French Montana’s New Documentary Is ‘Mostly an Immigrant Story’
French Montana’s new documentary, For Khadija, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 16. It looks back on the rapper’s extraordinary story—from emigrating to the Bronx from Morocco and finding his way into the music industry.
“[The doc] has a lot to do with my music,” French told Rolling Stone, “but it’s mostly an immigrant story about a mother that struggled for 20-something years and didn’t see her family to make sure her kids is good.”
French Montana’s thoughts on immigration
“Immigration affects anybody that doesn’t have an equal opportunity — and haven’t done no crime,” he said. “Criminals that go to jail for murder come home and still have a better opportunity than the immigrant that came from another country with a dream of making this land a better land.”
Immigration is the main theme in French’s documentary. But French hopes people who don’t have personal experience with immigration watch the film, too.
“People who don’t know what immigrants go through should watch this,” he said. “They’re going to see this type of struggle I went through. And a lot of immigrants are going to see themselves in this story. And we planning to make a change on that, or at least spark the brain of the person that can make a change.”
French Montana has a lot of love for both the Bronx and Morocco
Today, French feels the love from both Morocco and the Bronx. But he had to earn his spot in New York.
“You get the love after you work hard in the Bronx,” he said. “This is the mecca of hip-hop. When I came from Africa, you got to think of Tupac, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas. It was like the ‘96 Chicago Bulls. It was like me trying to rap was a joke, [as] a kid who just came from Africa. Embracing the love from [the Bronx] and the love in Africa is a wonderful thing. It was a great journey, man. It’s a journey that seems impossible, but everything seems impossible until the fool come along and do it.”
What French loves most about New York City is the melting pot of cultures.
“It’s the hunger, it’s coming in here with their own visions and adding different flavors,” he said. “What’s New York without going to get a pizza from the Italians down the street? Or going to get Jamaican food or Haitian food? These beautiful cultures are what make the states. It would be wack just to have one culture in New York City.”
‘For Khadija’ looks at French Montana’s assimilation into the New York hip-hop scene
French didn’t have an easy time breaking into the hip-hop scene in New York. As he puts it, “You almost have to come in through somebody.” He didn’t have that. Still, he was determined to make a name for himself.
“So I started here and there with the DVDs and with the music,” he said. “I had to battle like crazy. Whoever could rap would come to my block, [and] we would battle for money. I would lose money. I would win money. I would just keep battling. So to make it through those offenses was the hardest thing ever. I wasn’t one of them artists that found a record and didn’t have to go through the ropes. I went through every step of the way as a rapper.”
