Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: Kar m Kharb [kae i:m bu: ]; born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper managed by SAL&CO. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. He is the founder of Coke Boys Records and its predecessor Cocaine City Records. After years of independent material, he was signed as joint-venture record deal with Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records and Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group in 2012.
Kharbouch released his debut mixtape in 2007 and had his first breakthrough with the single “Choppa Choppa Down” in 2010. He released his debut studio album Excuse My French on May 21, 2013. In July 2017, Montana released his second studio album, Jungle Rules, which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. The album was supported by the single “Unforgettable”, featuring Swae Lee, which became Montana’s first song as lead artist to reach the top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.