A pair of Marin rappers released a tribute song and music video to alleged teen gangster Max Wade Wednesday, the same day the 17-year-old Wade pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and theft of celebrity chef Guy Fieri's $200,000 yellow Lamborghini.
The rappers, 17-year-old Brilliant of San Rafael and 23-year-old Timbalias of Marin City, released the song "Max Wade" on the Internet last month and posted the official video Wednesday. The rappers record on their own Gouda Game label and each have released solo albums in addition to their own album Brillias. Warning: The videos at right contain language and images that you may find offensive.
Brilliant, who attended Wednesday's hearing in Marin County Superior Court in support of Wade, said the duo recorded the song early last month in the wake of Wade's arrest and in the midst of a flurry of local and national media attention on the case.
The song opens with a clip from a TV news report about Wade and includes lines like, "Free Max Wade, he's my f***ing brother," "I think I'm Max Wade, not Tupac," referring to the late Marin City rapper and "front page IJ, attempted murder."
Brilliant, who gave his first name as Alex but declined to give his last name, said he and Wade first met as freshman at Redwood High and have been friends ever since.
"I know he's innocent - he's not a bad kid at all," Brilliant said. "That's my opinion about the whole thing. He didn't do anything they're saying."
Under the direction of Alec Rodriques of Blowtorch Entertainment, Brilliant and Timbalias shot the video for "Max Wade" last week in San Rafael, using a a yellow Lamborghini and a San Francisco Police uniform, both of which allegedly were found by detectives in a Richmond storage facility when Wade was arrested on April 28.
Wade pleaded not guilty Wednesday from a San Francisco dealership last year and .
The plea came after Judge Paul Haakenson denied a defense motion to separate the charges related to the March 2011 Lamborghini theft from the attempted murder and other charges that stem from the shooting. He also denied a motion to move the car theft case to juvenile court. .
Wade is charged with burglary, vehicle theft and two counts of possession of stolen property in connection with the theft of a $200,000 bright yellow 2008 Lamborghini Spyder Gallardo on March 8, 2011, from the British Motor Car Distributors dealership on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. The bleach blonde-haired Fieri had a “GUYTORO” vanity plate on the car.
In that heist, the thief rappelled down from the roof of the dealership, entered through a window, then drove away in the car, according to San Francisco police. Surveillance video footage obtained from the Golden Gate Bridge and the town of Tiburon showed the Lamborghini driving by after the theft, investigators said.
Wade is charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied pickup truck parked outside a home on Evergreen and Ethel avenues. In , both the 17-year-old girl and Landon Wahlstrom, 18, of San Rafael, sustained minor injuries from broken glass when Wade allegedly shot at them five times around 11:30 a.m. on April 13, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputy District Attorney Yvette Martinez said Wade used the $200,000 car to try to impress the 17-year-old girl. Martinez said Wade offered to let the girl drive the sports car, and used it to meet with her. She said that tied the Lamborghini to the attempted murder of the girl and Wahlstrom.
The girl filed a restraining order against Wade today, and Haakenson signed it in court. Haakenson said the girl had shunned Wade. Dresow said that Wade had made no attempt to contact the girl, electronically or otherwise, and he remains in custody in juvenile hall in lieu of $2 million bail.
The judge set a Sept. 17 date for a preliminary hearing. If convicted, Wade could face up to 30 years in prison.
The first video for the "Max Wade" song was uploaded in May by the user BrilliantMuzic and has garnered over 7,000 views. An official music video was released on June 20, the same day Wade entered his plea. In the first day, the video already has over 200 views.
The rap duo came out with the album Brillias in February 2011, featuring 16 songs. "Max Wade" is not yet featured as a song to purchase.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
