Max B is officially a free man.
The 47-year-old Harlem rapper, born Charly Wingate, was released from Northern State Prison in Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday (Nov. 9) after serving roughly 16 years behind bars.
Max B was originally sentenced to 75 years in 2009 for his role in a deadly robbery at a New Jersey hotel. In 2016, his sentence was reduced to 20 years after he pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter.
The “Wavy Crockett” artist was sentenced alongside his stepbrother, Kelvin Leerdam, who received a life term plus 35 years after jurors found he fatally shot one of the victims.
Upon his release, Max B was greeted by family and friends in a joyful moment captured and shared on Instagram by his longtime friend and collaborator French Montana. The rapper’s homecoming coincided with Montana’s 41st birthday.
“CANT MAKE THIS UP ! MY BROTHER REALLY CAME HOME ON MY B DAY ! HAMDULILLAH,” Montana captioned the video. “WALKED IT DOWN ! NO MORE FREE YOU.”
Late last year, Max B hinted at his impending release during a phone call to The Joe Budden Podcast, where he announced his official date and discussed his excitement about returning to music.
“Listen, I’m not even gonna put myself in a box, it’s all gonna run concurrent,” he said at the time. “I can’t wait to get in the studio. There’s a lot of artists out there, too many to name. I’m looking forward to working with the big names, the head honchos… But they gotta be A-list. If the s—t ain’t A-list, I can’t f—k with it.”
Earlier this year, Young Thug also shared a clip of himself speaking with Max B over the phone from prison.
“Man, I’m in here grinding this s—t out,” Max told Thug, who then asked if he’d be released soon. “Hell yeah, we ’bout to hit the home stretch, baby,” Max replied. “We gon’ make some history?”
See French Montana’s Instagram post celebrating Max B’s release below.
