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𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐻𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑
Max B’s Second Wave
Sixteen years after his incarceration, Harlem’s musical savant is coming home. In one of his final prison calls, Max B reflects on fatherhood, faith, and why his return isn’t a comeback — it’s a continuation.
Sixteen years can feel like an eternity when you’re sitting still — confined behind walls, with only letters, phone calls and occasional visits to connect you to the outside world. But Max B hasn’t been idle. After a decade and a half, hip-hop has changed. Generations have come and gone, as have countless trends. What he once knew has become nearly unrecognizable.
Still, Max Biggavel’s voice carries the same raspy warmth and magnetism that made him such a distinctive figure in Harlem. When he calls in from Northern State Prison in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 23 for our interview, there’s laughter in his tone, graciousness in his disposition and a lightness to his energy. He’s confident, but also brimming with anticipation and a touch of anxiousness. “I got 16 days left,” he says. “I’m about to hit the town.” You can hear him grinning through the phone, containing his excitement.
Although time is winding down, it’s been a long road to this moment. In 2009, Max B, born Charley Wingate, was convicted for his role in a robbery gone wrong and sentenced to 75 years in prison. Years later, in 2016, he entered a plea deal for an aggravated manslaughter charge and was re-sentenced to 20 years. The wait for Max to come home seemingly began at that point after rappers like French Montana and Wiz Khalifa shared the news of his shortened sentence across social media. Nevertheless, it was an unfortunate fall for Biggavel, who was seemingly only beginning to hit the peak of his career. He had only been home for about 4 years following an 8-year bid he served for another robbery at age 19. Yet within that brief timeframe, he had already begun reshaping the sound and resonance of New York rap.
I use what I always use — my experience and my imagination. What God gave me. God gave me a melodic gift, so I use that."
- Max B for Okayplayer
Shortly after his release, in 2005, Max B connected with fellow Harlem native Jim Jones, joining his ByrdGang collective. He alchemized the feel of East Coast hip-hop with a melodic cadence and free-form flow that birthed the “wave” movement. His hooks were lush and unapologetic, his delivery a mix of soul-singer smoothness and hustler nonchalance. From his introduction on Jim’s “G’s Up” and “Baby Girl,” both released in 2005, to his Million Dollar Baby, Public Domain and Coke Wave mixtapes, Max crafted a sound that reverberates through rap to this day — one that transcends generations, from French Montana and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie to Cash Cobain, Chow Lee and beyond.
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Over a decade later, Max B is gearing up to be on the outside of Northern State Prison’s walls. This version is now older, wiser and ready to reclaim his spot in the game on his own terms.
Seconds into the phone call with Okayplayer, there isn’t an ounce of bitterness in his voice. Instead, there’s stillness — the kind that comes with reflection and making peace with time and choices. In fact, he says his last 16 days feel “like a vacation.” It’s the calm before the proverbial storm. “I’ve been through a long journey,” he tells Okayplayer. “I’ve just been working. Writing, running, praying, reading. Keeping the business in order, making sure the family’s intact.”
The days move differently for him now. Although his routine is simple, he spends his mornings writing, his afternoons exercising, and his nights reading or praying before bed. He calls it “staying righteous.”
He’s even managed to keep his creativity alive. “I got the studio in the cell,” he says matter-of-factly, describing a stripped-down recording setup that allows him to write, record and share ideas with producers on the outside. “Still got that buttery, milky voice for the ladies,” Biggavel jokes. “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.”
But the Max B who’s about to re-enter the world isn’t the same man from Harlem who left it. He’s a father now, eager to reconnect with his kids. He’s also a husband and a businessman.
Despite being away for nearly 20 years, Max is aware of how much has changed — the sound of New York, the culture, even the look and feel of where he calls home. The internet is faster. Cell phones are sleeker. Music moves at the speed of a scroll. And yet, for all the apprehension that comes with a fresh start, Max’s focus is laser-sharp. “It was never about keeping up with the times,” he says. “I always had my own thing. Now I’m just elevating it.”
The Wave God is finally ready to come home. Not as his past or a meme, but as a new man with a new plan.
Okayplayer: How are you doing?
Max B: Feeling great. Feeling righteous.
The clock is winding down pretty quickly for you.
It's coming fast. I'm using this s**t like a vacation. This little two weeks. It's like a resting period. I know it's going to be so busy. So I'm just really just, I'm not in no rush. The days is fast. It's winter time, football season, s**t is popping. S**t is moving fast.
You’ve said you’ve been “getting your mind right” while inside. What did that actually look like for you day-to-day?
Just working out, staying focused, working on my music. I got the studio in the cell, so I’ve always been working — writing, running, praying, reading. Talking to the family, making sure the business is in order, making sure the wife is intact.
I’ve been through a long journey, so my days' been different. You just gotta stay afloat, keep your own regimen and stick with it. There’s a lot of shifts in the tide. I’m usually in bed by 8 p.m., asleep by 10 p.m., getting ready for the next day. It’s almost over. I’m not trying to stretch these days out. I just like to get them over with.
