French Montana & Max B on 'Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos,' Max's prison stories & "All The Way Up"

Summary

Joe and Jada Podcast – Episode Summary:

French Montana & Max B on 'Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos,' Prison Stories, and "All The Way Up"
Release Date: January 13, 2026
Hosts: Fat Joe and Jadakiss
Guests: French Montana, Max B

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Overview

This highly anticipated episode reunites New York legends French Montana and Max B with hosts Fat Joe and Jadakiss for a celebration of Max B’s return, a deep dive into the new collaborative project Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos, reflections on years lost and lessons learned, and candid discussions about loyalty, the realities of hip hop success, and iconic records such as "All The Way Up" and "Unforgettable." With equal parts laughter, street wisdom, and personal reflection, the episode stands out for its authenticity, chemistry, and generational hip hop knowledge.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introductions, Loss, and Legendary Pets

• Early banter sets the tone with Fat Joe and Jadakiss humorously acknowledging 2026.
• French Montana shares a heartfelt moment discussing the passing of his dog Champ, reflecting on attachment and the short lives of pets (02:34).

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2. French’s International Lifestyle & Meeting the Princess of Dubai

• French Montana talks about his cosmopolitan lifestyle, notably spending time in Morocco, LA, and Dubai (04:36).
• Hilarious exchanges about the size of French’s pets and his “little man” in Morocco (03:44).
• Joe probes French about “bagging the princess of Dubai.” French shares that a friend plugged him with her after spotting her post about divorce, admiring her courage (06:03–06:28):
  • French Montana (06:08): “I just happened to be in Dubai, and I... had seen that she had put up that post where she divorced somebody. I'm like, I like her, 'cause it take a lot of guts to throw that up.”

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3. Max B’s Return: Prison Years, Mindset, and Staying Solid

• Max B discusses facing 17+ years behind bars and maintaining his sanity and optimism (11:13–12:22).
• The difference between US politics and Middle Eastern royalty:
  • French Montana (10:21): "When you go to places like that, ... you talk about people that own the place ever. ... It's a whole different type of love out there."
• Max B on adjusting to incarceration, breaking down how he kept his spirit up and “bid” like a veteran (12:22–12:47).
• Fat Joe and Max B swap stories about jail dynamics, including race divisions and memorable characters like "Hong Kong Mongolian" (13:21).
• Max B describes how music, battle raps, and open-mindedness helped him survive the bid (15:09–15:56).
• On celebrating his first Christmas free (16:08):
  • Max B: "I put a Christmas tree up this year. Spent Christmas with the family. Wore sweaters, drunk eggnog. I did all that this year. It happened."

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4. The “Dirty Section” and Dealing with Rumors

• Fat Joe raises the impact of the “dirty section” of the internet—YouTube channels and gossip blogs violating artists’ reputations (17:13–18:07).
• Max B brushes off the negativity, crediting faith and a sense of purpose (18:07):
  • Max B: “God got me right where he want me to. After all I’ve been through... does it look like it bothers me?”

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5. French Montana & Max B: Brotherhood and Loyalty

• Heartfelt segment on the deep friendship and loyalty between French and Max (19:58–20:38):
  • Max B (20:27): “This know out of all the on the planet, I got genuine happiness, pure friendship for this. No money, no nothing...my [friendship] is based on straight, solid friendship music creation. That’s just my... Everything else happened.”
  • On watching French win from jail: “No, I’m in that motherfucker crying with happiness.”
• French explains their early chemistry, building movements together (“almost like bringing Kiss and Styles and Sheek together”) and the loyalty that never wavered during Max’s incarceration (21:10–22:20).

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6. Blackballing, Labels, and Breaking Through

• Fat Joe shares the story of helping French get his break on radio, explaining the industry’s gatekeeping and how "Pop That" launched French's mainstream career (23:57–24:56).
  • French Montana (24:56): “It went from shot caller to pop that. And yeah, we never turned back.”
• Both discuss how both were blackballed and still pushed through to success—highlighting street grit, resilience, and independent hustle (24:05–24:41).

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7. Surviving the Streets: Drama, Clubs, and Authenticity

• Max B’s legendary pilot hat story and club-life antics are remembered with humor (11:32, 69:13).
• Fat Joe reflects on Bronx authenticity, his own rise, and lessons on not "selling out" too early in his career—with deep dives into the economics of going independent and why labels aren’t as important anymore (38:13–40:14).

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8. Hit Records: Organic vs. Manufactured

• Max B and Joe debate artistic authenticity versus commercial pressure to chase hits (36:48–37:32).
  • Joe Crack: “We mechanically sold out. I’m ready to sing the record. And we said, alright, we need a beat that sounds like... we need to get the homie on this hook... we cloned the [hit]. Like, we made a number one that wasn’t from the heart.”
• They reflect on "Lean Back," how it was an organic club banger, versus tracks they had to force for mainstream acceptance.

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9. “All The Way Up”: Fairness and Brotherhood

• French recounts how he confronted Joe about missing publishing on “All The Way Up” and how Joe made it right on the spot:
  • French Montana (41:01): “I checked with my lawyer. He told me I ain't get no publishing on that song. ... Crack, I know you're not running business like that… He called his lawyer right on the spot...gave me 10%.”
  • Joe Crack: “I don’t feel good if my people don’t make money with me… Everybody got to eat.” (42:11)

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10. Classic New York Rap Tales

• Joyful tributesto Big L, battles in Harlem, and breaking down the creative origin of monikers—the genesis of “Biggaveli” (Max B mixing Biggie, Jay-Z, and Makaveli) and French Montana’s Bronx/French roots (53:35–56:14).

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11. International Success & Afcon

• French Montana talks about performing at AFCON in Morocco for 2 billion (!) viewers and rekindling his childhood connection to his homeland (48:19–50:25).
• The hosts discuss the global explosion of soccer, evolving fan bases, and globalization of both sports and music (51:16–52:32).
• Humorous exchanges about Morocco, French’s Moroccan airline privileges, and traditional ceremonies ("the man with the spinning string") (48:49–49:40).

