French Montana debuts with enjoyable album

Associated Press
On his debut album, “Excuse My French,” French Montana lives up to the hype mostly generated by his mentors Diddy and Rick Ross, who executive-produced his project.
The Moroccan-born, Bronx, N.Y.-raised rapper isn’t much of a lyricist, but Montana has a way of appropriately delivering simple words with a calm bravado and then inserting his infectious ad-lib, the word “haan,” at the perfect time. His cool rap persona matches well with a selection of superb beats, making his album an enjoyable listen.
Montana also benefits from a number of guest appearances on his debut, which includes Drake, The Weeknd, Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo and 2 Chainz.
Much of the album is filled with hard-thumping, high-energy songs that are catchy, such as the hit single “Pop That” and “Ain’t Worried About Nothin’,” which was produced by 19-year-old Young Chop. “(Expletive) What Happens Tonight,” which features DJ Khaled, Mavado, Ace Hood, Snoop Dogg and Scarface, carries a violent lyrical tone, but is one of the album’s best songs. And The Weeknd’s signature falsetto makes “Gifted” a solid track.
While Montana shines on most of “Excuse My French,” there are some misses, including “Paranoid,” “When I Want” and the Nicki Minaj-assisted single “Freaks,” which horribly samples from the classic radio jams “Murder She Wrote” by Chaka Demus & Pliers and “Freaks” by Lil Vicious.