You’ve been gone for 16 years. How have you managed to keep your creativity alive during all this time?
I use what I always use — my experience and my imagination. What God gave me. God gave me a melodic gift, so I use that. 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.
Do you feel like this time has been a blessing in disguise — that there were lessons you wouldn’t have learned otherwise?
Absolutely. I make the best of my time. I’m right where God want me. I ain’t come this far for nothing. I’m a student of life, so I’m still learning — every day’s a lesson, every day’s got a gem. I’m always learning, and growing and trying to move forward. And not stay stagnant.
It could’ve went a whole lot of other ways, but I’m still here. I’m thankful. I can’t complain. I’m happy that [I’m] getting to come back again.
How do you feel about reentering the world after so long? Harlem’s changed, technology’s changed. Are you excited or nervous about anything?
I got a little anxiety, yeah. But I ain’t been gone since the ’80s. When I left, it was technology. Now, I know it’s just more accessible. But what I see is a world of opportunity.
I feel good. I get a chance to be with the kids, be with the wife. I’m not really even nervous. I’ll get out there, hit the ground running. I’m a little anxious but it is what it is. I think that’s just an organic vibe.
You mentioned your family — how has becoming a father changed how you see yourself, not just as an artist but as a man?
I feel blessed to still be a father figure and lead by example. I get to spend time with my kids on an older, teenage level. My daughters, my sons, they into music. It’s gonna be fun. I can’t wait for the challenge and I’m just grateful. I get all of this restored.
Y’all get to see not only the artist, but the father, the maturity, the man, the businessman. I’m a family man now. But at the same token, I still gotta come out here and run this bag up.
You’ve mentioned A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Cash Cobain — what draws you to these younger artists creatively?
They just melodic. You already know they New York City, melodic dudes. We always been in touch. I've been in touch with [A] Boogie. We've been tapped in since he first started doing music. We just tapped in. I don't like calling them little bros because I'm older. But definitely my little bros on that aspect. I love what they do. They all melodic and creative. It's New York, it's going to be a movement. I'm just excited to blend in my skillset with what they do. It's going to all run concurrent. It's going to be nice man, when y'all get to see me and hear me back in the studio and get to hear me with the newer guys. And not even too new, but just the next generation up under me. Y’all gon’ love it. It’s beautiful.
There’s talk about “sexy drill” being today’s wave. Do you see it as a continuation of what you started?
When I first came out, I used to try to go over different styles of different beats, different just different genres. Whether it was Justin Timberlake, or Rihanna or Britney Spears, I was always just tapped into different types of styles of music and I could still be myself on a song. I didn't have to go throw a hoodie on, and grab a pistol, and do some s**t and go rap about it. My thing was just going in there, being creative, using my imagination, feeling good, just using what God gave me. And just going in there and making a great record.
With the new sound, we all feed off each other. That’s how this generation is. My music’s like wave culture. It all runs together.
I was always about being creative. I didn’t have to grab a hoodie and rap about the streets. I just wanted to go in there, feel good, use what God gave me, and make a great record. That’s what this new wave doing, too. They feed off it. I love it.
Who are some artists you have plans to collaborate with?
Cash [Cobain] sent me some joints. Them s**t's fire. I ain't going to even tap into those until we get the booth. I had me and A Boogie been doing s**t, so we locked in. 41, we going lock in with [them]. I'm going to lock in with all the young heads. You gon’ see my style on these new beats. That's kind of what I think they want to see. They know I could switch it up. It's like an excitement there that dudes grew up off my s**t and they get a chance to work with their big homie. It's going to be lovely. I can't wait.
What can fans expect from your sound now? Is it going to be an elevated wave? A sexy drill hybrid?
I got one mission: to restore musical excellence. It is brilliant. That's all I'm going to tell you.
I use my mind. I get to concentrate. And I get to really just sit here and go inside the track. I'm just going to give y'all a different perspective on how this s**t supposed to be because it's like, ‘Oh, this n***a been gone. How he going to keep up with the time?’ It was never about me keeping up with the times. I always have my own thing. So, it's like me elevating my own thing, you know what I'm saying? Flavor elevator.
You going to hear my style on maturity level. You going to hear me not rushing. Perfectionist. It's going to be beautiful, just trust me. You ain't going to know where nothing was done. It's going to sound like I never left. I didn't lose a beat. I got better actually. I think I got way better. So much better.
Any last preview you want to leave us with?
Yeah, I’m doing Sexy Love Ballad Vol. 1 — all female features. “Sexy Love Part 2,” “Porno Music 4” coming. Get ready. I got styles. I got range. It’s time.
Shortly after a faint automated voice announces, “You have one minute remaining,” the call ends abruptly. But even beneath that static, Max B’s voice cuts through: vibrant, grounded and fully alive. Sixteen years later, the wave is still moving, only now with an even stronger current. And on November 9, 2025, Biggavel will be home.
