Max B walked free from prison yesterday (November 9) after serving 16 years behind bars. The Harlem rapper received a 75-year sentence in 2009 for helping orchestrate an armed robbery that went awry, resulting in a man’s death. Max B, who was in another state at the time of the robbery, eventually had his sentence reduced to 20 years on account of a conflict of interest in the original case and a subsequent plea deal on an aggravated manslaughter charge.

On the Joe Budden Podcast last December, he announced that a release date of November 9, 2025, had been set. French Montana confirmed yesterday that the promise had borne out, writing on social media, “Can’t make this up! My brother really came home on my b day! Hamdulillah walked it down! No more free you.”

Max B continued to make music behind bars, including the 2011 album Vigilante Season, the Coke Wave 4 mixtape with French Montana, and an interlude on Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo. Following his release, he will remain on parole for five years, according to a letter he posted on Instagram.

Asked in a recent OkayPlayer interview about his time in prison, Max B said, “Producers send me tracks and I do what I do. When I really want to put something down, I sit and get it right. But for the most part, s**t just be coming to me. I can still make it sound good. Still got that buttery, milky voice for the ladies. That’s my inspiration right there—knowing I’m about to come back out here and get a chance to do it all over again.”