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98-582: Karim Kharbouch ( Arabic : كريم خربوش [kæɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ] ; born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana , is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco , he immigrated to New York City with his family at the age of 13. Kharbouch first gained recognition hosting the New York City-tailored DVD series Cocaine City during the 2000s, which centered around interviews of hip hop figures. He embarked on

196-459: A Black Hawk Down theme, was released in late-January and included cameos from Gucci, Shawty Lo , DJ Holiday and members of Brick Squad Monopoly . With the success of the Coke Boys mixtape and his recent management deal with Debra, French adopted a recurring trap influence among his music. in 2013, Debra Antney sued French Montana for dealing behind her back for commission. In 2017, Debra won

294-540: A U.S. citizen . Moroccan Arabic Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.236 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 945098203 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:01:51 GMT Battle rap Battle rap is like verbal warfare, where competitors trade insults, wordplay, and clever rhymes in

392-516: A diamond -certified song by the RIAA. Outside of music, Kharbouch has been prolific in charitable and philanthropic endeavors . Karim Kharbouch was born on November 9, 1984, in Casablanca , Morocco . He grew up at the family estate outside Casablanca where he lived for the first 13 years of his life. Kharbouch has claimed that he has Moroccan , Ethiopian , and Somalian ancestry. Growing up, he

490-469: A "shopping deal" with Akon for a six months to a year period. "A shopping deal is when an artist takes a liking in you, and they try to take you to a label to get you signed. I was gonna go get signed to his label, but they were going through problems with Interscope . [As a result] my deal was over with him, so I went and did my own thing", claimed French in his 2012 interview with Complex. Akon, whom French refers to as "big brother", would continue to maintain

588-510: A 2012 interview with Parlé magazine, French revealed his deal with Mizay Entertainment as having been for a year and a half. With French's growing buzz in the South, he was approached by Florida -based rapper Rick Ross who invited him to his studio. French, who admits having been a fan of Ross' music, was invited to come "at like three in the morning" where he listened to his upcoming MMG collaborative album Self Made Vol. 1 . The two recorded

686-505: A bizarre series of events, French Montana would experience a similar but unrelated event months later when his convoy came under fire on March 1 in Philadelphia during his "Excuse My French" tour after French had finished performing a show hours earlier. The music video premiered on February 27, 2014. Albeit met with mixed to positive reviews, the song would be a hit and was re-released as a single on March 3, 2014. French joined Ross for

784-432: A collaboration with American rapper and singers Doja Cat and Saweetie . Similarities were noted in the lyrics of the track "How You King?" with Norwegian singer Astrid S ' song "Jump". Astrid S retroactively got proper attribution as a co-songwriter and receives compensation on the track. French Montana, on June 9, 2022, released a song "Je M'appelle" with fellow Moroccan-British artist Benzz and Tion Wayne . In 2023,

882-418: A competitive setting. It's all about lyricism, delivery, and sometimes even performance. It's a blend of poetry, wit, and bravado, often performed in front of an audience or judged panel. Battle rap was loosely described by 40 Cal , previously a member of American hip hop collective The Diplomats , in the book How to Rap (2009) as an "extracurricular" display of skill, comparing it to the dunk contest in

980-415: A crowd-pleasing comedian with a slick tongue; he was a commentator and a storyteller" thus, rendering Busy's archaic format of rap obsolete, in favor of a newer style which KRS-One credits as creating a shift in rapping in the documentary Beef . In the 1980s, battle raps were a popular form of rapping – Big Daddy Kane in the book How to Rap says, "as an MC from the '80s, really your mentality

1078-743: A fixture among French's music. The latter sound being further explored in his twelfth mixtape Coke Boys 2 released on August 19, providing a softer break from his more robust tapes that year. Both records have been acclaimed for their production and hooks. French would continue on his increasing presence in the South, releasing his collaborative mixtape with Waka Flocka called Lock Out on December 14. That same month, he would release his long-awaited collaborative mixtape Cocaine Mafia with Memphis -based rappers Juicy J and Project Pat , released on December 19. This would be French's thirteenth and fourteenth mixtapes, respectively. With four records out in 2011, it would be his busiest year of releases since 2009. In

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1176-456: A focus on street music and hip hop beefs. Initially as Young French, he used the DVDs as a means of showcasing his talent as an underground artist, including in it his original music, freestyles, and collaborations with other artists. The first volume in the series featured Pee Wee Kirkland and Remy Ma , among others. What started out as a medium for developing an audience, quickly grew into one of

1274-425: A format which is now the predominant form of battle rap, where two emcees battle against each other without a beat, trading prewritten verses in three-round battles. The impromptu aspect of battling still exists in the form of rebuttals, which are short rhymes (usually at the beginning of a verse) where an emcee either comments on something about their opponent that was thought up on the spot (for instance, making fun of

