News: French Montana Signs With Badboy

After a frenzied bidding war, one of most sought-after unsigned rappers is no longer a free agent.

French Montana announced his freshly inked deal with Bad Boy Records.

"I felt like I couldn't reach any higher on the indie level," said the MC, who has been releasing mixtapes since 2007. "Nobody took the indie level to where I took it, with songs actually on Billboard. I did tours. I did everything I could do."


Now signed, the rapper plans to continue releasing mixtapes to build anticipation for his upcoming album. "They want me to pick the release date, but I feel like it should be whenever the time is right... definitely next year," French Montana said. "First album's gotta be a classic. All the greats' first albums are. I want mine to be like a 'Doggystyle.'"

On Dec. 12, French Montana will deliver a collaborative mixtape with Waka Flocka Flame, titled "Lock Out." Montana said to also expect another collaborative mixtape in the near future, this time with  Three 6 Mafia.

Offers came from most of rap's heavy hitters, including Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music, Jay-Z's Roc Nation, and Ross' Maybach Music Group.


"The deal with Diddy just felt right and it felt like it was the right thing to do," he said. "I felt like I can make a change with this for the music culture that I came from."


The Bronx transplant admits that if he hadn't gone with Bad Boy, he would have signed with the Bawse, which influenced his decision to enlist his longtime friend and mentor as his debut's executive producer.