Karim Kharbouch (born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is an American hip hop recording artist. Born in Morocco, he immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13 years old. He is the founder of Coke Boys Records, and its predecessor Cocaine City Records. In 2012, he signed a joint-venture recording deal with Bad Boy Records and Maybach Music Group. Montana has been known for his frequent collaborations with record producer Harry Fraud and rapper Max B before his conviction. More recently he is known for his collaborations with Rick Ross, Diddy and his MMG and Bad Boy labelmates along with his Coke Boys which include the late Chinx, Lil Durk, and his brother Zack.
French made his mixtape debut in 2007, and released his debut studio album Excuse My French on May 21, 2013. In 2003, he survived a gunshot to the head. Allegedly blackballed by radio and media in his earlier career stemming from his stint with Max B. In 2010, he had his breakthrough with “Choppa Choppa Down” which became a regional hit in clubs and radio throughout the South. By 2012, his single “Shot Caller” would be one of the most added tracks on urban contemporary radio in the country.
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 later signed a joint venture record deal with Bad Boy and Epic Records. Later, French was going to release his second studio album “MC4” in October 2016, however, 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, which also managed to leak its entirety on internet as a leak, plus 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 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.