1372-509: A freestyle battle before the studio audience and three celebrity judges (the DJ sometimes acts as the 3rd judge). Each competitor alternates freestyling for 30 seconds in each of the two rounds (originally only 1 round when the segment first began). The rappers are not allowed to use profanities or sexually suggestive lyrics, punishable by disqualification. After the battle, the judges decide the winner, per majority vote. Eventually, battle rap moved to

1470-591: A hospital in Uganda. In 2022, it was reported that he helped raise over US$ 220 million for Uganda's maternal healthcare services. He received a 2022 Innovator Award for his efforts the same year. Kharbouch is a native-speaker of Moroccan Arabic and French, and became fluent in English after immigrating to the US. He cites being a father as one of his driving inspirations. He is a practicing Sunni Muslim . Kharbouch has been

1568-463: A joint-venture between Bad Boy and Maybach Music Group . In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, close friend and producer Harry Fraud revealed first meeting French Montana during a recording session at a studio in Chinatown . Fraud recalls recording a song for someone which French happened to have a guest feature on. In an unusual turn of events, the building was raided by police after

1666-399: A live performance on the television program Late Night with Seth Meyers on March 5, 2014. French Montana collaborated with fellow-Bronx native Jennifer Lopez on her promotional single " I Luh Ya Papi ". The song premiered on LA's Power 106 on March 5, and was released as a single on March 11, with the music video coming out two days later. The single was an international hit, and among

1764-494: A mixtape. In 2014, French collaborated with Diddy on Ross' track " Nobody " released on February 19. Rick Ross' remake of the late Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 song " You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You) ", featured an eerie chorus by French and interludes of Diddy in a live motivational rant. The song was inspired by Ross' brush against death the year before, when his Rolls-Royce came under repeated gunshot fire while driving through Fort Lauderdale , Florida , on January 28, 2013. In

1862-415: A name for himself in this field as well as a more popularized version of competitive rapping on a television platform. While he takes a more humorous approach to his opposition, he still performs with the intention of winning a contest. A cipher is any collection or gathering of rappers, beatboxers, or breakers forming in a circle in order to perform together – the term has also in recent years come to mean

1960-506: A recording career while doing so, and released several underground projects until signing with Puff Daddy 's Bad Boy Records and Rick Ross 's Maybach Music Group , in a triple-joint venture with Interscope Records in 2012. His debut studio album, Excuse My French (2013), peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 despite critical failure; its lead single, " Pop That " (featuring Rick Ross, Drake , and Lil Wayne ), peaked within

2058-465: A relationship with French, collaborating on songs together despite the unsuccessful deal between the two. French had met Akon through their mutual friend Gaby Acevedo. Acevedo was then-president of SRC Records – under founder and chairman Steve Rifkind — the label first responsible for breaking out artists such as Akon, David Banner , and Remy Ma , then a member of Fat Joe's Terror Squad . Acevedo, whom French had befriended during his time working on

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2156-537: A remix featuring Ross, Diddy and Snoop Dogg was released on October 4, and a second remix featuring Miley Cyrus on October 14. Upon its release, Excuse My French was met with mixed reviews from music critics. It fared better commercially, debuting at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 56,000 copies in the United States. The album also featured collaborations with Raekwon , Scarface , Ne-Yo and Jeremih among others. Following

2254-546: A resident of the Pompton Plains section of Pequannock Township, New Jersey . In 2016, he bought Selena Gomez 's Calabasas , California home for $ 3.3 million. Kharbouch married Deen Kharbouch in 2007. The couple had separated by 2012, and their divorce was finalized in 2014. They have a son who was born in October 2010. In 2016 Kharbouch briefly dated Australian rapper Iggy Azalea . In June 2018, Kharbouch became

2352-421: A shift away from French's usual feature-heavy records. With Fraud's signature sample-heavy production, French blurred the lines between rap and R&B in a manner not unlike that of Max B, and with subject matter ranging from difficult life-decisions, women, addiction and memories of his bygone friendship with his now-incarcerated rap soulmate. In August 2015, French paired with pop-opera artist Charisse Mills for

2450-465: A student and a teacher, the narrative was enough to give the league a huge boost in exposure. In 2014, former Don't Flop performers and staff broke away to form King of the Ronalds as a reaction to Don't Flop's move towards a more sanitized version of the product and sponsorship from the likes of Foot Locker . King of the Ronalds presents a more raw ethos, with a philosophy that has much in common with

2548-433: A subsequent interview with Billboard magazine, French revealed that had he not signed with Bad Boy that MMG would be his next choice. However, on January 4, 2012, while in the studio with Rick Ross, the two announced French's new signing to a joint-venture between Bad Boy Records and Maybach Music Group, making him a part of both labels. Both Ross and Diddy would be executive producing his debut studio album . On January 6,

