Max B: The Real Story

Merry Christmas everyone!  Y'all been rocking with the kid for quite some time now and my appreciation runs deeper than Richie Rich's stocking full of gifts.  To commemorate such blessed occasion, allow me to present a special piece on Charles Wingate better known to the hoods of the world as Max B.

For years now there has been tons of speculations surrounding the Harlem street legend but as you know there's two sides to a story and then the truth.  It is my pleasure to introduce the homie and fellow BAPE employee Erick Shaw who just so happens to be related to Biggaveli.

Below is the transcript of our brief sitdown pertaining to his immortalized cousin:

Frendy:  You've been working at BAPE for about a year now and it was only 2 months ago that I found out you were related to Max.  I'm assuming only a few individuals know about your relation to him?

Erick:  Yeah.  It's funny how people come across or figure it out lol.  I usually do a good job of keeping it a secret.  The only people that really know that I'm related to him besides my family obviously is my closest friends.  They actually got to meet him.  For those that don't know and aren't aware, he and I are 1st cousins.  His mother and my mother are sisters.  My mother being the baby and his mother being the eldest female out of 8 kids.  We make up 10 grand-kids so it's a big family lol.

Frendy:  What's your fondest memory of Max?

Erick:  I have a few fond moments of my cousin and I.  It's funny because he considers me his favorite so I take that to heart.  One memory I have is when I was little, his sister and I used to always come home from school and play Super Mario on Nintendo.  We'd get to the last level and no matter how hard we'd try we could never beat it.  Charlie would come from outside doing whatever he was doing in the street and we'd tell him to help us out.  He'd beat Bowser in 2 minutes flat!  Made it look so easy lol.  Another memory that I have with him is when I graduated High School and he surprised me by showing up.  Everyone was so shocked to see him.  Here I am carrying a normal convo with him as if it's nothing while everyone's jaws are dropped.  That was a pretty cool moment for me.

Frendy:  For those who don't know, explain Max's relevance in Hip Hop and how did his nickname "Biggaveli" come about?

Erick:  Well, that name comes from 3 artists.  Bigga is Biggie and Jigga is Jay Z and of course Veli at the end for 2Pac.  Those were the artists that he looked up to coming up and that's how the name came together.  He does everything to the max so "Max Biggaveli".  He's responsible for alot of the lingo in New York including the iconic word "Wavy" and "Owww".  Max put out hood classics like the "Public Domain" series, the "Domain Pains" series and of course mentoring French Montana into what he is today.  And to think, he was primed to be something big.

Frendy:  Did you know much of his street life?

Erick:  I was still pretty young to comprehend his street activities.  As I got older, I started to piece things together.  He spent alot of time in and out of jail with his two brothers Michael aka "Mike Murder" and Eric (who was murdered).  Charlie was the only brother out of the three to have both parents around (for the most part) but the streets still called his name and majority of the time he answered. 

Frendy:  To be honest, I really don't know the set of events that led to Charles' arrest.  Can you elaborate on that situation?

Erick:  Basically what happened was, there were two desperate parties attempting to rob the same person/persons and claimed that my cousin was the mastermind behind it all.  Mind you, he wasn't even present at the time.  If my knowledge serves me right, he was doing shows when it happened.  If I'm correct, Max was found guilty for 9 out of 11 counts for Manslaughter and Conspiracy to commit robbery.  SMH, It truly hurt me because before that he was in jail facing a 2 million dollar bail that was later paid.  To just have him home and then I gotta see him go away......sucks alot.

Frendy:  Any update on when he'll be free?

Erick:  There are alot of dates people are giving out.  From what I know, he still has to do a considerable amount of time.  On a positive note, he's got a new lawyer team and is fighting for a retrial.  As for as release date.....that's in God's hands.

Frendy:  Do you still keep in contact with Charles?

