Max B spent sixteen years in federal prison. During those years, the artists he influenced went on to sell hundreds of millions of records. Drake became the most streamed artist in the world. Wiz Khalifa built a global brand. A Boogie wit da Hoodie became one of the biggest names in New York rap. All of them, at various points, have acknowledged Max B's influence on their music.
This is not a claim Max B is making about himself. These are documented, public statements from major artists about where they heard something first.
Drake
Drake's melodic approach to rap - the sung hooks, the emotional vulnerability, the combination of singing and rapping - has roots in what Max B was doing in Harlem in the mid-2000s. Drake has referenced Max B directly in his music, including the lyric in "Money in the Grave" that acknowledges the wave. In interviews, Drake has spoken about the artists who shaped his approach to the craft, and Max B's influence on the melodic rap wave is part of that conversation.
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa publicly defended Max B's legacy during the 2016 controversy when Kanye West titled his album "Waves." Wiz went on Twitter to make clear that Max B was the originator of the wave movement in hip-hop and that the name carried specific cultural weight. That moment went viral and put Max B's name in front of a new generation of music listeners who may not have known his catalog.
A Boogie wit da Hoodie
A Boogie wit da Hoodie is one of the biggest artists to come out of the Bronx in the last decade. His melodic rap style, the way he blends singing and rapping across a full project, the emotional register he brings to his music - all of that connects back to what Max B pioneered. A Boogie has acknowledged Max B as part of the foundation that made his sound possible.
The Bigger Picture
What Max B built in Harlem in the 2000s was a new way of approaching rap. Melody as a constant presence, not just in the hook. Emotional content that felt genuine, not performed. A delivery that was relaxed and confident at the same time. That combination became the dominant mode in hip-hop over the decade that followed - and the artists who perfected it publicly trace it back to the Wave God.
Max B is home now. Stream the music that started it all on Spotify and Apple Music.