2646-614: A tip-off that there were counterfeit Gucci and Louis Vuitton purses being manufactured at the same building. Having lost his studio spot, Fraud went on to form his own studio in Brooklyn, where the two "met and formed a bond". Harry Fraud, who hails from a musical family background and had interned at a recording studio , was still unknown professionally at the time. The two released their first collaboration "New York Minute", featuring Jadakiss , off of French's fifth mixtape Mac Wit Da Cheese released on April 19, 2009. Following its success,

2744-503: A track for the album, while Ross hopped on the remix to "Choppa Choppa Down". The new single, which also featured Wiz Khalifa, was released on April 28, 2011, with the music video coming out in June. An earlier remix featuring Gucci Mane and Wiz Khalifa had been released on March 25. The collaboration would mark the start of French's relationship with Rick Ross and his Maybach Music Group , prompting speculation whether French would be signing to

2842-492: A way for messages about hip hop styles and knowledge to be spread, through word-of-mouth and encouraging trends in other battles. Leagues such as King of the Dot ( Canada ), and Don't Flop ( U.K. ), which all started in 2008, with Ultimate Rap League ( N.Y. ) in 2009, furthered the popularity of battle rap via video hosting website YouTube , brand marketing, and creating divisions across their home nations and beyond. King of

2940-595: A wide variety of rapping styles and a wide range of MCs as personal inspirations is recommended. Various MCs have started out writing mostly battle raps and battling other MCs before releasing commercial records. Battle rap is believed to have started in the East Coast hip-hop scene in the late 1980s. One of the earliest battles occurred in December 1981, when Kool Moe Dee challenged Busy Bee Starski – Busy Bee Starski 's defeat meant that "no longer an MC just

3038-532: A written format created through months of preparation mixed with improvised lines as means to attacking his opponent or creating an image of himself as greater than his adversary. This is presented in his battle against Tay Roc in the main event of the Ultimate Rap League's "Summer Madness 6," a battle that the general consensus believes that Hollow Da Don walked away from in victory Summer Madness 6 main event. Fellow battle rap peer Conceited has made

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3136-407: Is a contest in which two or more rappers compete or battle each other using improvised lyrics. Each competitor's goal is to " diss " their opponent through clever lyrics. As hip-hop evolved in the early 1980s, MCs gained their fame through live battles with other MCs. Freestyle battles can take place anywhere: on street corners, on stage at a concert, in school, or even online. The live audience

3234-579: Is battle format... your focus was to have a hot rhyme in case you gotta battle someone... not really making a rhyme for a song". Battle rapping is still sometimes closely associated with old school hip-hop – talking about battle rapping, Esoteric says, "a lot of my stuff stems from old school hip-hop , braggadocio ethic". The New Music Seminar (NMS) is a Music Conference and Festival held annually each June in New York City . The New Music Seminar originally ran from 1980 to 1995. It quickly spawned

3332-470: Is critical to a battle as each emcee (MC; Master of Ceremonies) must use skill and lyrical ability not only to 'break down' their opponent, but to convince the audience that they are the better rapper. Appointed judges have been used in formal contests, but even when no winner is announced, the rapper who receives the best audience response is viewed as the victor. Currently, talents such as Hollow Da Don use various elements of battle rap that include reciting

3430-837: The Cocaine City DVDs, had put his music on to Akon who then approached French inviting him to meet him in Florida . Although the Akon deal was short-lived, Acevedo would eventually go on to become French's manager following his mainstream breakout. In 2012, with Rifkind leaving SRC's parent company Universal Music Group in September, the SRC imprint would close shop as well. With French's management deal with Mizay Entertainment having recently ended, Gaby Acevedo would postpone retirement to become his new manager, where he now spends his time on

3528-555: The Hot 100 . While initially expected for a release in July 2012, French's album went through several pushbacks until its finalized release date of May 21, 2013. The date which happened to coincide with the birthdays of Max B and famous labelmate the late Notorious B.I.G. In the meantime, French had released his fifteenth mixtape Coke Boys 3 on April 13, 2012, which included collaborations with fellow Coke Boys Chinx Drugz and Cheeze, alongside

3626-495: The NBA . Battle rap has been developed into highly organized league events drawing in significant revenue and attention. Mainstream artists such as Diddy , Busta Rhymes , Eminem , Machine Gun Kelly , Drake , Kendrick Lamar , Joe Budden and Cassidy have attended or participated in battles to help increase their popularity. Rap battles are often written and performed to impress crowds with technically inventive rapping, and knowing

3724-421: The lawsuit against him for which he was obliged to pay $ 2 million to Debra. On February 15, French released his eleventh mixtape Mister 16: Casino Life , which featured productions from Fraud and Lex Luger among others, including his soon-to-be next hit "Shot Caller". The tape's combination of hard trap beats alongside the more soulful beats – such as those of his New York producer Harry Fraud – would become

