Rapper Max B has been released from prison after serving 16 years, marking a critically important turning point in the artist’s career and offering a reunion with longtime collaborator French Montana. The release comes after a lengthy legal battle stemming from a 2009 conviction, later vacated and reduced, for his alleged involvement in a New Jersey robbery that resulted in a murder.
Initially sentenced to 75 years in 2009, despite not being present in New Jersey at the time of the crime, Max B’s conviction was overturned in 2016 when a new legal team successfully argued his original lawyer had a conflict of interest. His sentence was then reduced to 20 years. The case garnered attention within the hip-hop community, with fans and fellow artists advocating for his release. Max B’s ability to continue creating music while incarcerated, frequently enough recording verses remotely, sustained his fanbase and cemented his cult status.
French Montana,who collaborated with Max B on the 2009 mixtape Coke Wave,was among the first to greet the rapper upon his release Sunday. Montana shared the news on social media, writing, “CANT MAKE THIS UP ! MY BROTHER REALLY CAME HOME ON MY B DAY !” and adding, “HAMDULILLAH WALKED IT DOWN ! NO MORE FREE YOU.”
Despite his incarceration, Max B continued to release music, including his 2011 album Vigilante Season and a 2019 reunion with Montana on the track “Hold On,” his first new song in eight years. He also contributed to Kanye West’s 2016 album The Life of Pablo with “Siiiiiiiiilver Surffffeeeeer Intermission” and appeared on Wiz Khalifa’s Kush + Orange Juice 2 earlier this year with “Max B interlude.”
Following his release, Max B hinted at forthcoming music, posting on social media, “ITS TIME TO OPEN THE FLOOD GATES 🌊🌊🌊 SEE YALL IN A FEW.” His return signals a potential new chapter for the artist and a renewed energy within his established fanbase.