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12. Album Talk: Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos

• French and Max break down the Coke Wave 3.5 project. They explain the numbering (skipping Vol. 3 due to being “so high,” hence 3.5) with humor and pride (67:55–68:29).
  • French Montana: “Let me tell you how we got a 3.5. Because we were so high that we skipped three. So we went straight from two, two to four.”
• The album rollout is celebrated as unique and stylish. They preview new music live (79:19–85:12), including “Papa Have” and “Ever Since You Left Me,” with everyone vibing out.
  • Joe Crack (83:06): “All I need is one night. I went deaf on a…”

Notable Praise for Max

• Max B’s immediate productivity is noted—dropping a 24-song tape his first 30 days out (32:52), and more new projects lined up: Waveguard and Dawn Snow.

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13. “Unforgettable” and the Business of Making a Hit

• French Montana details how “Unforgettable” came together, paying $300,000 when the label wouldn’t support it, and shooting the video with Ugandan kids (73:24–74:08):
  • “We paid $5,000 for beats. We paid $10 grand for beats. I never paid for a record for 300,000… It was like a million dollars in gambling.”

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14. Hip Hop History & Legacy

• The crew discuss the roots of hip-hop, the tradition of battling, the pioneering influence of Jamaican culture (65:53–66:52), and the sampling culture that makes the music a true “gumbo” (67:07–67:48).
• Anecdotes about pioneers like Kool Herc, KRS-One, and classic battles (64:55–65:27).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Max B’s Loyalty:
  • Max B (20:27): “No money, no nothing. My [friendship] is based on straight, solid friendship, music creation...when I’m in jail, seeing this on TV, I ain’t in there going, 'that should have been me.' No, I’m in that motherfucker crying with happiness.”
• On Industry Blackballing:
  • French Montana (24:11): “Yeah, I was blackballed. I was blackballed.”
• On Brotherhood and Business:
  • Joe Crack (42:11): “I don’t feel good if my people don’t make money with me, you know?”
• On Making Hits and Staying True:
  • Max B (37:12): “If I can’t die with the track, I’m not gonna do the shit.”
• On Legacy:
  • Joe Crack (61:04): “Big L... had his future was really, really, really, really bright.”
• On Hip Hop’s Roots:
  • Joe Crack (67:42): “I realized hip hop come from everywhere...it actually is a gumbo.”
• Max B on Life After Prison:
  • Max B (16:08): “I put a Christmas tree up this year. Spent Christmas with the family. Wore sweaters, drunk eggnog. I did all that this year. It happened.”
• On “Coke Wave 3.5” Concept:
  • French Montana (68:25): “We skipped three. So...we went straight from two, two to four. So he come home, I’m like, ‘Yo, we got a problem. We skipped the whole volume.’ ... We’re gonna call it 3.5.”

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Important Timestamps

• 02:34 – French mourns his dog, Champ
• 04:36–08:17 – Stories about Morocco, Dubai, and French’s international lifestyle
• 10:21–12:22 – Max B on Middle Eastern royalty, prison, adaptation
• 15:09–16:08 – Max on battling and keeping the spirit alive inside
• 19:58–20:38 – Max’s loyalty to French, real friendship
• 23:57–24:56 – Fat Joe helps French break through radio barriers
• 36:48–37:32 – Debating authenticity vs. hit-making
• 41:01–42:11 – French addresses publishing on “All The Way Up” and Joe’s fairness
• 48:19–52:32 – French talks AFCON, soccer, global success
• 53:35–54:32 – Max B explains “Biggaveli” moniker
• 67:55–68:29 – The concept behind Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos
• 79:19–85:12 – New music previews, live reactions

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The Episode’s Tone

Laid-back yet candid, with humor and streetwise insight, the hosts and guests keep the conversation loose, passionate, and authentic. There’s deep respect and love among all, combined with a relentless focus on hustle, brotherhood, and the ever-changing game of hip hop.

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This episode is a must-listen for fans of hip hop history, New York culture, and anyone interested in tales of redemption, loyalty, and staying true to oneself in music and life.

Transcript

[Josh Zieman]

A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 when he was finally caught. The answers were there, hidden in plain sight. So why did it take so long to catch him? I'm Josh Zieman, and this is Monster Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer, the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York since the Son of Sam. Available now listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Max B]

Soon as y' all think it's over, I'm gonna come smack y' all with a million dollar baby. Then we got another waveguard album dropping. Then I'm doing another mixtape, Dawn Snow. It's a lot in store. I never stop. I have unlimited classic wa.

[Joe Crack]

Hey, yo, what's up, Yalls? BX is on. Joe, crack the dawn.

[Jadakiss]

You know who it is. Your boy Jada. You know what it is? The Joe and Jada Show. Every show legendary. Every show iconic. Happy New Year's. Best wishes to you suckers.

[Joe Crack]

2026, huh?

[Jadakiss]

Check it out. Today's guest. You think of the streets, you know what I mean? You think of Morocco, you think of the Bronx, you think of Harlem, some of the grimiest blocks. Shout out to 140th, you know what I mean? You think of influential collaborators that created a wave era, you know what I mean? Something that. That reflected the hood always. So from fashion to lingo to melodies to drama in the street, to plenty of litness, you know what I mean?

[Joe Crack]

The wave.

[Jadakiss]

Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for our guests. French Montana, Match baker fan.

[French Montana]

Yo, French.

[Joe Crack]

Yo, French. I heard you don't get high no more, but you look like you smoke a little something right now.

[French Montana]

Still half when I stop.

[Joe Crack]

God damn. Then they get extra high. He got that residue that means you.

[Jadakiss]

Have some shitty still high.

[Joe Crack]

You've been clean for years.

[French Montana]

I was still leveling.

[Joe Crack]

Let me tell you before we start, we got to start on a sad note, right? But it's really quick. Your dog passed away. That was my dad. Used to live vicariously on Instagram, watching you with the dog passed away. He's the lion. He the biggest dog in the world.

[French Montana]

Yeah, it's a bad massive, but they don't live that long, though. Oh, you know what I mean? So he passed. Yeah, that's my dog, man. My dog Champ, man. I've been through a lot.