3822-408: The "Paranoid (Remix)" – featuring Diddy, Ross, Meek, Durk, Chinx and Jadakiss – was released on April 13. Subsequent music videos included, "88 Coupes" featuring Jadakiss released on May 15, "God Body" featuring Chinx on May 28, and "Money Bag" with Durk and Chinx on June 23. In a January 2014 Rolling Stone interview, French revealed that his next Mac & Cheese would be a studio album instead of

3920-703: The DVDs—a cutting edge technological and artistic hustle at the time. Fight Klub is one of the earliest battle rap leagues and was the only league that aired on TV. It aired on MTV2 sometime in 2006. It is hosted by international P. A lot of the original rappers on there are now legendary in the battle rap game such as Arsonal, Jin and Hollow da don . Jump Off TV's World Rap Championships premiered in London 2006, featuring American and British rappers. In Cuba, freestyle battles often follow organized concerts and juxtapose composed songs with ‘flowing’ lyrics that are relevant to

4018-461: The Dot's Travis Fleetwood, a.k.a. Organik , built a reputation as one of Canada's elite battle emcees with 4 wins at the Toronto -based freestyle competition Proud 2B Eh Battle MC , where he met a local producer/DJ by the name of RyanPVP. They teamed up to put together the first event which was initially intended to be a flash-mob -style event at Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto. However,

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4116-405: The Dot's rise. Smack and Ultimate Rap League (URL) are New York-based battle leagues. Rappers included Aye Verb (StreetStatus), Conceited (LionsDen), DNA (GrindTimeNow) Hitman Holla (StreetStatus), Tay Roc (LionsDen), Hollow Da Don (GrindTimeNow) and many more. Don't Flop is a popular UK battle rap league founded in 2008, following a controversial judging decision in which co-founder, Eurgh,

4214-451: The MC and DJ Battles for World Supremacy – a fertile showcase for rappers and DJs to make a name for themselves. Participants include a wide variety of very influential rappers such as Busy Bee , Melle Mel , MF Grimm , and Kool G Rap with judges such as Afrika Bambaataa , P Diddy , and many other influential rappers. Some of the most prominent battles that took place on record are listed in

4312-494: The United States in 1996. The article describes his journey through Morocco, meeting his mother's family, and eventually his estranged father who is not made aware of his son's coming arrival. French was accompanied by manager Gaby Acevedo, and youngest brother Ayoub, in addition to Zach Baron and Michael Schmelling of The Fader . The piece ends with an emotional reunion between the father and the two sons, including Ayoub who had previously never met their father before. French marked

4410-417: The adjacent balcony seats, began hurling bottles and glass at the performers. The following day, videos of the incident were uploaded online, depicting French and his entourage facing a barrage of glass and liquor on stage, as they continued performing his rendition of "Hard In Da Paint" while facing the mentioned balcony with the crowd chanting along to it. Some of the members on stage hurled debris back towards

4508-457: The airwaves. Fat Joe, whom he refers to as "big brother", praised French's work ethic and revealed that French had been receiving offers from several major labels. On the night of August 5, 2011, Bronx -based rapper Fat Joe was slated to host Funkmaster Flex 's birthday party at Webster Hall . During his performance, Fat Joe brought out French Montana to perform on stage. Controversy erupted as Jim Jones and his entourage, who were reportedly on

4606-433: The album release, French announced signing Chicago -based rapper Lil Durk to his Coke Boys. French, who is close to producer Young Chop , had previously collaborated with Durk on his recent mixtape and with Chief Keef on his debut album the year before. Durk, Chinx and Young Chop appeared in the music video to "Paranoid", featuring Chop's brother Johnny May Cash. The song is inspired by French's brushes with death, including

4704-410: The album's release was canceled after Target unofficially released the album on CD on its original release date (August 19, 2016), two months before the album was set to release, also leaking in its entirety on internet, as well as having some "sample clearance issues" on tracks like "I'm Heated" and 2 Times". It was originally supposed to be the fourth installment in the "Mac & Cheese" series, and

4802-511: The balcony, as Jones and his entourage eventually exited the premises. Fat Joe and Waka Flocka accompanied French Montana in his video shoot for "Shot Caller" later that month in August. The song, which made reference to Diddy 's 1997 hit " Its All About The Benjamins ", would soon garner the interest of the Bad Boy mogul. On October 9, French announced Diddy and T.I. for the official remix to

4900-434: The battle that evening. The two would go on to meet on two other occasions during the 1990s, thereby establishing a place in battle rap as one of the earliest and most exciting sagas in the subculture. From the late 1990s to the end of the 2000s, freestyle rapping became very popular, with many artists getting attention for new styles, charisma, and witty punchlines in battles such as Scribble Jam and Rocksteady. Following

