Max B Released From Prison After 16 Years Behind Bars

Harlem rapper Max B was released from prison Sunday after serving 16 years for his role in a botched armed robbery that resulted in a man’s death.

The rapper born Charley Wingate, who released a string of mixtapes and popularized the term “wavy” prior to his 2007 arrest on manslaughter and armed robbery charges, revealed earlier this year in a phone interview from prison that he would be released on Nov. 9, 2025.

“I’m feeling righteous, man,” Max told the Joe Budden Podcast earlier this year. “I’m doing all right. This is almost over. … Wavy Baby coming home real soon.”

In 2009, Max B was sentenced to 75 years in prison, accused of being an accomplice to a robbery in New Jersey that ended in murder. (The rapper was not in the state at the time.) The conviction was later vacated in 2016, after a new legal team argued that Max’s original trial lawyer had a conflict of interest in the case. His sentence was subsequently reduced to 20 years.

French Montana, who Max B collaborated with on their 2009 mixtape Coke Wave, was among those who greeted the rapper following his prison release Sunday. “CANT MAKE THIS UP ! MY BROTHER REALLY CAME HOME ON MY B DAY !” Montana wrote on social media. “HAMDULILLAH WALKED IT DOWN ! NO MORE FREE YOU.”