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Plaqueboymax is off to one helluva start this year.
Having snatched the trophy for the Best Creative Arts Streamer at last year’s The Streamer Awards, the FaZe Clan member is really making a name for himself in both the rapping and streaming game. He’s not just a force in the world of Twitch but one in the culture of hip-hop as well, collabing with rising artists like Central Cee and Lazer Dim 700 to release banger after banger while live on camera.
That was the impetus for this list because, if you didn’t know, Max has essentially recreated producer Kenny Beats’ “The Cave” series on Twitch. It’s called “In The Booth,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like: Max invites an artist to his space to produce and release an entire song—or whole EP, as in the case with Port Arthur, Texas Dc2trill—for chatters and listeners alike, with each track being better than the last. But there have been quite a few In The Booth sessions, so which one yielded the best song? And if you could only choose a handful, which should you add to your Apple or Spotify—or Tidal, if you use that—playlist?
Don’t worry, we got you! After much consideration and deliberation, Complex Music and Pop Culture have come together to rank 10 of the best songs Plaqueboymax has dropped during his In The Booth sessions. What do you think is the FaZe Clan boy’s best track?
Let us know in the comments.
Livestream Date: October 7, 2024
Featured Artist(s): ian
Produced By: sxprano
With the expectation of random clips, ian had never done a full-length interview until he hopped on Max’s stream alongside his go-to producer, sxprano.
For most of his In the Booth session, ian was shy and soft-spoken. But when it was time to record, you could see some of the dog come out. ian laid down “ETA,” a hyperactive heater where he sneaks in sharp, ultra-specific stunting rhymes. On the song he raps:
Hell yeah, could've bought three of your cribs off my DSPs /
Goddamn, I'm tryna get rid of this bitch, ho can't leave me be /
Fuck the chains, I threw my advance in some real estate /
Real pay, hop up out that, ‘Damn, boy, you really made it’ /
I know I'm not hearin' from they ass 'til I really make it
Like most of Max's songs, the track never appeared on any official release. But honestly, if it had, it could’ve been the standout moment on ian’s last project, Goodbye Horses. — Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Livestream Date: October 13, 2024
Featured Artist(s): Jace!
Produced By: dimeworld and Jace!
As far as underground rappers go, Jace! (formerly known as Iayze) is up there with the most prolific of them. The plugg-n-B artist has dropped 29 projects since 2020—which could help explain why he was able to effortlessly complete Plaqueboymax’s challenge to create three original songs in under an hour without even breaking a sweat.
“Whatcha Say” is the gem of the Fort Worth, TX rapper’s three on-stream concoctions. His opening bars burst onto the track like the jolt of an early-morning alarm clock:
Wake up, light a cig, grab my Glock /
I don’t even really know what I’m doing.
The beat, which alchemizes the Vine-viral Jason Derulo chorus from over 15 years ago into a hypnotic instrumental, feels like the mesmeric fever dream of the night before he hasn’t yet been able to fully shake.
Using a viral relic like this as a sample should feel cliché, but it’s instead a testament to Jace!’s artistry that he makes it sound like it’s been waiting for his punchy delivery and introspective street raps all along. — Dario Mccarty
Livestream Date: August 15, 2024
Featured Artist(s): Trippie Redd
Produced By: OLLY! (Producer) and John Kearney
If Lazer Dim was the introduction to In the Booth, then Trippie Redd’s appearance was the blockbuster moment.
Last summer, the two linked up at the FaZe House and recorded “RIP Chris (5$TAR),” an emotive track carried by a relatively sparse and soulful beat that contrasts perfectly with Trippie’s pitched-up vocals. The song is partially dedicated to rapper Chris King, who was fatally shot in Nashville, Tennessee just a few months before the session took place. The fact that Trippie used Max’s stream to honor his fallen friend speaks to the depth of his respect for the streamer. — DS
Livestream Date: January 7, 2025
Featured Artist(s): Bay Swag, D Lou, Kyle Richh, Jenn Carter
Produced By: KRAGER and Prodjuuzi
Across the vast spectrum of human emotions, few things compare to the euphoria that follows a momentous breakthrough—whether in your career, love life, creative endeavors, or beyond. It’s a feeling of triumph, of hard work paying off, of success after years of struggle.
Anchored by a soothing vocal sample that washes over each verse with the gentleness of a lulling tide, a group of New York’s rising rap stars—Bay Swag, Kyle Richh, Jenn Carter, Plaqueboymax, and D Lou (or “Pink Dreads” as the stream chat mercilessly dubbed him)—take turns crafting a soundscape that captures this exact emotion.
This song is what you hear when you hold your first paycheck from the job you’ve always dreamed of; when you actually get over that one toxic ex; when you step into your own apartment after months of crashing on couches. It’s an anthem for the moment when finally, finally, something gives and you see yourself shinning. And winning. — DM
Livestream Date: January 21, 2025
Featured Artist(s): Xaviersobased
Produced By: ss3bby and @princeofprynces
In early January, Xaviersobased appeared on Max’s stream. During the session, the 21-year-old rapper showed a moment of doubt. That’s when Plauqboymax turned into Max the Coach, telling the young rapper, “You’re going to make a banger.”
