Having launched his Cocaine City cartel and then aligned it with
Rick Ross' Maybach Music empire, Bronx rapper and hip-hop entrepreneur
French Montana keeps building the co-branding with his official debut, which lands on Bad Boy with Interscope distribution. Don't forget that
Akon's Konvict Music was also involved in the album's long road to release, and yet with this troubled birthing process,
Excuse My French is something to be proud of, as scattershot and bloated as it is. On that latter count, the features are everywhere with everyone from
Max B to
the Weeknd crowding out the man whose name is on the cover. Still, when
Birdman and
Rick Ross show up for "Traphouse" it's a three boss meeting and certain highlight, while the goon posse cut "F**k What Happens Tonight" is a grand journey from the Bronx and Kingston with dancehall singer
Mavado providing the hook as
Snoop Dogg transitions to
Snoop Lion right before your very ears (he's reggae friendly here, but hasn't said goodbye to the gun talk yet). Am Idol judge
Nicki Minaj gets back to Cash Money business with her kinetic roar of a performance during the great "Freaks," and just to prove he's up to the solo cut, the album's greatest hook lands on "Ain't Worried About Nuthin'" where
Montana nails it on his own. The rest of the album suffers from redundancy and some wasted opportunities with the guests, but
Montana is a flossy tycoon first and a wordsmith second at this point, so his handing in a high-power mixtape instead of a focused debut is to be expected, and with a little bottle service, enjoyed. [A Digital Download added four tracks.] ~ David Jeffries