Wiz Khalifa is continuing to show love to one his favorite rappers. Max B came to prominence in the mid 2000s. The Harlem native first began getting hype when he appeared on several songs in 2005. Perhaps most notably, he featured on Jim Jones’ “Baby Girl” and Cam’ron’s “You Gotta Love it.” Furthermore. Max B released his first mixtape, Million Dollar Baby in 2006. However, legal troubles would derail the budding star’s career. Despite this, Max continues to be a beloved figure among many hip-hop fans. One of those fans is Wiz Khalifa.
Wiz recently appeared on Mike Tyson’s Hotboxin Podcast. The “Black and Yellow” rapper revealed why Max B is such an inspiration. “He just had a really dope, just real in-your-face real confidence,” he said. “I looked up to that.” In many ways, Max B was a pioneer in hip-hop. The melodic style he helped make famous is now commonplace. Wiz says Max’ style was also one of the things that stood out about him. “I look up to his melodies,” Wiz said. “I like how he mixed melody and rap.
Wiz Khalifa Explains Why Max B Resonated With Him
Additionally, Wiz also says he seeks to emulate Max’s incredible work rate. “Dude had like 28 mixtapes before he went to jail,” he said. “At that point in my life, it was like, that’s a dude that I can relate to because I’m like man, I’m tryna go that hard too. I want to be in peoples’ faces too.” Furthermore, Wiz, sees his confidence as something else he’s learned from Max. “I’m that confident about my music as well,” he said. Furthermore, Wiz credits to Max B for making such an impact while being a largely underground rapper. “He was like, really still an underground artist but people like me and Curren$y and a couple other people,” he said. “We really gravitated towards him and seen the polish in all of that.”
Max B was slated to become a breakout star in 2006. However, in July of that year, he was arrested on serious felony charges. Authorities accused Max of participating in a botched robbery and homicide in New Jersey. Subsequently, he was found guilty in 2009 and sentenced to 75 years in prison. However, his sentence would later be reduced to 12 years. Furthermore, Max’ friend and label mate French Montana has claimed that Max will be released later this year.