French Montana

Background

Karim Kharbouch was born in Rabat, Morocco, on November 9, 1984. He was always a big fan of soccer and rap music when he was a child. In 1996, he moved to New York City with his parents and younger brother Zack. Soon after, his father abandoned the family and returned to Morocco. His mother was forced to rely on welfare to sustain herself and her children.

He began his career as a combat rapper while still a teenager in 2002. He co-created a series of street D.V.D.s called “Cocaine City” with a close buddy, which featured interviews with prominent rappers and new and upcoming ones. He also utilized D.V.D.s to showcase his musical talent. He ran the series for eight years with the assistance of other childhood friends. In 2007, he released his first mixtape, “French Revolution.” The following year, he dropped his second mixtape, “Live from Africa.” The same year, he partnered with rapper Max B on the mixtape “Coke Wave.” It came out in February 2009. Over the next few months, he worked on and released numerous more mixtapes. In September 2010, he released his tenth mixtape, “Coke Boys.” The song ‘Choppa Choppa Down’ became a club and radio success. He collaborated with Rick Ross on his album “Self Made Vol. 1.” He also collaborated with various rappers during his career.

He released the song ‘Pop That’ in June 2012, which was meant to be the first single off his debut studio album “Excuse My French.” It featured cameo appearances by Drake and Lil Wayne, as well as his fellow rapper Rick Ross. It reached number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. On May 21, 2013, his debut studio album “Excuse My French” was released. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. It also sold 56,000 copies in its first week of release, making it one of his most successful works. On July 14, 2017, his second studio album, “Jungle Rules,” was released. In 2007, he married Deen Kharbouch and they had a child together. The pair split up and divorced in 2014. He was shot in the head as he was leaving a recording studio in 2003. He survived, although it took him several weeks to recover. His convoy was the alleged target of a drive-by shooting in Philadelphia in 2013. One bystander was killed and another was injured in the event.