Swerve Strickland has added another notable name to his growing list of hip-hop collaborators. The AEW star has joined forces with Max B for the new single “Coo Coo,” which became available across major streaming platforms on Monday, September 14.
The release is a significant step in Strickland’s parallel career as a recording artist. While his profile in professional wrestling has continued to make him one of AEW’s most recognizable figures, Strickland has steadily established music as more than an occasional side project. “Coo Coo” follows his collaboration with Raekwon, “Hit Different,” and pairs him with a major voice from New York hip-hop in Max B.
Strickland’s new track is also described as the second release connected to a new label operation he has formed with longtime collaborator and attorney Tony C. Richa. The venture currently operates as Strickland Richa Music Group, with the final name of the label imprint still pending intellectual-property clearance.
For Strickland, the collaboration continues a deliberate effort to bring his wrestling audience and his music audience closer together rather than treating them as separate parts of his public career.
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“Max was a pleasure to work with and brought great energy along with excellent professionalism,” Strickland said. “We vibed instantly and it was humbling to find out he was a fan of my work in the ring. I hope to continue connecting my wrestling fanbase with my newer music fanbase thereby growing both the Swerve Strickland brand and my label’s brand.”
A crossover built around two distinct identities
“Coo Coo” brings together Strickland’s assertive rap delivery and the melodic, wave-oriented style closely associated with Max B. The Harlem artist’s influence on melodic New York hip-hop has made him a distinctive and enduring figure within the genre, and the song gives Strickland another high-profile partner from outside the wrestling business.
Max B enters the release amid a period of renewed visibility. He has nearly 2.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 573,000 Instagram followers. His recent activity has included two sold-out homecoming shows in Brooklyn and a No. 1 placement on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart. Those milestones give the collaboration a wider cultural foundation beyond the wrestling audience already familiar with Strickland’s work.
Max B said the appeal of the track was not simply his association with a well-known wrestler, but his belief that Strickland is a legitimate artist in his own right.
“Swerve is the leader of the wrestling wave and exposes me to a whole new audience,” Max B said. “As a rapper, he is the real deal and I enjoyed working with him in the studio.”
That mutual recognition is central to the presentation of “Coo Coo.” Strickland has long incorporated hip-hop aesthetics into his wrestling identity, from his entrance presentation to the broader “Swerve’s House” branding. His music work has increasingly become another extension of that identity, rather than an unrelated venture pursued away from AEW television.
The crossover potential is apparent. Wrestling fans have been accustomed to performers expanding into movies, television, podcasts, fashion, and gaming, but a sustained music career rooted in credible collaborations presents a different path. Strickland is aiming to carry his existing persona into a space where the music has to stand on its own, while also using wrestling’s unusually dedicated fan culture to introduce songs to listeners who might not encounter them otherwise.
Strickland’s music resume continues to grow
Before teaming with Max B, Strickland had already assembled an extensive list of collaborators from across hip-hop and R&B. His catalog includes work with Raekwon, Bun B, Benny the Butcher, Westside Gunn, Musiq Soulchild, Eric Bellinger, Mickey Factz, Flatbush Zombies, and others. The range of those names reflects the ambition behind the project: Strickland has worked with artists from different generations, styles, and corners of the genre instead of limiting himself to novelty appearances.
“Hit Different,” featuring Raekwon and Monteasy, was produced by the late two-time Grammy winner Profit the Producer. The song also carried an important wrestling connection, becoming part of Strickland’s AEW presentation. That decision gave viewers a direct example of how his two careers can reinforce one another. Rather than merely promoting a song through social media, Strickland brought it into the environment where many of his most devoted supporters see him each week.
His music visibility has extended to major live stages as well. Strickland has performed at Rolling Loud and the House of Blues, while he also appeared at Wembley Stadium before more than 80,000 people. He has appeared on platforms including The Breakfast Club and HOT 97, and has been featured in XXL Magazine’s Freshman issue.
Those appearances do not remove Strickland from the world of wrestling. Instead, they illustrate why he has become one of the industry’s more prominent crossover personalities. His work is designed around the idea that a wrestler can maintain a top-level presence in the ring while participating in music culture in a substantive way.
The business behind the new release
The rollout of “Coo Coo” also matters because it represents the second release under Strickland’s newly established label banner with Richa. While a permanent imprint name has not yet been announced, the formation of the company indicates a larger long-term plan for Strickland’s recordings.
Building a label infrastructure gives the project an additional level of independence and creates room for Strickland to shape the business and creative direction of future releases. It also provides an avenue for the wrestler and artist to develop a brand that can function across music, merchandising, live performance, and his ongoing entertainment activity.
Strickland’s brand already has a footprint outside both AEW and recording studios. His accomplishments include a Reebok collaboration involving Allen Iverson, merchandise carried by Hot Topic stores across the United States, an action figure, DC Comics appearances, and Heavys headphones featuring his “Swerve’s House” tagline and logo.
Each project has helped make the Swerve Strickland name more portable. Whether audiences first know him from a wrestling match, a rap track, a product collaboration, or a pop-culture appearance, the connective tissue remains consistent: a polished, confident presentation built around the “Swerve’s House” identity.
AEW remains a major part of the equation
Strickland’s ability to bring music to a sizable wrestling audience remains an important advantage. AEW’s combined television programming reached nearly four million viewers per week during the first quarter of 2024 and has since expanded onto HBO Max. That reach gives performers like Strickland a recurring national platform capable of supporting projects beyond weekly matches and championship pursuits.
At the same time, the U.S. streaming market continues to show the enormous scale of hip-hop and R&B. The genres generated 349.9 billion on-demand audio streams in the United States during 2025, accounting for approximately one out of every four streams. A song such as “Coo Coo” sits at the meeting point of those audiences: committed wrestling viewers, established Max B listeners, and hip-hop fans discovering Strickland’s music through a major collaborator.
Strickland is currently one-third of the AEW Trios Champions alongside New Level partners Austin Creed and Kofi. That prominent placement in AEW adds another layer of visibility at a time when he is pushing his music output forward.
Ultimately, “Coo Coo” is not a departure from Strickland’s wrestling career. It is the latest example of how he is attempting to expand it. The Max B collaboration gives him a respected partner, a recognizable sound, and an opportunity to introduce his work to listeners beyond the ring. As Strickland Richa Music Group begins to take shape, the single offers an early indication that Strickland intends for his music ambitions to keep moving with the same confidence that has defined his rise in AEW.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.