French Montana

Karim Kharbouch, known professionally as French Montana, is a Moroccan and American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to New York City with his family at the age of 13 and began his career as a battle rapper in the early 2000s — under the name Young French.

French Montana's ascent from Bronx battle rapper to Bad Boy Records cornerstone hinges on a singular obsession: the wave sound Max B pioneered. Coming up under Max B's mentorship, French Montana absorbed the Coke Boys' psychedelic, melodic blueprint and weaponized it across a decade-plus run that produced *Excuse My French*, *Jungle Rules*, and the streaming-era dominance of *MONTANA*. His "Unforgettable" collaboration with Swae Lee became inescapable precisely because French understood what his mentor taught him—that rap's future belonged to artists who could blur singing and rapping into something hypnotic. Though his connection count ranks modest at #222, French Montana's real legacy lives in how thoroughly he democratized Max B's wave formula, making it the default sound for a generation of trap-influenced rappers who followed.