[Max B]

Yeah, the dog that passed away.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Yeah, but he was like a lion, though, this guy. The biggest dog in the Bad master.

[Max B]

You ain't seen none of your pets yet, cuz.

[French Montana]

You ain't go to la. You can't fly yet, man.

[Joe Crack]

You ain't see the. You ain't seen go to LA yet. They be having a monkey on the G6. He got all type of. He's Arab.

[Jadakiss]

He the only person that can really verify the little man, man, right.

[Joe Crack]

Yo, French. Y French. I forgot about that. Yeah, no French.

[French Montana]

Oh God.

[Joe Crack]

That's my little guy. What's his name? In Morocco, he said, yeah, he like a purse. He's like, I told you a little bit.

[French Montana]

Yo, Max, he's like a little Birkin.

[Joe Crack]

Let me tell you. See that fucking shave?

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Behind a chain. It's a little. Man, I told you he could wear.

[French Montana]

Suits away in him.

[Jadakiss]

Like the size of the rewind.

[Joe Crack]

He just.

[Jadakiss]

Now it's like a little Birkin bat.

[French Montana]

Yeah, Whoever his Birkin bag. Yeah. Whoever his guardian is, just pick him up on the dresser and they go outside, they just pick him up off the dress. Whoever his guardian is, he probably be waiting for him by the dresser. He pick him up when they go outside.

[Joe Crack]

You not listening to me.

[Jadakiss]

I gotta get over there.

[French Montana]

How many he like? He like the size of that bottle. He ain't lying though. But he's a full grown man.

[Jadakiss]

Yo, V, can we go find him?

[Joe Crack]

Can we go see N we gonna find.

[French Montana]

He in Morocco.

[Joe Crack]

He in Morocco. He in Morocco. Mares moroccas. He's in Makadesh, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know. You know.

[French Montana]

Nah, they don't believe me neither.

[Joe Crack]

Is he bigger than this? A little bit about that size. A little bigger, yeah. Can he would hide behind the monkey, man? No, no. We talking to you about a human being's own ass, man. That little.

[Jadakiss]

This ain't a monkey back.

[Joe Crack]

It's a human being. The monkey, he got the money.

[Jadakiss]

A little guy too.

[Joe Crack]

He got the princess of Dubai.

[Jadakiss]

Who the monkeys.

[Joe Crack]

Yo, friends, got the princess in Dubai. Yo, yo, let me ask you something, right? Because in the hip hop game, in the R B game, one of the biggest queens at princesses is of course Janet Jackson, Big Pun's favorite.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

And Jermaine Dupree came here and I'm looking at him and I said, how the fuck he bagged Janet Johnson and her prime six pack us a little bit, right? So he. Listen, anyway, this is a question. How do you bag the legitimate.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Princess of Dubai coming. No, no, no. You're not answering. Hold up. Can we just.

[French Montana]

But it might not be though, because you asked your Jermaine it's like how you catch lightning in the bottle. It's just like, you know, sometimes somebody could look at it like it's a highlight.

[Joe Crack]

Hold up, hold up.

[French Montana]

Fresh.

[Joe Crack]

How do you dance?

[Max B]

Big deal.

[Joe Crack]

Your friends. Why don't you answer the question? You dancing on this interview?

[French Montana]

No. No, I'm not. It was one of my homeboys. He plugged me with it in Dubai.

[Joe Crack]

He said, you want to meet the person?

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah. I just happened to be in Dubai, and I. I had seen that she had put up that post where she divorced somebody. I'm like, I like her, cuz it take a lot of. Lot of guts to throw that up. So she threw that up. I'm like, I like her. He was like, man, I know her. I'm like, I.

[Joe Crack]

He said he know her.

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah. He said, you know, oh, no, this guy, he said he knew a girl that knew her. And I'm like, do what you got to do. So I knew a guy that knew.

[Max B]

A guy sniper gang.

[French Montana]

No, this is how he met. You heard it first here. Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

You know what I'm saying? This is a legendary form. Hip hop wouldn't see that.

[Max B]

To answer your question, I think it'll be. I think it was easier for him to get the princess than it was easier JD to get Janet Jackson.

[Joe Crack]

That's fact. Yeah. Because you know, he Muslimly ready.

[Jadakiss]

That was real shit.

[Joe Crack]

You know, pause. You know French, one of the handsome ones. You know, she probably was scheming on you. I paused. You hit me with the. You hit like a half.

[French Montana]

I've been waiting to do that.

[Max B]

Gr.

[Jadakiss]

Look.

[Joe Crack]

Listen, you more than anybody because you Muslim met so many phony baloney.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

So many super rich Arabs that say they the prince, they the king. They all full of.

[French Montana]

Yeah, everybody. The everybody full of.

[Joe Crack]

Right? They all royal. If you got money, you act like you. Yo, this Prince Jaffy. Jaff is.

[Jadakiss]

What's your name over there?

[Joe Crack]

I'm Ali Kashani. He knows I'm. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, y'. All. Yo, French in the Middle East.

[French Montana]

Yeah. I need a name over there, Lord.

[Joe Crack]

I'm Molly Kashani. Yo, Match. I'm Molly Kashani.

[Max B]

That's hard.

[Joe Crack]

But when I go like this, I say, yo, French, with the Prince of Dubai. I say, all right, hold up. So I had to verify. And I said, she the fucking real deal princess Dubai.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

She not the people. Humans don't see her like that. Max. She came to your welcome home out of jail.

[Max B]

That's sis.

[French Montana]

Yeah, she down there she was chilling.

[Joe Crack]

How about this?

[Max B]

Everybody was getting along.

[Joe Crack]

These people, you know, I know the Royal Family too. I know her family. Yeah, right. You know, Snow Cap with Joe Crack. One day they came with me and they hung out with me and a brother. You here? I said, yeah, they came to the mall, right? They hung out with me three, four hours. You know, pinching they cheeks, all that. Yo, fuck out of here. You know, we. It's family. Having the best time of my life. I go back to the hotel. The promoter, you know, he paid me crazy money to go out there. I thought he was gonna be pissed cause I was just gone. Like, I left. The man said, you know, tell me, you know, the matoons. I said, my family. What you talking about? He said, we've never seen these people in the mall in our life. And I'm walking around with them. So I know when he did that, I said, they don't even see them. The palace is down the block. Nobody ever see them in human form. It's like Obama on 10,000. Yeah, you don't see them. They on the money. They're on the money.

