French Montana
Updated: Wikipedia source
Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: كريم خربوش [kæɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ]; born November 9, 1984), 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. He 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 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. Kharbouch's 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 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; 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, Chinx, and record producer Harry Fraud. 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.