Erick:  Of course!  If I'm not speaking to him, I'm speaking to my aunt about him.  Last time I spoke to Charlie was like a month and a half ago.  He was trying to have me work with one of his engineers to  make music and before that he tried to get me to work with Dame Grease.  I can't front Grease was kind of a asshole lol.  That's another story though...

Frendy:  What's Max's biggest misconception?

Erick:  People seem to think that he's this troublemaker but that's not the case.  We all make bad decisions.  He just tried to live his life and sometimes the company you keep can also be your downfall.

Frendy:  Any thoughts of working in the music industry like your big cuz?

Erick:  Like him, music is also my passion.  I kinda want to take a different approach than him though.  Seeing him go through all of this and watching his life change from feeling like you had nothing to having it all and then having it taken from you....that will make anyone open their eyes!  It hurt me so much but at the same time it helped me realize what mistakes not to make, how to move, how to trust, and how people perceive you when you're down.  I learned so much from him and we didn't even spend that much time together because of his lfe decisions.  Despite it all, I still love and want to do music.  If there was an opportunity to work with Charlie I would in a heartbeat!  Not just because he's "Max B" but because I want to keep him close to me.  Keep him out of trouble and bond more as a family, doing something we both love.

Frendy:  I appreciate your time E for giving us a deeper insight into Max's life and your relationship with him.  Any words you'll like to leave with the people?

Erick:  I just want to say thank you to all of your loyal fans that have supported him for years.  Y'all mean the world to him and myself because you guys help keep his work alive.  We just gotta hope and pray that he gets his time to come home.  I guarantee if he does, things will be different.  He'll be staying home for good this time.  But again thank you and stay wavy.

Delroy Smith: Out The Box

Life's surprises are truly the best occurrences anyone could ever ask for.  A few months ago, I informed you all about my good friend Grant Martin of the sensational Dover Street Market NY.  One day as Grant finished giving me and my photographer Erick Hercules a personal tour of the exclusive shop, he introduced us to Delroy Smith.  What I didn't expect is that our initial meeting would transform into a brotherhood of epic proportions.

What drew me to Delroy is his extremely tasteful fashion sense and equally radiant spirit.  In this day and age (especially in New York), arrogance is expected when one is acquainted with a being who possess a 'larger than life' aura.  I was pleasantly surprised by his comforting nature and positive attitude.  Its as if we were long lost brothers in this world of perpetual false ego.  In just one day after our introduction, we all began communicating on how we could join forces to potently share our respective gifts to the world.  This is part 1.

The 5th Avenue Louis Vuitton store highest-grossed salesman's (sold over $2 million worth of items in his department last year) story is so inspirational that I've decided to let him tell it in his very own words.  With that said, here is Delroy Smith....out the box.

My name is Delroy Smith and I am 25 years of age born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.  As a child, I always fancied the idea of creating; sculpting, building, sketching, painting, poetry and even music.  My mother always knew I had a gift.  Therefore, she frequently planned trips to the museum, zoo and library so that we could always engage in activities that were constructive.

During my adolescent stage, I was constantly picked on by other students in my elementary and junior high school, and even though it seems cliché, that was the norm for me especially because I had to deal with my father's death in the 1st grade.  I learned to defend myself, even if it meant being violent to the individual that threatened to do me harm.  My younger siblings, Ethan and Tracey all went to the same elementary school as me because my mother always wanted us to stick together and taught us that friends can always lead us to the wrong path.  Which is why she made sure to instill love, courage, faith, and the joy of sticking together as a family.

My mother and grandmother were my 2 best friends and sole providers growing up.  They supplied me with relentless self-confidence to stand strong despite what anyone else thought.  My grandmother always preached that "it doesn't matter who hates you, Jesus and I love you" and that stuck with me even up to this day.  HS was a dilemma because during that period of time I was struggling with my identity.  I wanted to fit in every popular clique but felt that I wasn't "cool" or had enough "swag".  I had no interest in fashion, just trends.  My mom accepted me but I wanted everyone to feel the very same.  I thought wearing Jordan's would make my school peers accept me.  Talking the way they do, dressing like them...cloning myself to what I thought HS society wanted every teenager to be.  Interestingly enough, during my last 2 years of HS I became extremely popular due to the fact I learned to be comfortable with myself (but was still struggling with inner demons).