4998-561: The book, Ego Trip 's Book of Rap Lists , and include such battles as the Roxanne Wars (1984–1985), Juice Crew vs. Boogie Down Productions (1986–1988), Kool Moe Dee vs. LL Cool J (1987–1991), MC Serch vs. MC Hammer (1989–1994), Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg vs. Luke (1992–1993), Common vs. Ice Cube (1994–1996), MC Pervis & Brand New Habits and LL Cool J vs. Canibus (1997–1998) – all of which include memorable battle rap verses. As hip-hop asserted its presence across

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5096-407: The country, MC battles were growing in popularity. One of the early predecessors of the contemporary, more confrontational variation of battle rap was the 1994 face-off between Craig G and Supernatural . The battle happened organically, by virtue of Supernatural calling out Craig G while he was performing. As it so happened, Craig G was in the crowd, and the host invited him to the stage. Craig G won

5194-519: The cover opportunity feeling he deserved it a year or two prior. French's first single from the upcoming album, " Pop That " was released on June 15, featuring Ross, Drake and Lil Wayne . The song would be one of the biggest hits that year, and a still-popular club and summer anthem since. It is French's most successful commercial single, having been certified " platinum " by the RIAA , and peaking at #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B and Rap charts and #36 on

5292-420: The crowd which forms around the battles, consisting of spectators and onlookers. This group serves partly to encourage competition and partly to enhance the communal aspect of rap battles. The cipher is known for "making or breaking reputations in the hip hop community; if you are able to step into the cipher and tell your story, demonstrating your uniqueness, you might be more accepted". These groups also serve as

5390-458: The day prior. The three appeared together in the music video which premiered on August 23. This was her first musical comeback since her incarceration six years earlier. French collaborated with Ashanti on her second single " Early In The Morning " released on October 14 off of her comeback album, Braveheart . This would be Ashanti's first album in six years. French released his second single " Bad Bitch ", featuring Jeremih, in December 2014, with

5488-517: The documentary "For Khadija" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival . Directed by Mandon Lovett and co-executive produced by Sean "Diddy" Combes and Drake , the film documents the story of his family's emigration from Morocco to New York, and explores the plight of his single immigrant mother raising three sons and his rise to success as a recording artist. Kharbouch's charitable work began after his visit to Uganda , where he filmed

5586-709: The end of the year with his sixteenth mixtape Mac & Cheese 3 released on November 20, 2012. which included collaborations with Prodigy , Fabolous , Future , Fat Joe, Ma$ e, Rico Love and Trina among others. Acclaimed for its production and track selection, it was among the most downloaded mixtapes of all time. With several productions from Young Chop , the music video to "Devil Wants My Soul" premiered on November 5, and an in-studio video of "Ocho Cinco" on November 26. Both songs would go viral, prompting another music video for "Ocho Cinco" – featuring Diddy, MGK , Red Café and King Los – released in February 2013. The song

5684-514: The first and second single from his upcoming project is ready to be released. He also announced a collaborative track with Chance the Rapper and Quavo , produced by Ben Billions, a collaboration with Swae Lee that is "just like 'Unforgettable'", as well as a song called "No Stylist". On July 14, 2017, Montana released Jungle Rules as his second album. On December 6, 2019, French Montana released his third studio album Montana , which includes

5782-402: The first to be originally released as an album. French later stated that he's planning to start a new record label with Max B when he is released. On November 5, 2016, Montana unexpectedly released the album as a mixtape instead and premiered it on Drake 's Beats 1 radio show, OVO Sound radio later that night. Montana revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 radio show that

5880-470: The label. With French juggling between Atlanta and New York, his song " Shot Caller " off of the Casino Life record would gain traction on New York radio beginning mid-2011. During an on-air interview with Fat Joe on DJ Green Lantern 's "Invasion Radio" in October 2011, French would call in to praise close friend and fellow- Bronx rapper Fat Joe, revealing his role in helping to get "Shot Caller" on

5978-416: The last before the release of his album on May 21. Subsequent music videos included, "Trap House" featuring Ross and Birdman released on September 23, "Gifted" featuring The Weeknd on October 15, "Once In A While" featuring Max B on November 18, and "Paranoid" featuring Johnny May Cash on January 20, 2014, among others. His first solo single " Ain't Worried About Nothin " was a hit on radio stations, and

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6076-972: The late-2003 incident where he survived a gunshot to the head. Durk collaborated on several records with French in the coming years, starting with the remix to Durk's breakout single " Dis Ain't What U Want " featuring French, Ross and Meek Mill, released on November 27, 2013. French appeared as a featured artist on several singles in 2013, most notably Joe Budden 's " NBA " with Wiz Khalifa released on March 26; ASAP Ferg 's " Work (Remix) " – alongside Schoolboy Q , ASAP Rocky and Trinidad James – on May 14; Canadian singer Massari 's " Shisha " on May 21; and Will.i.am 's " Feelin Myself " with Miley Cyrus and Wiz Khalifa on November 26, among others. Despite several pushbacks, French released his seventeenth mixtape Coke Boys 4 on January 2, 2014, which included collaborations with Snoop Dogg , Wiz Khalifa , MGK , Mally Mall, Lil Durk and MeetSims, among others. The music video for