[Jadakiss]

They on everything.

[Joe Crack]

No, no, they on the money. When you go in the hotel, they got the three shakes. Yeah, that's them.

[Max B]

But you can see these people in this business we in. Oh, anybody can see anybody in this business. A man like this, walk in the room, they know he coming in the country, they know he coming to town, he go to the club, he got his shit out. Pause, pause.

[French Montana]

Oh, my God.

[Joe Crack]

But you know, he did a lot of times.

[French Montana]

Let me grab my flag.

[Joe Crack]

He did a lot of times.

[French Montana]

I see this gonna be going somewhere else.

[Joe Crack]

Yo, Max, you did a lot of time.

[Max B]

What you mean?

[Joe Crack]

No, I mean like, you know, I'm.

[Max B]

Not using that no more.

[Joe Crack]

You got a legitimate pause. Like you got like, you know, you. You know, you've been gone for a minute.

[French Montana]

I mean, I mean. But honestly though, it's like when you.

[Max B]

I had a cell phone in jail.

[French Montana]

When you. When you talk slow to him, Max.

[Max B]

I had motion.

[French Montana]

When you come to the States, you see, like Trump. So you see people like being the president for four years and getting out of office. When you go to places like that, you talk about people that own the place ever. You could. You could buy the houses, but the government still own the place. They still own everything. Everything. So it's like to own something and they only get passed down to your bloodline. It's like. It's a whole different type of love out there. But shout out to her whole family. And I'd be out with her sometimes. I mean, since I knew her, I don't think she ever rocking one piece of jewelry. That's how gangster they keep it. One, not one.

[Joe Crack]

They don't rock like that. I got him a piece one time, my tunes. I got him like the Arabic, the Muslim shit for his birthday. He never. I'm sure he never wore it. I got him my iced out.

[French Montana]

Nah, they're good people, man. Shout out to the whole.

[Joe Crack]

They the best in the world. And so Max B. How many years, Max B.

[Max B]

Well, on this one, 18.

[Joe Crack]

This big this.

[Max B]

17 years and 10 months.

[French Montana]

How many total?

[Jadakiss]

And we don't.

[Max B]

I did eight New York, so I did 25 years, but this was 17.

[Jadakiss]

And being back, a lot of dudes don't have the sanity. Don't know what's going on after doing that much.

[Joe Crack]

Last time I seen you, I was in the club and you had a captain and tenille hat on. You had some pilot. You remember when he rocked the pilot hat? We in the club, next day you in jail. I said, what the. I'm looking at you. You a movie. I know your wife is here now, but I'm talking 20 years ago. This is old W had like four white girls with you, and you had a captain into Neil on. I'm looking at him in the club and they got the pilot's hat on. I said, yo, this big was crazy, but. And so the wave about to take off on the legendary. It already took off, but it was about to take off on another legendary form. You sitting in jail. I can't imagine what's that like, facing life, you smelling it. But you was about to get the grand prize. How horrible was that?

[Max B]

It was something. It was horrible, but it was something I had to get over like that.

[Jadakiss]

Had to get adjusted.

[Max B]

It was nothing I sat on. It was. It was like next day, it was like, all right, off to the next. How we gonna get the out. That's it.

[Joe Crack]

You walked in there and said, I'm bidding. And so whatever rodeo.

[Max B]

So I kind of. I knew the ropes that going, like, I mean, I was maneuvering the V. I was behind the scenes. I had. You know what I'm saying?

[Joe Crack]

So, you know, I did four months. I was running that for four months. Don't let nobody lie to you. The night before I go to jail, I see your pistol. What's it gonna be like for me? He said, man, you Joe the Dawn, man. It's gonna be just like that is here. Like it is out here, you don't know no other way to be. He ain't fucking live. We went in there, we locked that shit down in a kilometer of a second.

[Jadakiss]

You know, Hong Kong, Mongolian Hong Kong.

[Joe Crack]

I had a dude in there called Hong Kong.

[French Montana]

I'm not even gonna throw the flag on that one.

[Joe Crack]

No, no, it's Hong Kong's monko. Listen. That's unfortunately in jail. Blacks stick with blacks, Latinos with Latinos, whites with white, Asian with Asian. This guy was like a misfit. He was a big white boy. And the white people ain't want him because he look a little slow.

[Max B]

Y' all took him in, was strong.

[Joe Crack]

Boy like, you hear me? And he'll post up on the basketball court, start fouling everybody. I was looking at him. I said, something special about this guy.

[French Montana]

Pause. That was crazy about these guys.

[Joe Crack]

So I say, yo, I put him down with the team. And I said, you know what? You Hong Kong's Mongolian. He said, huh?

[French Montana]

I said, I can't let it go, man. I can't. I can't let it go.

[Joe Crack]

I said, you Hong Kong's Mongolian.

[French Montana]

Nah. The way you drag it, though.

[Joe Crack]

Your first time meeting this dude used to stand like this.

[Jadakiss]

Oh, hurt the leg, door.

[Joe Crack]

You stay like, here. I don't want to say the word. He talk about pores on another level, but what I'm trying to tell you is this guy could take 12 guys in a fight. Like, you could just tell he had that boot strength. So I put him down, he shined the table and shit like that. But one day he comes up to me, he says, he said, boss, boss. I just realized that Hong Kong and Mongolia is two different places. I said, man, shut the fuck up. Enjoy your night. The fuck out of here with that. Go dust the table.

[Jadakiss]

Yeah, big event. Was they asking you mad stupid questions like, did you have to put a shut down?

[French Montana]

And don't ask me all the time.

[Max B]

Open minded, though. If I fuck with a dude, if his vibe is all right, and he. I'm saying, he ain't on no cornball shit. I might entertain a n conversation. I might entertain a nigga 16 or. You know what I'm saying? It depends.

