French Montana
Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: كريم خربوش [kæɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ]; born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper.[1] Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 13.[2][3] He embarked on a musical career in 2002, releasing a slew of underground material until signing a joint-venture record deal with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records and Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group in 2012.
"Coke Boys" redirects here. For the 2010 mixtape, see Coke Boys (mixtape).
French Montana
Karim Kharbouch
Young French
November 9, 1984
Casablanca, Morocco
South Bronx, New York, U.S.
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
2002–present
- Gamma
- Epic
- Montana
- Coke Boys
- Bad Boy
- Maybach Music
- Interscope
- Konvict
- Evil Empire
1
Kharbouch first gained recognition hosting the locally-tailored DVD series Cocaine City during the 2000s, which focused on interviews of hip hop figures and personalities. His debut studio album, Excuse My French (2013) was met with generally unfavorable reception despite commercial success, mainly stemming from its lead single, "Pop That" (featuring Rick Ross, Drake, and Lil Wayne).[4] His 2017 single, "Unforgettable" (featuring Swae Lee) peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It preceded the release of his second studio album Jungle Rules (2017), which was met with further commercial success—peaking at number three on the Billboard 200—as well as an improvement in critical reception. His third and fourth studio albums, Montana (2019) and They Got Amnesia (2021) were released to lukewarm critical and commercial response.[5]
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.[6] He is the most streamed African-born musical artist, and is the first African-born artist to have a diamond-certified song by the RIAA. Outside of music, Kharbouch has been prolific in charitable and philanthropic endeavors.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Early life
Karim Kharbouch was born on November 9, 1984, in Casablanca, Morocco.[2] He grew up at the family estate outside Casablanca where he lived for the first 13 years of his life.[2] Growing up, he was consumed with soccer and rap, describing them as his two favorite childhood hobbies,[3] before getting into basketball in his later teens.[14]
In the mid-1990s, Kharbouch left Morocco with his parents and younger brother for New York City, where they settled in the South Bronx.[2] Kharbouch spoke only his native languages of Moroccan Darija Arabic and French when he first arrived, and learned English in the streets and in the Bronx high schools of Roosevelt and Lehman.[2] 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.[2] 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 was dependent on welfare for financial support. Kharbouch eventually found himself the primary breadwinner for the family.[2]
Career
2002–2010: Cocaine City Records
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.[15][16] The series featured interviews with major and upcoming rappers, personalities, and a focus on street music and hip hop beefs.[2][15][17] Initially as Young French, he used the DVDs as a means of showcasing his talent as an underground artist, including in it his own original music, freestyles, and collaborations with other artists. The first volume in the series featured Pee Wee Kirkland and Remy Ma, among others.[15][14] What started out as a medium for developing an audience, quickly grew into one of the top-selling street DVDs.[16] 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.[18]
In 2003, Kharbouch suffered a gunshot to the head when he was confronted by two armed gunmen as he was leaving a recording studio in the Bronx.[19][20][15] 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.[19][21] French was then hospitalized for several weeks.[15][21] Upon discharge, he discovered that he was set up by someone close to him and his circle.[19]
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" 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.[22] 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 was released, while French released his The Laundry Man on February 24, 2009.[23] 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 a joint-venture between Bad Boy and Maybach Music Group.[17]
Philanthropy
Kharbouch's charitable work began after his visit to Uganda, where he filmed 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.[92]
In 2018, Kharbouch was named an Ambassador for Global Citizen following his charitable donation of $100,000 for a hospital in Uganda.[93] 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.[94]
Musical influences
French Montana describes Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Snoop Dogg, and Wu-Tang Clan among the hip hop artists he listened to growing up.[15][95][112] He considers himself a music lover in general, and admires the work of English soul/R&B singers Adele and Amy Winehouse,[95] the English rock band Florence + the Machine,[113] and American singer Lana Del Rey, several of whom he has sampled in his music.