Max B has finally put an end to years of speculation he says he’s coming home on November 9, 2025. The underground icon revealed the date during a call to The Joe Budden Podcast, marking the first time he has personally confirmed when his release will happen.
“It’s official. November 9th, I’m home,”
Max B whose real name is Charly Wingate announced to fans on social media this week and vowed to plunge “head first” back into recording. For fans who have waited almost two decades, the message sounds like the end of one of hip-hop’s longer running epics.
A tweet from X.
Born in Harlem, Max B built up his reputation in the mid-2000s as the father of the “wavy” sound a soulful, improvisational rap sound that would galvanize an entire generation of rappers. He became a cult figure through mixtapes, the Coke Wave series with French Montana, and his distinctive hooks.
But it was shortened abruptly in 2009 when he was convicted in relation to a 2006 robbery at Fort Lee, New Jersey, in which a man lost his life. Max B never fired shots but was convicted on charges as serious as murder conspiracy to armed robbery and even kidnapping. The judge sentenced him to a whopping 75 years.
Max B’s legal path has been as turbulent as his music. In 2016, his convictions were vacated, and he struck a plea deal for aggravated manslaughter. The new sentence 20 years. That opened the door for a 2025 release, provided good behavior and credit for time served.
By November 9, 2025, he will have spent 16 years, 5 months, and 5 days behind bars since his 2009 sentencing. While blogs and fan pages have long floated rumored release dates, this is the first time Max B himself has stamped the calendar.
Despite being locked up, Max B’s legend has only grown. His slang, his sound, and his collaborations with French Montana and Dame Grease have echoed through the last 15 years of hip-hop. Kanye West once called him “the waviest,” and artists from Wiz Khalifa to A$AP Mob cite him as an influence.
Incarceration only deepened his myth. He released his album Vigilante Season in 2011 from prison, and his voice still popped up on features through recorded phone calls. Fans dubbed him the “Wavy God,” a title that stuck.
Max B’s case has fueled debate about sentencing in America. Supporters argue his 75-year sentence was excessive, given his limited direct role in the robbery. Others point out the deadly consequences of the crime and caution against romanticizing him as a folk hero.
His release lands at a moment when justice reform especially around parole, sentencing disparities, and nonviolent offenders remains in the spotlight.
Max B says he’s ready for the next chapter music, family, and freedom.
“I’m a musical genius, a trendsetter. I’m diving right back in,”
He told the podcast. He also stressed the importance of reconnecting with loved ones after nearly 20 years away.
Reentering an industry transformed by streaming, social media, and short-form content won’t be easy. But if anyone knows how to reinvent himself, it’s the man who coined “wavy.”
On November 9, fans, artists, and critics alike will be watching to see whether Max B can ride the wave once more this time, as a free man.
