French Montana nearly rejected XXL’s Freshmen 2012 cover

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Last year was when French Montana became known on a national scale, but he has been on the New York hip hop scene for nearly five years. Those who have been following French Montana know he is not new to the game. But, to the world, French Montana is one of the new rappers in the game. This newfound fame, along with the deal with Bad Boy Records, are among the reasons XXL invited French to be on their cover for Freshmen 2012.

French Montana began generating buzz in 2010. But, it was in 2011 when the buzz peaked and sparked a bidding war. The Bronx rapper has been slowly building a name for himself and refuses the title of “overnight sensation.” Much like his fans, French Montana does not feel like he is a newcomer, but XXL does. Because of this, the newest signee to Bad Boy Records signee came close to turning down the cover. He spoke on the situation.

Read French Montana’s comments below:

“I kinda like wasn’t gonna do it, because I felt like I deserved it two years ago, last year. You know how that goes.” They were like, ‘This is based upon if you don’t have an album out.’ But to me, I looked at it as another stepping stone because I respect everything they do,” I said, ‘I really don’t have no album out and I’m still like a rookie to the mainstream world.”