[Joe Crack]

I was there short. I wouldn't want to hear nothing. The niggas ran up. I said, yo, stay where you at. It's not hip hop. They want to rap. I broke hearts in the first two minutes. They ran up in that bit. They was like, yo, yo, yo. I said, no, no, no, no. This ain't rap. Y' all ain't rapping. I don't know. No, I don't know. Jlo.

[Max B]

I have 20 of them niggas in there rapping.

[Jadakiss]

Yeah, I have a little fun.

[Max B]

Just when I'm in the mood, I'm on some shit. I smoke a joint and get 20 of them niggas in there and start battle rapping, acting crazy.

[Joe Crack]

You know the saddest thing I think about when artists go to jail. What was the Christmas like, 18, 17 Christmas. Are you in there for Happy New Year?

[Max B]

Quick, they quit. That's it. You just gotta get over them shits. That's one Christmas closer. Can't sit up in there like, yo, I'm stumped. I wish I was home for quit. I put a Christmas tree up this year. Spent Christmas with the family. Wore sweaters, drunk. Drunk eggnog. I did all that this year. It happened.

[Joe Crack]

We got another one. Me and him gonna talk about. I'm gonna talk about the dirty section is, you know, we just got. You ain't even let me talk. Go. You ain't even let me talk. I don't like how you gotta take the flag back in a second. Listen.

[French Montana]

What I'm saying is that was a crazy answer.

[Joe Crack]

You know nobody. Y' all not listening. Nobody came in the podcast game like Joe and Jada. It's impossible. Every day, the biggest star, the bigger one. The bigger one, the bigger one, the bigger one, the bigger1. We 70 episodes. We like 68 superstars in. And everybody else is online ready to go crazy.

[French Montana]

Pause.

[Joe Crack]

Super pause. That one was a disrespect. Now, but there's a part of YouTube that we call the dirty section. AM radio. It's good Morning Vietnam. I mean, talk about everybody. They violating everybody. They don't care. It's the dirty section. They don't make it to Netflix. You know what I'm saying? They ain't getting to the bag like that. Right? They doing it for, you know, 500amonth or some shit. Right? Unfortunately. Is really crabs in the barrel. You come out. You did 20 years. I never heard no dirt on your name. I never heard nothing. But here come the dirty section. Trying to throw rumors on your name and all that. And this is the place to address that. And does it even bother you that it's a family member?

[Max B]

God will got me right where he want me to. After all I've been through that time and to get back here and doing what I'm doing. Do it look like it bothers me?

[Joe Crack]

No, not at all. It's just sad. I don't know if any other culture get down like that, like this, it ain't just you. I seen it with big Meat.

[Max B]

Niggas be disgruntled when they don't get their way. When something don't work for em, they get disgruntled.

[Joe Crack]

It's always disgruntled. They not here no more. And everybody think they in the wave. And then the minute you say, yo, you know what? This guy's not good for me. And it slides out, it's back to the roaches. When you put the lights on and shit running around the crib, you fucked up. There's no more Dubai. And so that's when they start trying to dirty somebody's name or some reputation. Because you know what? I think they disgruntled.

[Jadakiss]

I think, salute to you and salute to you and salute to y'.

[Max B]

All.

[Jadakiss]

You came out and the rollout was like, nobody roll out.

[Joe Crack]

You couldn't wait.

[Max B]

You still rolling out.

[Joe Crack]

Yo, that like a genie in a bottle.

[French Montana]

They like, dudes come home.

[Jadakiss]

How about this?

[Joe Crack]

How about this?

[Jadakiss]

Army coach nobody.

[Joe Crack]

And then that's ever.

[Jadakiss]

That is over a jimbo.

[Joe Crack]

You kept it.

[Jadakiss]

Hold on for Jimbos.

[Joe Crack]

You kept it. You KE thousand with your brother. Yeah, you right there for him. You got a strong brother. Which 100 million percent from a whole.

[Max B]

Another side of the country.

[Joe Crack]

That's a whole different thing.

[Max B]

Solid planet.

[Joe Crack]

Listen to me. That's a whole different thing.

[French Montana]

Like, hold on. We still unrolling.

[Joe Crack]

Everybody don't do seven, still rolling. Everybody don't do 17 years. And your brother waiting for you, and he's still up, and he putting this in play.

[Max B]

What.

[Joe Crack]

What kind of blessing is that?

[Max B]

This know out of all the on the planet, I got genuine happiness, pure friendship for this. No money, no nothing. My is based on straight, solid friendship music creation. That's just my Everything else happened. So when I'm in jail, seeing this on tv, I ain't in there going, that should have been me. No, I'm in that motherfucker crying with happiness.

[Joe Crack]

That's right.

[Max B]

This nigga. Yeah. Look at my nigga.

[Joe Crack]

Ah, fuck y'. All.

[Max B]

That's how I was in there. I mean a lot to him. He mean a lot to me. That's my nigga.

[Jadakiss]

That's real shit.

[Max B]

That's it.

[Joe Crack]

Cause I felt like when you got with Max, that's when the real French Montana was discovered. Yeah, that's when you've been doing it. Coke, dvd, all that. But I never forget I'm in the studio with Cool and Dre and Dre is like, yo, your man French is catching the old fade. We listen to both of y'. All. He a big fan of you. Drake.

[Max B]

Yeah, I fuck with Drake.

[Joe Crack]

Dre was like, yo, and this guy Max B. And we just listening to the studio. We just like, yo, this shit crazy. And you never turned back.

[French Montana]

Yeah. Nah, for sure. I mean, it was a wild times, man. I think we first started when I. When I met Max. I think I had the whole Cocaine City show. You know, you already killing the shit, and he already has something going on, too. So when we got together, just like bringing the movement together, you know what I'm saying? It's almost like bringing Kiss and Styles and she together. It's like you and Pun together, movie. It was like that. You know what I'm saying? Rest in peace, Chinx. We lost Chinx. He was in the mix with us. That's my guy. When he first got to 75, I was rocking out with him for the whole 75. It wasn't even like, oh, no. Oh, I know you're going to get 18 and get it back. I was rocking. He didn't find out he was going to have 18 until probably after what, like 13 years in. Yeah, like that.