Max’s encouragement paid off. The two went on to record two tracks together, with the standout being “Chris Paul”—an energetic monster driven by Xavier’s ingenious flow. On the track, he raps:
If he talkin' crazy, then he eatin' 7.62s /
Baby, if you get cut off, I won’t miss you /
Richest in the party, so you know I got my pistol /
Got it off the rap, I ain't get it off my wrist, no /
But this rap shit finna—yeah, yeah /
But this rap shit gon' put the diamonds on my wrist, oh (Woah, woah, woah) /
Nigga, I don't like stupid hoes, I don't get those /
In the cut, masked up, with my nigga Tendo
The track’s infectious energy is unexpected. Xavier, known for his work in the noisy underground rap scene, typically makes songs that are muddy and less accessible. But that's the magic of Max—the collaboration brought a more polished, yet still raw, sound to Xavier's style. — DS
Livestream Date: November 22, 2024
Featured Artist(s): 41, Jenn Carter, Kyle Rich, Tata
Produced By: SauceProducedIt
Glitchy jerk-rap, meme-sampling chill, woozy sexy drill—41 and PlaqueBoyMax have already done it all. Jenn Carter, Kyle Richh, and Tata’s best collaborations with Max, however, is “Presidential,” a club-drill flip of Katy Perry’s “Legendary Lovers.” (Chief Keef also flipped the sample sample for “Save Me.”)
This is big body Benz music. With his low, gruff delivery, Kyle Richh growls on the track like an engine, deriding fake friends and reminding listeners he’s balling like NBA bruiser Zach Randolph. Jenn Carter embodies the bold but sleek duality of a tinted black suburban with verses that are equal parts audacity and smooth wordplay. Tata brings the energy, going from 0 to 100 in a second like a V8. Listening to this track will leave you wanting to go buy the biggest car you can get your hands on and take it for a joyride. — DM
Livestream Date: November 24, 2024
Featured Artist(s): BabyChiefDoIt, Nino Paid
Produced By: 5kjordn, KRAGER, Maajins and jonoftf
No song on this list showcases Max’s abilities quite like “Coolin’.” The DMV’s Nino Paid and Chicago’s BabyCiefDoit were both up-and-coming rappers with no prior relationship—until Max invited them onto his stream, where they recorded the track. The result is a song that feels like a freestyle cypher that's playful, with the two MCs trading bars as if they’ve been rapping together since grade school.
The song features two beats, each aligning with the unique style of the respective rapper. The first beat matches BabyChiefDoit’s loose, untamed flow, while the second suits Nino’s more thoughtful, layered approach. Together, they delivered one of the standout rap songs of last year.
This moment also highlights Max’s power as a connector—similar to DJ Clue, Funkmaster Flex, or later DJ Drama of the past. Like them, Max has the ability to bring together artists from different backgrounds and styles, creating something magical in the process. — DS
Livestream Date: January 23, 2025
Featured Artist(s): Central Cee
Produced By: nyrepublic
Cench and Max were an interesting contrast in styles.
For much of their linkup, Central Cee wasn’t vibing with the production Max was sending his way. (At one point, Cee was like, “I don’t want to be rude… but no.”) Things were getting awkward. Then, Cench played a beat he’d already started writing to. After some coaxing by Akademiks—who called Max live on stream—Cee headed to a special London-inspired booth and knocked out "24 Hours."
So, yeah. It feels a little like cheating because, as Cee said, this was a song he was already working on. But the track is so fire, with Cench slicing through the beat like a blade, we couldn’t ignore it for a list like this. Sometimes, the best stuff is stuff that's already written. — DS
Livestream Date: May 14, 2024
Featured Artist(s): Lazer Dim 700
Produced By: Molly
Lazer Dim 700 and Plaqueboymax have had a similar meteoric rise over the last 12 months. They also share a defining moment. Last May, Lazer pulled up on Max IRL for the first-ever In the Booth—just a few months after Lazer appeared virtually on Song Wars. The two went on to record “Laced Max,” still arguably the standout of the young Atlanta rapper’s career.
The song captures all of Lazer Dim's zany signature: that clumsy, off-the-cuff, almost-drunk energy, as he strings together random observations and jokes. Max serves as the muse here, with Lazer playing the gracious leader, dictating bars like, “Max hit the blunt two times, now he hella high / I ain’t gon’ lie, I peer-pressured him just a little.”
"Laced Max" really encapsulates the strength of In the Booth: when the show is hitting its stride, it’s just two people hanging out, cracking jokes, and, every so often, ending up with a banger of a song. — DS
Livestream Date: December 13, 2024
Featured Artist(s): DDG
Produced By: 5kjordn, D1xoo
This is one of Max’s biggest and best songs, and it’s because of the beat.
A lot of Max’s tracks have hard-hitting kick drums and 808-like bass that bump under the other elements of the song, but the bass on “Pink Dreads” absolutely knocks. It creates this rhythm that underscores the swaggy vibe of the song, bouncing throughout the track to establish an almost metronome-like cadence to rock to. The claps, the splash, the occasional shutter sound of a camera, the piano arpeggio — these elements take a backseat to the bass and kick, which, in my opinion, makes this a banger to blast over solid headphones and speakers.
And then there’s the way DDG and Max rap over the track. They aren’t really saying anything—they’re just flexing with a lowkey braggadocio you’d expect from popular internet personalities—but their flows match the swaggy vibe of the beat perfectly. The duo effortlessly ride the beat, spitting fun bars about pink hair and pink chairs while dishing on f*cking your girl and sh*tting on other “rappers.” It’s very uncomplicated and extremely vibey, which is a hallmark of a good song that won’t grow stale after repeated listens. And I would know—this has been on repeat for me since it dropped. — Levi Winslow
English (US) ·