Key Takeaways
- French Montana and Rick Ross are getting ready to face off in the latest VERZUZ matchup.
- French has shown an ear for soulful production, chemistry with collaborators like Max B, and a knack for putting other artists on.
- Some of French Montana’s best songs include "Lockjaw" with Kodak Black, "Unforgettable" with Swae Lee, and "No Stylist" with Drake.
Has there been a rapper who's lived more lives than French Montana?
Born in Morocco, French—real name Karim Kharbouch—spent his teenage years in the South Bronx. A young rapper himself, he saw the potential of another burgeoning media source: the hood DVD.
He was the co-founder of Cocaine City, a DVD series that blended the streets and hip-hop. Savvily, he made himself and his music—he used to go by Young French—part of the series.
From there French would beat fans down with consistency. Never the most technically gifted, he was known for his ear for production—tapping in with Harry Fraud for these soul-infused songs paying homage to the ‘90s—and his ability to work with under valued talent, propping up rappers like Max B and the late Chinx.
As his career grew he became one of the most reliable hitmakers in rap. He never really changed that slow, drunken flow; he just polished it, started embracing more global sounds for mainstream audience.
French has dozens of songs—hits and deep cuts—that will ring off at a function. On Thursday, May 7th, he will face off against Rick Ross for the latest VERZUZ.
To prepare for the showdown, we took a deep look at his catalog. Here are the 20 best French Montana songs of all time.
French Montana Feat. Kodak Black, “Mopstick" (2021)
Album: They Got Amnesia
Producer: Boi-1da & SMPLGTWY
If "Lockjaw" is Goodfellas, then "Mopstick" is Casino—the slightly darker, moodier spiritual sequel that highlights the chemistry between the two leads rather than spotlighting one co-star.
French Montana Feat. N.O.R.E. & Chinx, “Off the Rip” (2015)
Album: Casino Life 2: Brown Bag Legend
Producer: TrakFormaz
French Montana and N.O.R.E. actually have a lot in common.
Never really technical wizards or known for deep storytelling, they excelled at having rizz on the mic and pulling off funny one-liners. They could adjust their voice for gritty street shit or lean into club records.
At their best they blend the two worlds, like this gem from Casino Life 2, which would then function as an honorary tribute to Chinx, who would be killed a couple of days after the tape dropped.
French Montana Feat. Jadakiss, "88 Coupes" (2014)
Album: Coke Boys 4
Producer: Harry Fraud
Starting with the underrated mixtape cut "New York Minute," French, Kiss, and Harry have had a special thing together.
Nothing captures it better than "88 Coupes," driven by an almost ethereal boom-bap beat and genuine chemistry between French and Kiss. "Lost a hundred thou fucking with the Knicks"—who can't relate?
French Montana & Max B, “Ever Since U Left Me (I Went Deaf)” (2026)
Album: Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos.
Producer: Johnny Goldstein and Juko
French has a way of saying funny turns of phrase that get stuck in your head. Case in point: "I Went Deaf on a Bitch," a defiant response to a girl who left.
"Ever Since U Left Me" is Max B’s first buzzing single since he came home. The chorus does some of the heavy lifting, but so does a familiar and well-placed flip of KC & the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (I Like It)."
French Montana, Rowdy Rebel, and Bobby Shmurda Feat. Rowdy Rebel and French Montana, "Hot Nigga" Remix (2014)
Album: N/A
Producer: Jahlil Beats
"Hot Nigga" bubbled for months before becoming the song of summer 2014. Bobby Shmurda's breakout was a hard-edged NY anthem driven, ironically, by a theatrical viral dance.
French was one of the first rappers to remix it, teaming up with Rowdy Rebel and delivering a verse full of quotables, like: "Young Hov, boss said I rock niggas / Three bricks for a verse, that's a swap, nigga."
The remix was so hard it became the only version Hot 97 played.
Chinx Feat. French Montana, “Feelings” (2013)
Album: I’ll Take It From Here
Producer: John Dillinger
This is one of the more unusual beats French has rapped over—an EDM-inspired electric track with an undercurrent of darkness. It showcased Chinx's potential as a star. But French is also a strong addition, coming through with a verse that is unusually athletic.
French Montana, Nas and Kanye West, “Figure It Out” (2016)
Album: MC4
Producer: DJ Khalil & Rick Steel
Despite the success level of everyone on the song, there is a melodramatic, melancholic energy driving "Figure it Out." The song features two of the best ever. And French steps his shit up, coming with one of his more thoughtful verses, rapping: "Why God take Max and Chinx, why not me when I got hit?"
French Montana Feat. Jeremih, "Bad Bitch" (2014)
Album: N/A
Producer: Remo the Hitmaker
Girl songs aren't really French's strength—or a pocket he hit often during his career. But “Bad Bitch” with Jeremih shows this was a space he could have experimented with more. It's a sexy, fun song with French embracing his role as a ladies' man. If anything, this suave side of French would foreshadow where he was heading just a couple of years later.
