On July 24, 2026, Hot 97 Summer Jam took over a sold out Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Max B and French Montana closed it.
For Max B, it was his first Summer Jam in eighteen years.
What eighteen years means
Summer Jam is not a normal show. It is the one night a year where New York hip hop decides in public who is actually holding it. Careers get made on that stage. Careers end on that stage. Funk Flex said it out loud from the podium this year: a non New York artist will never headline Summer Jam.
The last time Max B stood on it, the mixtape era was still the industry, street DVDs were still how New York found out what happened, and he was in the middle of the run that built the wave. Sixteen years sat in between.
Then on July 24 he walked back out onto the same stage and closed the building.
The set
Prudential Center was sold out. The production this year was intentionally stripped back. No wall of pyro, no elaborate staging. Just performers and performances.
Max B and French Montana took the close. Masicka came out with French earlier in the set. The records that have carried this entire year, "Ever Since U Left Me" and "Minks in Miami", got played to an arena that already knew every word.
Okayplayer ranked it in their Top 5 Moments from Summer Jam 2026, listing it at number four and calling it "Wave Gods Take Over."
Who else played
| Performer | Note |
|---|---|
| Max B and French Montana | Closed the show |
| Fetty Wap | Welcome home set |
| Yung Miami | Brought out Fat Joe, loudest reaction of the day |
| Mariah the Scientist | |
| DaBaby | |
| G Herbo | |
| Conway The Machine | |
| 38 Spesh | Performed "Fool's Mate" |
| Masicka | Appeared with French Montana |
Funk Flex opened the night with a curated tribute to New York hip hop. Nessa and Funk Flex both wore Colin Kaepernick jerseys. Ice Spice was promoted as a headliner and did not perform, explaining afterward that she had been booked for a single song and the contract was never finished.
What it proves
There is a version of a comeback that lives entirely on streaming numbers and chart positions. Radio spins, playlist placement, TikTok. All of that has been going right this year. Two number ones on two different Billboard charts inside twelve months, all documented in the full chart history.
Summer Jam is a different test. An arena in New Jersey full of people from New York does not care about your Rhythmic Airplay position. They care whether the room moves.
The room moved.
Questions
When was Hot 97 Summer Jam 2026?
July 24, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Did Max B perform at Summer Jam 2026?
Yes. He closed the show alongside French Montana. It was his first Summer Jam performance in eighteen years.
Who closed out Summer Jam 2026?
Max B and French Montana.
Why did Ice Spice not perform at Summer Jam 2026?
She said on social media that she had been booked for one song and the contract was never completed, despite being promoted as a main performer.
When is Max B performing next?
Five confirmed dates run September and October 2026. Full list with venues here.
What comes next
The live run continues into the fall. Every confirmed date is on the tour page and broken down in the 2026 tour dates guide.
And Night To Remember, the disco album with French Montana, arrives September 4, 2026.
Press coverage, interviews and the full media list are on the press page.