Max B is officially a free man.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
More from Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Max B was originally sentenced to 75 years<\/a> in 2009 for his role in a deadly robbery at a New Jersey hotel. In 2016, his sentence was reduced to 20 years<\/a> after he pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter.<\/p>\n The \u201cWavy Crockett\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Upon his release, Max B was greeted by family and friends in a joyful moment captured and shared on Instagram<\/a> by his longtime friend and collaborator French Montana<\/a>. The rapper\u2019s homecoming coincided with Montana\u2019s 41st birthday.<\/p>\n \u201cCANT MAKE THIS UP ! MY BROTHER REALLY CAME HOME ON MY B DAY ! HAMDULILLAH,\u201d Montana captioned the video. \u201cWALKED IT DOWN ! NO MORE FREE YOU.\u201d<\/p>\n Late last year, Max B hinted at his impending release during a phone call<\/a> to The Joe Budden Podcast, where he announced his official date and discussed his excitement about returning to music.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, I\u2019m not even gonna put myself in a box, it\u2019s all gonna run concurrent,\u201d he said at the time. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to get in the studio. There\u2019s a lot of artists out there, too many to name. I\u2019m looking forward to working with the big names, the head honchos\u2026 But they gotta be A-list. If the s\u2014t ain\u2019t A-list, I can\u2019t f\u2014k with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Young Thug also shared a clip of himself<\/a> speaking with Max B over the phone from prison.<\/p>\n \u201cMan, I\u2019m in here grinding this s\u2014t out,\u201d Max told Thug, who then asked if he\u2019d be released soon. \u201cHell yeah, we \u2019bout to hit the home stretch, baby,\u201d Max replied. \u201cWe gon\u2019 make some history?\u201d<\/p>\n See French Montana\u2019s Instagram post celebrating Max B\u2019s release below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Billboard VIP Pass<\/p>\n Best of Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n