SPK What Does It Mean? It Means The Return Of Maxx Stoyanoff-Williams

SPK, “Elephant.” Directed by Jessica Kourkounis.

Stitched together from a Serge Gainsbourg break, a slyly deployed elephant’s trumpet, and a slapback vocal that Mario Caldato would be proud of, “Elephant” is the first track out by SPK, the new Philadelphia hip-hop project by members of Mt. Vengeance and Maxx Stoyanoff-Williams of Black Landlord and The Goats. And like any room the man enters, Maxx is the star here: in all of those alt-90s trimmings, “Elephant” either reminds you or straight up introduces you to Peak Maxx — he’s funny, he’s radically honest, and he’s the only guy I can think of who can rock a party with his full range of tenderness on view. Not a lot of people can do this, and when you hear him say:

We the ghosts of kings
We made the most of things
Most of y’all afraid of mostly everything

… you’re gonna feel really glad that Maxx is, once again, in the room.