In college, I experimented with so many looks and made sure to stick out like a sore thumb.  I kicked it up 10 notches not because I wanted attention but because I found my identity which was expressing my inner being through clothing.  In my last two years of college, I was known as the kid that could "dress his ass off!" but remained humble through it all.  My grandmother always said, "clothes do not make the man,  its their morals and attributes."  She instilled humility, kindness and always told me to appreciate every moment and to love everyone.  Afore I mentioned that I was battling an inner demon....my sexuality.  The fact that my mother and I have a great relationship, I needed to tell her.  I also came out to many of my friends who fortunately still accepted me.  Finally, I accepted myself and relinquished all of the negative forces that were in my head.

My grandmother passed away on December 22nd, 2013 and was saddened so deeply that I couldn't even function.  I miss and love her so much.  My grandmother as well as my mother played a big part in becoming who I am today.  They accepted me for me.  She would state "You can make a child, but not their heart and mind."  Even today I can see her, everything around me reminds me of her beauty.  My grandmother worked extremely hard raising 9 children, 21 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren!  Her work ethic was unparalleled and that is why I don't complain. "You have it too good, what you see as complaint someone sees it as triumph.  Never complain because there is someone out there in the world that has it worst than you."

On a more positive note, many people want to know about my style and what I think about when getting dressed.  My motto is: everything goes!  There are basically no boundaries.  My closet consists of silk, leather, cotton, python, croc, beading, embroidery, bright colors, dark colors, plaid.....and the list goes on and on.  I like things that are daring but also my taste, which isn't hard to find (it just has to grab me emotionally).  My mom loves the way I dress so did my grandmother.  Even though there were times she made fun of me, I knew it was from a loving place.  I thoroughly enjoyed style and fashion from the moment I was working at the Flagship Abercrombie & Fitch.  I then moved on to Flagship Tommy Hilfiger, and now Flagship Louis Vuitton.

I read up on other cultures because I like to incorporate international influences to my style which includes my own cultivation being that my mom is Suriname, father from Jamaica, grandmother from Guyana and her ancestors being Chinese.  From turbans to wearing Chinese robes or embroidered garments from India to an event, being ashamed to do so never existed...just sheer excitement and anticipation of the expressions on people's faces!  Pictures of my father before he passed away played a huge role in my style.  People know me for the amount of gold rings that I wear and that's because my father wore so many of them.

In conclusion, I love being me and extremely excited for what the future holds.  Many people stare at me day-to-day and sneak pics of me on the subway.  Some even ask for permission to take a flick because they think I might say no but since I'm extremely humble and shy (ironically enough my clothes speaks volumes) I always say yes.  My style varies.  I'm still learning and growing as a Stylist and Designer so I continually do my research!  I know that I have a strong look...so I own it.  It took a long time to find my identity.....just imagine if I gave up and decided to just blend in?  The Delroy Smith you know today would have been just a thought.

Photographed by Erick Hercules

More Life

What can I say? Drake has yet again smashed it with his new album More Life. Unlike Drizzy's previous sonic offerings, this one is heavily influenced by his trips across the pond with features from English Grime artists, such as the highly regarded Skepta and the Godfather of the genre himself Giggs.

Looking at the project's title, the '6 God' could be declaring his love for the UK. Even on his Boy Meets World Tour he still is able to produce an album of this calibre, which really is a credit to how hard he works and how important it is for him to keep the fans happy.

This album proves that Aubrey's career is far from ending and truly shows he is ready to set the benchmark for any rapper who wants to challenge him. Additionally, the project clearly served as his platform to showcase noteworthy talent from England.

More Life is an all-round incredible album and definitely worth keeping on repeat, as you will immensely appreciate the quality of the chunes after each listen.

Written by Joshua King