6174-417: The latter served as his final release on a major label . Kharbouch founded the record label Coke Boys Records (previously known as Cocaine City Records) in 2008, which has signed Chicago rapper Lil Durk , as well as fellow New York artists including Velous , the late Chinx , and record producer Harry Fraud . He is the most streamed African-born musical artist, and is the first African-born artist to have

6272-531: The likes of Ross, Akon, Kevin Gates and Wale . Notable tracks among others include, a rare collaboration between French, Chinx and the late Stack Bundles on "Tap That", and "Headquarters" featuring Red Café and Chinx, the music video for which premiered on July 21. In September 2012, French Montana was featured on the cover of the 82nd issue of The Fader magazine, who joined French on his first homecoming to Morocco after seventeen years since his family moved to

6370-544: The mainstream with his single " Hard In Da Paint " released on May 13, had recorded the song earlier that year while Gucci Mane was still in prison. An early remix to the song, featuring French Montana, was included in French's ninth mixtape Mac & Cheese 2 released earlier that year on May 6 and which also included collaborations with rising stars Wiz Khalifa , Nicki Minaj, Big Sean , Curren$ y and Nipsey Hussle among others. The two respective breakout tracks would kick off

6468-623: The most added tracks on urban contemporary radio in 2011–2012. Starting in 2009, French Montana had signed a deal with Akon and his Konvict Music label. The two previously met in Miami in 2008, and later appeared on DJ Green Lantern 's "Invasion Radio" on SiriusXM 's Hip-Hop Nation . The pair collaborated on a series of tracks including their first single "Married to the Streets" on French's seventh mixtape Cocaine Konvicts released on September 25. In later interviews, French revealed that he had

6566-460: The most added/played tracks on rhythmic contemporary radio in Canada. French also appeared in the music video to Fat Joe's single "Stressin", featuring Jennifer Lopez, which premiered in October later that year. French joined Rick Ross on Puff Daddy 's comeback single "Big Homie" from his upcoming album MMM . With a guest verse by Ross and ad-libs by French, the single was released on March 24, with

6664-399: The music video and announcing the label he's signing with. Diddy would also appear that night as part of his "Bad Boy Takeover" campaign, whereon the two officially announced that French Montana had signed to Bad Boy Records. Between 2011 and 2012, "Shot Caller" had become one of the most added tracks on urban contemporary radio in the country. It was re-released as a single on January 10, and

6762-478: The music video coming out on March 3. The remix, featuring an additional Ross, Wale, Mavado and DJ Khaled , was released on April 25. A bonus track "Marble Floors" was released earlier on December 4, 2012, featuring Ross, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz with production from Mike WiLL Made It . It would fast become a viral hit, only to be outdone by French's third single " Ain't Worried About Nothin " released on April 15, 2013. The music video premiered on May 7, and would be

6860-523: The music video for his single " Unforgettable " in 2017, a song that gained over a billion streams and peaked within the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 . His efforts in Uganda raised an estimated US$ 500,000 to build the Suubi hospital, which serves over 300,000 of the country's citizens. In 2018, Kharbouch was named an Ambassador for Global Citizen following his charitable donation of $ 100,000 for

6958-557: The music video for the remix was released in February 2012. A "NY Giants remix" premiered on Funkmaster Flex 's radio show on January 6, celebrating the Giants ' Super Bowl win against the Patriots the day before. Having received offers from several labels, including Jay-Z's Roc Nation and Kanye's GOOD Music ; on December 6 on BET , French Montana publicly announced signing with Bad Boy Records, an imprint of Interscope Records . In

7056-426: The music video premiering on February 23, 2015. In late-October, French had announced his "Set It Off" tour with Jeremih, running up to his expected Mac & Cheese: The Album release in December. With the album eventually pushed back to next year; in its place, French released his collaborative EP with Harry Fraud, Mac & Cheese: The Appetizer on December 12, 2014. His eighteenth mixtape, The Appetizer marked

7154-416: The music video premiering on March 31. French Montana joined Ross, Meek and veteran Jay-Z on DJ Khaled 's summer hit " They Don't Love You No More ". The single was released on March 29, with the music video coming out on June 22 that year. On July 17, teasers to the movie The Purge: Anarchy were released featuring music from French's upcoming single " Don't Panic ". A month earlier, Instagram photos of

7252-430: The police presence and private security at the location forced the event to move down the road to an alley beside radio station Flow 93.5 . After a few events at that location, they were unable to accommodate the growing crowds, so Organik opted to relocate to Alexandra Park for the wide open space and gritty location. The crisp visuals and production value, as well as local celebrity guest judges, contributed to King of

