French Montana, founder and CEO of Cocaine City Records, is set to make his entrance into the rap industry with his first studio album entitled Excuse My French this May if he manages to stay out of trouble. While French Montana is at the forefront of the news with his recent tour bus shooting in Philadelphia, here are 10 things you may not know about this rapper/entrepreneur.
1. He’s Moroccan.
He was born under the name Karim Kharbouch in Rabat, Morocco where he lived for 13 years before emigrating to New York City.
2. He’s Muslim.
He’s a Sunni Muslim and was raised under the school of thought referred to as Maliki madhab. In an interview, he stated that he fasts during the month of Ramadan.
3. He’s tri-lingual.
In addition to his native Arabic, he speaks English and French.
4. He once had a feud with 50 Cent that began on Twitter.
As of March, the two appear to have resolved their issues.
5. He was shot in the head in 2003.
He was shot after exiting a recording studio. He managed to survive after he was rushed to the hospital.
6. Following his gunshot incident, he was on trial for murder.
Someone at the scene of the incident was also shot and killed. French Montana was charged with murder, but was eventually found not guilty.
7. The first thing be bought after becoming wealthy was a Rolls Royce Ghost.
He claimed to have too much money at the time. In the first year of owning the car, he drove less than 1000 miles.
8. His stage name comes from Al Pacino’s Tony Montana from Scarface.
The French comes from a nickname he was given when he came to the states because of his proficiency with the language.
9. Between 2002 and 2011, he made a series of DVDs titled “Cocaine City”
The DVD series functioned to showcase his talent as an underground rapper while also garnering public attention through his interviews with established artists.
10. His first single from his new and currently unreleased album is called “Pop That”.
The track has already earned the 36th spot on Billboard’s Top 100.