[Max B]

The box one time where you was at, like Philly or sh up there. Tr I was in locker. They like Wingate F can see me. He pulled me out the box.

[Joe Crack]

My man in the window.

[French Montana]

But he was living spontaneously through me, though. I'll be facet. I mean, you know, calling him like Vin Diesel. Calling him with like, wi them out. He be in there.

[Joe Crack]

This is Vin Diesel.

[French Montana]

Yo, what up, Max?

[Max B]

N we be shot.

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah. He was living spontaneously through it, man. You know, it's crazy.

[Joe Crack]

Cause we was. He's home now, but we was calling Floss the millionaire. He was at the parties. He was like, yo, I'm at the party, nigga. What's going on here? Mary J. Gonna talk. Yo, what's up? It was like, feel like he at the party. You got two or three spectators you trust watching the face. Like, yo, this shit crazy. Them n. Yo, it's on. I mean, it's nothing like that in French. First of all, I'm looking at all them diamonds and I'm saying to myself.

[French Montana]

You like it, dude?

[Jadakiss]

You like it?

[Joe Crack]

No, I'm thinking, save a little beast for, you know. I took the demo to form Master Flex. You never save a little piece for life, Rich.

[Max B]

A long time I'm throwing a flag.

[Joe Crack]

On yo, yo, French, your friends all type of wealth and all this. I know where you live.

[French Montana]

I ain't gonna lie. I ain't gonna lie. Crack a real one. Crack a real one.

[Joe Crack]

Let's go first.

[French Montana]

That's more than diamonds. That's more than gold. That's more than anything I could give you. It's always like that.

[Joe Crack]

Nah, nah. I could take a gift. Yeah, that little piece for later.

[Jadakiss]

I can take a gift.

[Joe Crack]

Let me get a little piece for later. I looked at him, I said, french Montana, Princess Dubai. I'm ready to get a job with this right here. I'm sitting there. I said, damn, man. Save a little beast for later. And for y' all guys who don't know, French was having a hard time getting his music on the radio, on the box.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

And I went up there and had a serious, serious conversation with Funk Flex. Cause he was. Y' all was already on fire.

[French Montana]

Yeah, he had just got. He had just got locked up.

[Joe Crack]

You was already.

[Max B]

Yeah, but they sound blackball.

[French Montana]

Yeah, I was blackballed. I was blackballed.

[Max B]

Even more love.

[Joe Crack]

Listen, they blackballed me. Yeah, I had beef with the biggest dude you ever seen in your life. Yeah, I had beef. And they was like, yo, he can't get that. He can't. Fat Joe made it through the Chitlin circuit with number ones. Number one in America. They was like, no, you perform in Alabama, you would. You go to pa. You can't get on this tour. Like, every tour I was trying to get on, they was like, yo, you can't. What?

[Jadakiss]

Blockage.

[Joe Crack]

Super facts. I never cried about it, but I go up there. He was my son's favorite rap, and I said, yo. And he played it in six months later, that was pop that. Pop that. You took off in six months.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

It went from shot caller to pop that. And yeah, we never turned back.

[Jadakiss]

Grind it out, though. He grinded. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet. We've been rolling with the Hard Rock BET all regular season long. And now Hard Rock bat is here for what is shaping up to be an incredible playoff run. You know what I love doing with these big standalone playoff games? Same game parlays, locking one match up at a time is stack your picks. Maybe the quarterback goes for 250. The running back hits 100. And the tight end punches in the first touchdown. Hard Rock BET gives you tons of ways to build your same game parlay, turning big game days into bigger paydays. And if you miss kickoff, don't worry, Hard Rock BET has live in Game betting so you're never too late to be in the action. Find a winner or grab that player prop you meant to play and live bet between snaps in just a few easy taps. If you haven't tried your first bet on Hard Rock Bet, there's still time for you to get $150 in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet. If it hits, you get not only your winnings, but also an extra 150 in bonus bets. So just because your team may be out of it, that doesn't mean you have to sit on the sidelines this postseason season. Between same game parlays, live betting, a can't miss welcome offer, and new promos dropping every day, Hard Rock Bet has you covered all postseason long. That's Hard Rock Bet. Download the Hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposit today.

[Joe Crack]

Hard Rock Bet, baby. Let's go.

[Jadakiss]

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[Joe Crack]

Opinion?

[French Montana]

Well, the holidays have come and gone once again. But if you've forgotten to get that special someone in your life a gift. Well, Mint Mobile is extending their holiday offer of half off unlimited wireless. So here's the idea. You get it now, you call it an early present for next year. What do you have to lose? Give it a [e-mail] Switch limited time.

[Joe Crack]

50% off regular price for new customers. Upfront payment required. $45 for three months, $90 for six month or 100. 180 for 12 month plan taxes and fees. Extra speeds may slow after 50 gigabytes per month when network is busy. See terms.

[Jadakiss]

I see French at Summit Jail. Man, I think he got shot in the head. I can't believe that he had the gumption.

[Joe Crack]

I said this thing is you had that on your head and all that.

[Jadakiss]

But I'm saying this nigga's gonna get rich because what? There's no way I would have went.

[Max B]

To his first time getting shot that from Morocco.

[French Montana]

What the does that mean, man? Morocco ain't Iraq.

[Joe Crack]

Yeah, but hold up. Let me tell you something. I go to Makadesh. This is the time I met the little man.

[French Montana]

Marrakesh, man.

[Joe Crack]

Marrakesh. But you know, Fat Joe. Yo, French, I. Everything up. I'm fried. But listen, I get in the car, they booked me to do a show, and they drive into the desert for like, two hours straight, and they talk in Arabic. And I said, that's it. The Taliban. I got set up. I thought it was the tally. I thought it was the Taliban. My. Like, they just talking. It wasn't two hours. French in my. Into the desert. Like, I'm really seeing camels and all that. It's nothing. Nothing. Not. Not a gas station. Nothing. I'm driving in for two days. And then you got to know this place. They pull up in the. Like a. Oasis.

