Now, with “Unforgettable” in high rotation around the world and higher visibility than ever, Français Montana returns to have another pop on a second album – “Jungle Rules”. Why is there no rapeseed about his return to Morocco? Or about his strange album release mishap, which is unprecedented in the streaming age? Why does “Got jerked my first deal, and I told `em `Suck a dick`/Once I made my first mil`, I told them `Fuck a brick`” come closest to unpacking his tumultuous journey on a major label on his comeback album? How can an album of 18 tracks say so little? The most interesting material of his life is abused or not mentioned. “A Lie” featuring The Weeknd was aired on rhythm radio on August 22, 2017 as the album`s third official single. It peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jungle Rules received generally positive reviews from critics after its release. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score of 100 to mainstream publication critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 8 reviews. [15] Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork commented: “Jungle Rules doesn`t answer any of the questions that have circulated French Montana throughout his career, primarily: can he be a leading man and can he be as interesting on wax as he is in everyday life? It has evolved a lot since Excuse My French and comes with moments of sharpness, but it is still limited in what it can do. His music flattens the ostentatious life he leads. If there is a reason for its vitality, it is not this. [18] Riley Wallace of Exclaim! gave a positive review, stating that Français Montana “delivers a consistent record from cover to cover with flame emojis crisscrossing its range”. [17] Neil Yeung of AllMusic wrote, “In the end, with enough highlights that could make the tracklist narrower and more effective, Jungle Rules suffers from lengthy playlist effort and not enough concentration.” The stench of his debut on a big-budget brand remained etched in his memory, but to the credit of the French, he persisted and made himself visible when others had disappeared.[16] In the four years between Bad Boy`s releases, he produced a series of mixtapes that culminated last February with Wave Gods, and he created momentum for a fitting follow-up to Excuse My Français. MC4, a mixtape suite that became the album, was supposed to be his big comeback.
But despite tracks featuring Drake, Kanye and Nas and the phenomenal “Lockjaw” led by Kodak Black, it continued to be postponed. French cited problems with sample release when it was pushed back. (L.A. Reid later admitted that he was simply delayed because there was no enthusiasm for it.) In a bizarre twist, Target delivered the album without provocation to the original release date. MC4 quickly landed online and was then shelved before becoming a retail mixtape. After parting ways with MMG and returning to Morocco for the first time in years, Français Montana returns remotivated with his second album, Jungle Rules, which acts as a funnel for the strongest qualities of everyone but his own. The album even makes an appearance by Jamaican superstar Alkaline, as the track “Formula” gives us a welcome break from trap bangers with a dancehall jam that will make waves on dance floors around the world. And the `Jungle Rules` star goes to Pharrell, who goes back in time with a N.E.R.D.-type verse about organized confusion sampling `Bring Dem Tings`. The album got off to a particularly good start; The melancholic opening of the French album “Whiskey Eyes” comes together with the help of a blurred hook of London singer-songwriter Fe with his close friend Chinx, who was tragically shot down in 2015.
This is immediately followed by the suitor for the summer anthem “Unforgettable”, which preceded the project and won hearts around the world, and it`s hard to go to a club now without hearing Swae Lee`s hook ring in the night. Jungle Rules is the second studio album by Moroccan-American rapper Montana. It was released on July 14, 2017 by Coke Boys, Bad Boy and Epic Records. [4] The album replaces his mixtape MC4 (2016), which was originally intended to be a second studio album. It features appearances from Future, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Quavo, T.I., Swae Lee, Marc E. Bassy, Chinx and Max B. The production is by Harry Fraud, as well as Scott Storch, Detail, London on da Track, Mike Will Made It and others. The album was supported by the singles “No Pressure” with Future and “Unforgettable” with Swae Lee. But “Jungle Rules” provides further proof that Montana is an integral part of today`s rap world. An album filled with tracks that would shake clubs around the world, as well as a guest list that would make almost every rapper jealous; The flow and character of the French may be the same as his previous works, but his stature in the rap world has skyrocketed.
The track Jungle Rules was originally released on September 25. It was announced in August 2015 in the middle of Chris Brown`s “One Hell of a Nite Tour,” which took place between August and September and in which the rapper co-headlined. However, the track was shelved when the mixtape was released under the name Coke Zoo in October.[5] [7] [8] On June 12, 2017, Billboard participated in a documentary screening and listening party organized by Français Montana in New York. [9] The event offered previews of the tracks expected on the upcoming second album. In a subsequent radio interview with Angie Martinez, he confirmed that he had completed the recording of three upcoming projects, one of which was a collaboration and the other his next album.[9] [10] The title Jungle Rules was revived after its appearance at the 2017 BET Awards, where the name and release date for July 14 were announced. [4] Track listing was released on 5. July 2017. [11] Jungle Rules received generally positive reviews from critics. It debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 and sold 52,000 copies in its first week. In October 2017, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On “Jungle Rules”, Français sticks to its proven formula and does not change its melodic flow or style at all, but uses it as a tool to create a more coherent and complete album. It`s not a game changer, nor is it particularly revolutionary.
If you`ve never been a fan of French Montana before, it`s unlikely that this album will change your mind about the Moroccan-born rapper. However, the Bronx rapper has so far struggled with the album`s official format. His first official album, 2013`s “Excuse My French,” had little cohesion and fell flat, and last year`s “MC4” — which seemed more in line with the string of hit mixtapes from which it got its name — was downgraded to a free release when it was accidentally distributed in Target stores well past the due date. Jungle Rules debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with 52,000 album-equivalent units, of which 16,000 were album sales in its first week alone. On June 11, 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over one million units in the United States.[19] [20] “Famous” was aired on rhythm radio on November 28, 2017 as the album`s fourth official single. The two remixed versions of the song, featuring HoodCelebrityy and Adam Levine, were both released on February 9 and 24, respectively. It was released in August 2018. [12] [13] French Montana has spent a decade and several recording contracts bridging the gap between his extravagant lifestyle and boring raps.
The chromatic and garish world he traverses IRL is not usually reflected in his verse. French names exotic animals after Roman dictators and spends a fortune on luxury concept cars imported to Calabasas from his native Morocco. There are videos of Akon buying him a Maserati and a $120,000 basketball shootout with Rick Ross, DJ Khaled and Meek Mill; Rapes should write themselves. It`s one of the biggest mysteries of contemporary rap: how can a character so worthy of the Kardashian Expanded Universe be the least interesting person of all the high-profile albums he`s ever been a part of? The cluttered and boring excuse My French was just a microcosm of a bigger problem: this guy has no vision and no imagination. He`s always an appendage — for Max B, for Diddy, for Ross, and then for Khloe — that thrives as a premium space filler. Until recently, there wasn`t much to confirm his seat at the table. However, the six or so tracks Montana plays solo on can`t be sniffed. On tracks like “Trippin” and “White Dress,” he shows his now-characteristic flow and characteristic adlibs (“HAHN!”), while “Famous” shows Montana at his most honest side and discusses the ups and downs of fame and relationships. But there are not enough to fill the hour. French has relied heavily on guests throughout his career, and they dictate things here too, resulting in an uneven game.
Swae Lee dominates “Unforgettable”, which is ironically called in light of French contributions. Placing French between Weeknd and Max B shows how monotonous his melodies can be. He`s not on par with Future or Quavo or Thug or T.I., all of whom steal the show with more memorable performances.