discography tells a story of endings and rebirths, rage and resilience, making him one of the most uniquely authentic voices in contemporary independent music.