MTV
Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Rob Markman
Fans recently got a rare glimpse into French Montana’s personal life when the Morocco-born rapper traveled back to his home for the first time in 15 years to reunite with his father and other family. Although the journey was difficult at some points, French tells MTV News he was happy to show a different side of himself.
“I was like the ambassador of Morocco,” French joked, as he described his trip on the BET Hip-Hop Awards red carpet.
The Bad Boy MC, whose real name is Karim Kharbouch, moved from Morocco to the South Bronx in New York at the age of 13 with mother, father and brother, but his dad eventually returned to Morocco without the rest of their family. His recent trip back home, which was documented in Fader’s October cover story, marked his first time seeing his father in 15 years.
“It was real life… us being entertainers, we really got a real life and all of us got a struggle,” French told MTV News, as he motioned to Machine Gun Kelly, standing next to him on the carpet. “More than likely, ya’ll [are] gonna find something about [MGK] that makes him who he is, and same thing with me — we go through a lot. That’s why we’re here.”
When asked about the difficulty of reuniting with his dad, French threw in a quick joke before getting to the real stuff. “I think he cares more about the money I gave him,” he said laughing, and then adding, “I just feel like, for me, it was a relief off my back to see my father after 15 years. When I had a kid and I went through my drama and situation, I respected my father more because it kinda made me understand what he went through with me.”
Away from the cameras, French and his younger brother reunited with their father and gifted him $10,000 cash. The “Pop That” rapper is currently prepping his debut album Excuse My French.
.
