French Montana: His Most Profound Interview, Making Hits, “Unforgettable,” Drake, Max B & Faith

Episode 116: French Montana sits down with Elmo Lovano for what may be the most profound interview of his career. It’s a deep, honest conversation about life, survival, money, faith, collaborations, relationships, and how he makes hits.

French takes us from Casablanca, Morocco, to the South Bronx at 13 years old, speaking no English, to becoming the first African-born artist with a Diamond-certified single. He opens up about his mother’s sacrifice, surviving the streets, building Coke Boys from the ground up, and what it really takes to write a hit record.

We get into the story behind “Unforgettable” with Swae Lee, his brotherhood with Drake, the records that built his career including “Pop That,” “Stay Schemin’,” “All the Way Up,” “Ain’t Worried About Nothin’” and his reunion with Max B, who came home after 16 years on French’s birthday. Plus his new music with Max and their hit “Ever Since U Left Me (I Went Deaf)”.

French also talks about faith, money, fatherhood, writing hooks vs. writing verses, how to get features, his fiancée Sheikha Mahra, and the lessons that kept him going and brought him to where he is today. Hope you love this one as much as we do. Lets go!

Go With Elmo Lovano is the #1 music professional podcast, featuring deep, honest conversations with the legends, artists, musicians, producers, songwriters, and industry leaders shaping music today about how they got where they are and how they keep pushing forward.

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0:00:00 - TRAILER
0:04:24 - "EVER SINCE U LEFT ME" STAYING PRESENT
0:05:36 - STAYING SOBER
0:08:24 - MAX B
0:09:03 - SOBRIETY
0:10:15 - "EVER SINCE U LEFT ME"
0:11:49 - FOR KHADIJA
0:15:29 - EARLY LIFE
0:20:33 - FORGIVENESS
0:24:15 - BASKETBALL
0:25:12 - COKE BOYS INTERVIEWS
0:28:41 - MARKETING
0:31:26 - GETTING SHOT IN THE HEAD, TRUST
0:33:58 - FATHERHOOD
0:35:11 - RISE TO FAME
0:36:11 - "STAY SCHEMIN'," "POP THAT"
0:40:10 - DRAKE
0:43:55 - "EXCUSE MY FRENCH"
0:45:24 - WRITING HOOKS AND VERSES
0:46:46 - WRITING MUSIC
0:48:10 - WORK REMIX
0:49:19 - HAAAN VOCAL TAG
0:50:12 - TIGER CUBS
0:51:12 - "ALL DAY" KANYE WEST
0:53:07 - "FIGURE IT OUT"
0:54:38 - "ALL THE WAY UP"
0:58:04 - MONEY
0:59:44 - TOURING AND LIVE SHOWS
1:01:20 - MAX B
1:02:17 - COKE WAVE 3.5 NARCOS "EVER SINCE U LEFT ME"
1:03:22 - 3 NUMBER ONES IN 2026, ALL INDEPENDENT
1:05:40 -  "DON IN MY CITY PART 2"
1:06:11 - COKE BOYS 7
1:06:38 - JEWELRY AND WATCHES
1:08:28 - RECORDING IN ARABIC
1:09:37 - AI IN MUSIC

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