[Max B]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

They got village there.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

And I'm like, thank God. I walk up in that. They're like, you got the biggest villa, Fat Joe. This. I was like, yo, what the. I. For sure I was kidnapped.

[Max B]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

I'm. I'm looking out the window. I'm like, damn. Any put me on the screen, I'm done. They about to chop my off now.

[French Montana]

America's got a lot of desert.

[Joe Crack]

You've been to that place when I'm talking about, right? Like, it's like in the middle of nowhere.

[French Montana]

It's like a hotel in the middle of the desert.

[Joe Crack]

Hotel in the middle of nowhere.

[Max B]

Oasis. Yo.

[Joe Crack]

It is the old aces.

[French Montana]

Yeah, I forgot the name, but I know what you're talking about.

[Joe Crack]

How's your brother, man?

[French Montana]

Oh, he good. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Joe Crack]

You could probably get the princess to get him a diplomatic immunity.

[French Montana]

We trying. We trying to. Yeah, we trying every.

[Max B]

Sean, just get that off, man.

[Joe Crack]

Shined it. He's almost like. He's almost like you. You came home and you got right to a shot, you know, Sean was ascetic Jew. He did it all. He made sure he was getting back in the touch.

[Max B]

There we go.

[Joe Crack]

That was impossible. He came back.

[Max B]

That came back. He used to be like his third time Zach.

[French Montana]

Oh, yeah.

[Max B]

Threw my out the country about. About three times over there. Exact my. But he's back.

[Joe Crack]

But he good over there. I mean, well, he want to have big fun. He go to Dubai then, right?

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah, he can still go.

[Joe Crack]

He could go to Europe. Dubai like that?

[French Montana]

Yeah. Hell, yeah.

[Joe Crack]

You know, you're in Paris. Fashion Week, Morocco.

[French Montana]

Better than being in jail. So I tell them all the time.

[Joe Crack]

Way better than being in jail. I told Max right before you got here, you're our first late customer. Oh, I'm bad first ever.

[French Montana]

I really thought you was on Rap Hours. I was like, yo, they just telling me 12 because they know I'll be two hours latent. Bad show, man. I know y' all my two favorite people in the world doing good, man.

[Max B]

This been up.

[Joe Crack]

We're not here. But listen what I'm saying, right? I tell Max, come out. What they call it in court side. What's the. What's the. When you on the field sideline side. On that old field. I don't know football like that.

[Max B]

I met Shador. Shout to Shador.

[Joe Crack]

You come right out of jail. When you on the street sidelines.

[Jadakiss]

LV dad. Don't forget that.

[Joe Crack]

The Instagram going crazy. The point is, you had a hell of two months. The hype around him is almost like when 50 Cent just had the mixtapes and it was like, all right, let's hear his single. Cause that's what they want. Max, I'm telling you, you beyond talented. You got it to put it up. Nobody got flows like you, nobody rap flow like you. You crazy. I'm telling you, as a hip hop fan, I done heard your music. The flows, the melodies, the this, that, that. But if you come with that, go shorty. It's your birthday, we gonna. When you come with one of those, you'll be walking in the Louis Vuitton Paris Runway. That's how big you know right now. It's great. Moms and pops, everybody taking care of you. They getting you to the bag. But you got a silver surfer bag. If you put it out the park. If he come with one of them African joints, we might have one.

[French Montana]

We might have one.

[Joe Crack]

We might have one, huh? But you know, what's one?

[Max B]

It's a lot of. It's a lot in store.

[French Montana]

Yeah, we got a lot of music.

[Max B]

My first 30 days. I gave him a 20 plus 24 song mixtape my first day out.

[Joe Crack]

That's crazy.

[Max B]

I didn't have no hours in the day and got my kids with me every day, wife every day. Still went there and gave niggas urge.

[French Montana]

And we got another one coming out with 22 joints on it slow.

[Max B]

Now the joint, me and bro, did you gonna hear just it, just do this and y' all gonna go back to the first shit I did. And it's gonna do that again. I'm not worried about that. This new shit about the dog, the streets, yeah. I'm just predicting a dog out straight dogging the out, top to bottom, dog out music, singles, videos, the rollout boom. As soon as I Think it's over. I'm gonna come smack y' all with a million dollar baby dog. Y' all needs to out there. Then we got another waveguard album dropping. Then I'm doing another mixtape, Dawn Snow. So it's a lot in store. I never stop. I have unlimited class.

[Joe Crack]

Cause you know why? Max B. He a God in the streets of New York, especially Harlem. Shout out to my nephew BD and all that. I see y' all playing this day and night. There's a global interest in Max B. And so that's what I'm trying to say is if you pull one out the park, it's a different bag.

[Max B]

Of day.

[Joe Crack]

Now you got that drive with them joints.

[Max B]

You gotta show me how to do this.

[French Montana]

I'll be telling them. I be telling them, listen.

[Joe Crack]

You got that? But listen, when Flo Jo came out, I was getting $500 a show. It was number one in America. And I was going to Connecticut, Boston, Jersey. The next day is Yonkers, 10 year DC that was in 93. It was no money in the rap game with the number one.

[French Montana]

Damn, that's crazy.

[Joe Crack]

No money. The money's out there now. Big in another way. They'll paint you in silver and you'll be on a surfboard going through Madison Square Garden on the silver surf on that. This is a different type of them Reggae tone. They hit one and they getting a half a million to show one song. Yeah, you know, and I'm trying to figure out, friends, what is it? Velvet them pants right there.

[French Montana]

Lisa, the boy got his own money. I don't think are they velvet.

[Jadakiss]

New buck could be too heavy.

[Joe Crack]

I tell you about a Bronx, yo. The Bronx. You don't know how to act. Bronx person. Somewhere you see how Cardi B becoming boat. Take a trench ankle with the boots to match with the. You give a Bronx dude some money or girl, they don't know how to act. Tell you, your boy French coming in here, this looking like fucking exotic emeralds and shit.

[Max B]

Peace.

[Joe Crack]

They just killed the fur.

[French Montana]

We gotta get that hit, Max. We need that hip crack cracking up all about them hits.