Fabolous Feat. French Montana, “Ball Drop” (2014)
Album: The Young OG Project
Producer: The MeKanics & OZ
Released right before 2015, this is maybe the last time Fabolous had a hit bubbling in New York. “Ball Drop” is a song about the bittersweet feeling of New Year's, where the excitement you feel is partially driven by what you failed to accomplish the year before. French is perfect on it, delivering a soulful hook and verse that complements the slightly mournful beat.
French Montan and Max B, E Snaps, Meeno and Dame Grease, “Goon Music” (2009)
Album: Coke Wave
Producer: Dame Grease
After Harry Fraud, maybe the most important producer in French's career was Dame Grease, the mastermind behind the Coke Wave movement taking shape in NYC in the late 2000s.
The veteran producer brought polish and versatility to the lo-fi sound the two rappers were operating in. The posse cut "Goon Muzik" is the best example of this—four minutes of shit-talking anchored by an ominous piano line.
French Montana, “Don’t Panic” (2014)
Album: N/A
Producer: Mike Free & Mustard
If you're a star then I'm a planet" doesn't really make much sense as a punchline. But that's OK. "Don't Panic" is a Mustard-produced banger that proves French doesn't just need the slow flow to succeed, speeding up his verses to take on something with tempo.
French Montana, "Sanctuary" (2012)
Album: Mac & Cheese 3
Producer: Black Metaphor
When French gets into that soulful, introspective bag he doesn’t miss. This time it’s Black Metaphor—not Harry—doing the magic. The producer flips a sample from the video game Kingdom Hearts, while French lets his vocals do the heavy lifting, using this great drunken, sing-along flow that's full of agony.
French Montana Feat. Drake "No Shopping" (2016)
Album: MC4
Producer: Murda Beatz & Cubeatz
Drake and French Montana have had a cozy relationship over the years. Outside of his inner circle, it's hard to find a rapper Drake loves collaborating with more than French. “No Shopping” is another modern day classic from the two—featuring some nice pump it up shots at the no. 1 podcaster Joe Budden.
Chinx Feat. French Montana "I'm a Coke Boy" (2012)
Throughout his career, French Montana has shown a love for '90s hip-hop. He's flipped everything from Nonchalant’s "5 O'Clock" to Mobb Deep's "Still Shining." On "I'm a Coke Boy," French and Chinx take on another underappreciated cult classic—Queens rapper Royal Flush's "Worldwide"—to make one of the more iconic French street anthems.
French Montana Feat. Drake "No Stylist" (2018)
Album: Montana
Producer: London on da Track
Two years after "No Shopping," Drake and French recreate the magic.
Similar to the first collab, Drake uses the moment to settle some scores, this time taking shots at Kanye and high-end brands in general. French, who spends the hook shouting out all the brands he loves, clearly disagrees.
French Montana, "Ain't Worried About Nothin’" (2013)
French Montana may be known for leaning on guest appearances, but the standout track from his major label debut Excuse My French is “Ain't Worried About Nothin'“—an anthem built on an off-kilter stop-and-go flow that only the Bronx rapper could pull off.
French Montana Feat. Charlie Rock, "Shot Caller" (2011)
Album: Mister 16: Casino Life
Producer: Harry Fraud
In a lot of ways, this was the song that first showcased French's potential as a hitmaker.
What's great is how old-fashioned a lot of it is. The song is an NYC anthem in the most traditional sense—packed with lines honoring the classics of the past, there's a '90s aura all over it, with a gorgeous latin horn and celebratory hook being the standout.
French Montana Feat. Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne, "Pop That" (2012)
Album: Excuse My French
Producer: Lee On The Beats
Sampling DJ Luke is kind of a cheat code. But French takes the bait in maybe the rarest kind of posse cut: one that also functions as a party starter. Everyone brings their A game, and proves these guys should be collaborating, not beefing.
French Montana Feat. Kodak Black, "Lockjaw" (2016)
For a lot of people this was the introduction to Kodak Black, who was still mostly a cult rapper at this point.
On “Lockjaw” he showed he was a star—over a dramatic beat, he and French get their Jadakiss and Styles P on, trading bars in a song all about the joy and complexities of getting geeked out.
French Montana Feat. Swae Lee, "Unforgetable" (2017)
Album: Jungle Rules
Producer: 1Mind, CP DUBB, Jaegen & Mac Sutphin
There is some controversy around this song—how it came about, who deserves the most credit, what the splits are. None of that matters. To this day, “Unforgettable” remains maybe the catchiest rap song of the 2010s. It's a feel-good anthem that features the iconic Swae Lee hook, but it's also a star-making moment for French Montana, who glides over the beat and shows how far he's come from his Cocaine City days.
