French Montana

French Montana (born Karim Kharbouch) is a Grammy-nominated Moroccan-American rapper. Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Montana moved to the Bronx borough of New York with his family at age 13. He attended Roosevelt High School and began making music while in school.

Montana launched his music career under the name Young French, first participating in rap battles before creating a series of underground DVDs titled Cocaine City in the early 2000s. He gained regional buzz through mixtapes and collaborations with artists such as Max B and Waka Flocka Flame. His breakout moment came in 2012 when he signed a joint venture deal with Bad Boy Records and Maybach Music Group.

His debut studio album, Excuse My French, dropped in 2013, featuring the hit single “Pop That.” In 2017, he scored his biggest chart success with “Unforgettable” featuring Swae Lee from his second album Jungle Rules. He went on to release Montana (2019) and They Got Amnesia (2021), collaborating with artists like Drake, Cardi B and Post Malone. In 2017, he received the Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance for “All The Way Up” featuring Remy Ma and Fat Joe.

The rapper was previously married to Deen Kharbouch from 2007 to 2014. They share son Kruz, born in 2010. He was later linked to Iggy Azalea and Khloé Kardashian. He proposed to Dubai princess Sheikha Mahra in 2025.