Moroccan-Born Rapper French Montana Reflects on Journey from Casablanca to US Stardom

Karim Kharbouch alias French Montana was born in Casablanca in 1984. Like his brothers and sisters, he had a quiet childhood and was a football enthusiast before discovering a great passion for music, mainly rap. His reference models were rappers like Tupac and Notorious B.I.G, IAM and NTM, whom he listened to on repeat. Faced with an increasingly difficult daily life, the Kharbouch family left Morocco to settle in the United States. A uprooting for Karim who had to work on his "resourceful" side to get by. But his passion for rap forced him to drop out of school, reports RFI.

In 2002, French Montana combines battles and selling DVDs of the Cocaine City series he produced by interviewing artists on the latest rap news. But one evening, leaving a studio in the Bronx, he receives a bullet that pierces his neck. A bullet that could have killed him, he recalls. "I hit rock bottom. This ordeal gave me even more strength, and it was a sign of destiny for me," he says. Completely recovered, he chains the mixtapes that flood the streets of New York and the East Coast, including the French Revolution Volume 1 on which he invites Rick Ross.

French Montana released his first album in 2013, with the collaboration of big names in urban music like Nicky Minaj, The Weeknd, DJ Khaled. The album quickly became the 4th best-selling album in the country. In 2016, he came back with another hit that had a resounding success. He continues to release albums, multiply shows and take thousands of fans with him. His love for Morocco being stronger, he comes from time to time to see his father. He also goes there to recharge his batteries and find the necessary inspiration "My career is not just for my own, it’s also for my country and for the African and Moroccan youth, so that they can say: it’s possible to achieve their dreams," he affirms.

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