7350-463: The present situation. Freestyling can allow audience members to integrate into the performance stage. This provides a forum for up-and-coming underground artists to engage in a musical discussion with already prominent underground Cuban rappers. Freestyle battles often turn political when artists incorporate perspectives on social disparities and issues plaguing the Cuban population. A freestyle battle

7448-428: The resurgence of freestyle battling in the 21st century, competitions began to move to TV shows shown on HBO , BET , and MTV . In addition, Eminem's 2002 movie 8 Mile introduced battle rap to mainstream audiences, generating a renewed interest and popularity in battling. Starting in the early 2000s, Freestyle Friday is a watered-down battle segment on BET's popular show 106 & Park . Two rappers compete in

7546-401: The road touring with French. French released his tenth mixtape Coke Boys on September 15, 2010, which included collaborations with Three 6 Mafia , Gucci Mane , Akon, Fat Joe , fellow Coke Boys, among others. The record which included the track "Choppa Choppa Down", featuring Waka Flocka Flame , became a hit among clubs and radio throughout the south . Waka Flocka, who recently broken into

7644-571: The shirt they're wearing), or responds to something their opponent said during their previous round. While not as prominent as it once was, the art of rebutting is still respected by many as difficult to do correctly, and a sign of a well-rounded emcee. While many creative minds were battling and organizing battles in the early 2000s, Troy "Smack" Mitchell of Queens New York gathered battle rappers of hood renown including Serius Jones of New Jersey and Loaded Lux, Murda Mook and Jae Millz of Harlem, Smack began recording battles, printing and hand-selling

7742-418: The single "Champagne." On February 14, 2016, DJ Khaled announced that he would debut French's new mixtape on We The Best Radio. The mixtape, hosted by Max B, debuted on February 19, 2016. On May 5, 2016, French's contract with Interscope and MMG ended, and he signed a joint venture record deal with Bad Boy and Epic Records . French planned to release his second studio album MC4 in October 2016, however,

7840-455: The song " Writing on the Wall ", a collaboration with Cardi B , Post Malone and Rvssian . In March 2020, Montana was sued by a woman using the pseudonym " Jane Doe " , for assault and battery , sexual battery , intentional infliction of emotional distress , negligent hiring, supervision and retention and negligence , in connection to a March 28, 2018, incident reported to police in which

7938-469: The song. DJ Drama , who called it his favorite record, referred T.I. to jump on the remix. Although the T.I. feature never came to fruition, the remix was released on November 24, and featured rappers Diddy and Rick Ross. With "Shot Caller" already one of the most played tracks on New York radio, on stations such as Hot 97 and Power 105 , French was slated to appear on the upcoming episode of BET's 106 & Park on December 6, where he would be debuting

8036-547: The start of a close relationship between French and Waka Flocka, where the two describe themselves as being "brothers". On November 18, 2010, XXL magazine reported on French Montana having signed with Atlanta -based management firm Mizay Entertainment, headed by Debra Antney. Debra, who is Waka Flocka's mother, was also manager to Gucci Mane, OJ Da Juiceman , rising star Lex Luger and the 808 Mafia production team, and formerly Nicki Minaj prior to her mainstream breakout. The music video for "Choppa Choppa Down", which featured

8134-479: The streets and in the Bronx high schools of Roosevelt and Lehman . After struggling for two years, his father decided they would move back to Casablanca, but his mother opted to stay back with their children citing lack of opportunities back home. His mother was pregnant with his youngest brother at the time, who was born in the United States shortly after his father departed for Morocco. With three children, his mother

8232-419: The tapes' premiere on DatPiff , it would reach the 500K "double platinum" rating by first month, and presently stands at a "diamond" rating with over 1.4 million downloads on that site alone. In January 2013, French announced his second single " Freaks ", featuring Nicki Minaj , from his upcoming album to be a remake of Lil Vicious ' 1994 song of the same name. The song premiered on Hot 97 on February 13, with

8330-699: The top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 . His 2017 single, " Unforgettable " (featuring Swae Lee ), peaked within the chart's top ten, and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It preceded his second studio album Jungle Rules (2017), which was met with similar commercial success—peaking at number three on the Billboard 200—and a critical incline. His third and fourth studio albums, Montana (2019) and They Got Amnesia (2021), were both met with lukewarm critical and commercial reception;

8428-479: The top-selling street DVDs. The series ran for eight years between 2002 and 2010, totaling 14 volumes, and multiple spinoff films. Based out of the Bronx, Kharbouch ran the series with the help of childhood friends including Brock, Droop Pop and Cheeze, who went on to become the first rappers that formed the Coke Boys. In 2003, Kharbouch suffered a gunshot to the head when he was confronted by two armed gunmen as he

