French Montana Biography by David Jeffries
French Montana, a Moroccan-American rapper who developed an indie empire with his Cocaine City label, ascended from the New York mixtape underground in the 2000s to become a pop-savvy hip-hop artist in the 2010s. Beginning with his debut album, Excuse My French, in 2013, he became known for his high-profile collaborations and a handful of chart hits, including “Unforgettable” from his platinum-certified sophomore LP, Jungle Rules, in 2017. Montana, a double album released in 2019, included big-name guests and contained the hit singles “No Stylist” and “Writing on the Wall.” In 2021, he returned to his tried-and-true fashion for another guest-heavy measure, They Reached Amnesia and cooperated with Harry Fraud on Montega in 2022.
Karim Kharbouch was born in Morocco and immigrated to the United States when he was a teenager. In 2002, he established himself in the Bronx and began publishing his Cocaine City series of DVDs, which featured interviews with both established and unsigned hip-hop artists.
. He began producing his mixtape CDs in 2009, with DJs such as Evil Empire, DJ Drama, and Big Mike serving as hosts. That same year, he was signed to Akon’s Konvict Musik label, however, it was reported in late 2011 that they had parted ways and that Montana was signing to both P. Diddy’s Bad Boy and Rick Ross’s Maybach Music imprints in a unique joint venture. His 2012 single “Pop That” was the first for the combined companies, and his debut album, Excuse My French, was released in 2013.
Montana reached in 2016 with Casino Life 2: Brown Bag Legend, the Mixture of a series of mixtapes with a rising R&B flavor. The smash tune “Moses” starring Chris Brown and Migos was included on the mixtape. Montana had intended to remove a whole LP named MC4 at the end of the year, but after the album was leaked by a merchant months before its planned release, he canceled the project entirely and released it as a mixtape instead. The Weeknd, Jeezy, A$AP Rocky,Drake, Miguel, Nas, Kodak Black, Kanye West, Beanie Sigel, Max B, Jadakiss, DJ Khaled,Styles P, the Alchemist, and Chinx all completed formations on MC4 (or “Mac & Cheese 4”). Montana produced the next year with his authorized sophomore action, Jungle Rules.
Visitors on the album featured The Weeknd, Pharrell Williams, Travis Scott, Future, Quavo, T.I., and Young Thug. The first track “Unforgettable” by Swae Lee became a hit, topping the Billboard rap chart and moving into the Top Three of the R&B and main singles charts. The album debuted at numeral three on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the (US) United States.
Montana returned to the Hot 100 in 2018 with the explosive single “Welcome to the Party” from the Deadpool 2 soundtrack, which featured Diplo, Lil Pump, and Zhavia Ward. Additional chart hits were “No Stylist” with Drake and “Slide” with Blueface and Lil Tjay, propelling Montana into 2019. Those latter tracks appeared on his third album, which was published near the end of the year on the same day he was freed from the intensive care unit.
Montana, a double album, contained Juicy J (“50’s & 100’s”), Swae Lee (on the “Outstanding” sequel “Out of Your Mind”), and Post Cardi B Malone(“Writing on the Wall”). The album debuted at number 25 on the Billboard 200. The next year, with Coke Boys 5, he returned to his mixtape beginnings.
They Got Amnesia, Montana’s fourth full-length album, was released in 2021 and featured guests such as John Legend, Rick Ross, Ty Dolla $ign, Doja Cat, and many more. Montana collaborated with Harry Fraud on the joint project Montega in 2022, which featured the tracks “Drive By,” “Blue Chills,” and “Brick & Bags.” Coke Boys 6 debuted in 2023, starring DJ Drama.
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