8526-672: The two artists recorded "We Playin In The Wind" off of French's sixth mixtape The Laundry Man 2 released on June 29. With "New York Minute" still buzzing in the city, rapper Ma$ e would approach French Montana to hop on the remix, included in French's eighth mixtape Coke Wave 2 released in November. Since then, Harry Fraud's production has been a staple among French's music, and Fraud has since ventured out into working with various other artists. Fraud gained mainstream attention when his track with French Montana " Shot Caller " became one of

8624-579: The two dropped Ross' track " Stay Schemin " with rapper Drake . Notable for its memorable French and Ross " hook ", the track became one of the biggest hits that year, oft-talked about for its Drake verse believed to be a "diss" towards rapper Common at the time. French Montana was featured on XXL's Freshman Class of 2012 alongside Future , Kid Ink , Danny Brown , Macklemore , Don Trip, Hopsin , Iggy Azalea , Roscoe Dash , and Bad Boy labelmate MGK . French later revealed to host Sway Calloway on MTV's RapFix Live in August 2012 that he almost turned down

8722-462: The two on set of "They Don't Love You No More", depicting French holding a rifle in his arms with Khloé seated next to him with a bottle of liquor to her mouth. The remix to "Don't Panic", featuring Jeremih and Chris Brown, was released on October 14. French Montana joined Remy Ma on DJ Khaled's "They Don't Love You No More (Remix)" released on August 2. Khaled's former Terror Squad affiliate and Bronx-native Remy Ma had just been released from prison

8820-454: The two showed French with then-girlfriend Khloé Kardashian on set with matching masks on, prompting speculation whether she was in the coming video. Following weeks of promotion, the single was released on August 12. The music video, which retained the dark themes of the movie while maintaining its catchy DJ Mustard character, became a viral hit. The couple had created bit of a stir two months earlier, on June 2, when Khloé posted an IG photo of

8918-418: The woman alleged Montana drugged her and raped her while she was incapacitated on his bathroom floor. The suit was dismissed pursuant to a settlement on April 13, 2022. Montana's fourth studio album, They Got Amnesia was released through Epic Records on November 19, 2021, including the singles "FMWGAB", "I Don't Really Care", "Panicking", a collaboration with American rapper Fivio Foreign , and " Handstand ",

9016-521: Was also included as a bonus track on the upcoming Excuse My French album. The run up to which included further video releases, including the Black Metaphor produced "Sanctuary" (named after sample song " Sanctuary " from Kingdom Hearts II ) on February 3, Swizz Beatz produced "Diamonds" featuring Ross and J. Cole on February 17, and Fraud produced "State of Mind" on May 15 and "Intro (Only If For A Night)" on November 30, among others. Since

9114-476: Was consumed with soccer and rap, describing them as his two favorite childhood hobbies, before getting into basketball in his later teens. In the mid-1990s, Kharbouch left Morocco with his parents and younger brother for New York City , where they settled in the South Bronx . Kharbouch spoke only his native languages of Moroccan Darija Arabic and French when he first arrived, and learned English in

9212-428: Was denied a place in the finals of a tournament run by the then-dominant battle league, JumpOff. Since then, notable appearances include Rizzle , Illmaculate , Mystro , and Harry Love. Don't Flop came to mainstream UK media attention in 2012 when one of their battles became a viral video , purportedly showing a teacher battling his student. Although the battlers in question, Mark Grist and Blizzard, were not actually

9310-518: Was dependent on welfare for financial support. Kharbouch eventually found himself the primary breadwinner for the family. Kharbouch began his career as a battle rapper in his teens under the name Young French. In 2002, Kharbouch and close friend Cams created a series of street DVDs called Cocaine City , drawing inspiration from the Smack DVD series popular at the time. The series featured interviews with major and upcoming rappers, personalities, and

9408-525: Was leaving a recording studio in the Bronx. The incident resulted in one of the gunmen dead, in what is believed to be a case of " friendly fire " by one assailant against the other. French was then hospitalized for several weeks. Upon discharge, he discovered that he was set up by someone close to him and his circle. In 2007, French Montana released his debut mixtape French Revolution Vol. 1 , which included collaborations with Uncle Murda , Jae Millz , Mazaradi Fox and Tony Yayo . The track "Quarter to Eight"

9506-472: Was released, while French released his The Laundry Man on February 24, 2009. The two artists resumed concentrating on their solo records, until the release of their second collaborative mixtape Coke Wave 2 in November that year. French was included in XXL 's Freshman Class of 2012. At that time he had already been signed to Bad Boy Records following the success of his single " Shot Caller ", and had just signed

9604-427: Was the first of many collaborations with Rick Ross . The J. Cardim -produced "Straight Cash" was French's first underground hit. In 2008, he released his second mixtape, Live From Africa . The song "Waavvy" was the first collaboration with rapper Max B . French Montana and Max B released their debut collaborative mixtape Coke Wave on February 6, 2009. A few weeks later, on February 23, Max B's mixtape Quarantine

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