[Max B]

I told you, I surrendered.

[Joe Crack]

It's funny, you know, he told me out there, I surrender. And what's crazy is last night I was sleeping. I sleep with the TV on, right? And I turn and I see literally. Literally, it gotta be millions. Millions of white people jumping up and down, singing the words. And I look on, I don't know who the fuck these guys are. It's a rock group. So I look at the Shit. I say, what the. He was a million people, and they all were singing, going crazy. And then the hook come. And the name of the hook was I Surrender. It's the Foo Fighters.

[French Montana]

Crazy.

[Joe Crack]

And it was called I Surrender. He told me today, yo, I Surrender. I said, yo, that might be your. Yeah, you gotta tap into that.

[Max B]

However that makes songs, I make it one way. I could never go in there.

[Joe Crack]

What is the process?

[Max B]

That's probably the weakest part of my game, to go in there and say, yo, listen to a beat that I don't do. But you'll go in there, be some producer. They'd be like, yo, do this record right here, and it'll be a hit record. I might not like the track, though. If I can't die with the track, I'm not gonna do the shit.

[Joe Crack]

I did it. I sold out.

[Max B]

I know. This is what I'm trying to say. This is why I say I Surrender.

[Joe Crack]

I made it number one That I can't stand. The white people love it. It went number one.

[Max B]

That's the decision we gotta make. You wanna sing that same record over and over or you wanna. That's how I was looking at it.

[Joe Crack]

I did it.

[Max B]

I'm ready to sing the record.

[Joe Crack]

We mechanically sold out. I'm ready to sing the record. And we said, all right. We need a beat that sounds like we need to get the homie on this hook. We need to rap like this. And the shit really went number one. Like, we cloned the. Like, we made a number one that wasn't from the heart. Yeah, Like, Lean Back was a mixtape song that just went number one.

[Max B]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

You know, I don't give a fuck about your faults and mishap. That went organic. But I made the number one that I'm disgusted in. And I know what you said, because I just. Every time I hear and they want to hear it, the white people shit went number one.

[French Montana]

You were independent when you made Lean Back.

[Joe Crack]

No, I was independent making rain. So, you know, what happened to me is a famous story. So I'm in Atlantic Records, and I'm selling 2 million records, and I'm the big. They had a post of me six floors, where I had the orange leather shirt, I had the lion medallion. And I walk up in there every day, so cocky. Put out an album. The shit floppy. They took off that poster so fast, and they threw a T.I. joint up. This is the new guy T.I. i'm like, yo, this major label shit is disgusting, bro. Right now, at that time, going independent, they were giving you $7 a CD. I sold a half a million. They calling me a failure still. A half a million people went to the store and bought that shit. And I said, you know what? If I get seven dollars for a half a million, I make three and a half million. It's more than the 500,000 or the million dollars they giving me to do the whole album. So I go back the next day. I say, yo, I don't know if y' all know. I started out digging in the crates. I'm going back to my underground. You ain't got to worry about me. You'll never hear from Fat Joe again. I'm never making a hit again. Done. I'm done. Make it rain. 4 million records on the masses. With the independent, the money was coming. So much French, I'm kicking it safe. And to close this, like, I'd be like throwing my wife just bundles of money. Like, go spend. Go shop. This crazy. I'm like, yo, I can't close the safe. It was ringtones. When the ringtone ship came out, yeah, that shit went 4 million on them. That was the next I know. They wanted to commit suicide. When I left, it was make it rain. 4 million sold.

[French Montana]

That's crazy.

[Joe Crack]

Independent. I've been independent ever since. We win every time. You know, these record labels ain't nothing but a bank, but they make you.

[French Montana]

Believe a hit won't go without them, though.

[Joe Crack]

It's a lie. All the way up went. Yeah, we just got a new commercial. ESPN, 10 years later. ESPN, ABC. I'm all the way up.

[Max B]

Up.

[French Montana]

Yeah, I ain't gonna lie. The story about all the way up is crazy.

[Joe Crack]

Oh, I want to hear the story about all the way up. Yeah, let me hear. French is on all the way up. Go ahead, let me hear it.

[French Montana]

Nah, nah, hold on, kids. Now, kids, come back. I'm gonna tell him a story. So I'm just sitting back in the crib. Crack, hear me. Out of nowhere, like, yo, come by Cool and Dre studio. I got this joint. It's out of here. This is the one. I go to the studio, we knock it out. I'm not thinking none of it. The shit come out, take off, boom. We doing shows. Even Drake hit me. I was telling you, boy. Hit me like, yo, I need a verse.

[Joe Crack]

Drake Face saved me three times.

[French Montana]

Yeah, like, I need a verse on that. So it was one of them one time, me and Crack doing a big ass show. That's how I know he was a real one. I'm like, yo, Crack, I never really I never really told you, but I checked with my lawyer. He told me I ain't get no publishing on that song. I had zero publishing on a song. I said, yo, Crack, I know you're not running business like that. He was like, french, what you want me to do? I said, when I did the song with you, I was like, my brother got me. I ain't gotta worry about nothing. Crack was like, you know what? He called his lawyer right on the spot, and he was like, you know what, French, here, I forgot what you gave me 10%. But the thing is, I think it was 5. It was 5.

[Joe Crack]

No, it was 10%.

[French Montana]

It was 5. It was 5. It was 5.

[Joe Crack]

That's after the fact, right? Nah, 10%. Fucking got 10% that. Well, you didn't. You did not.

[French Montana]

But you did that, though. Of course you did that, though.

[Joe Crack]

In the front, what happened to me? And that's after the paperwork, when he's moving this, this, that. He come and sit next to me. We had a ward show. He said next to me, he said, yo, but you forgot how. You told me how.

[French Montana]

How I told you.

[Joe Crack]

You said, yo, Crack. You know, it was that million dollar voice that made that go. He said, I look at French. I said, what? He was like, yo, I put that million gloss on that. I said, all right, let's call a lawyer down. It's unacceptable, you know, with me, I don't feel good if my people don't make money with me, you know? You knew Junior. Rest in peace, Junior. My whole life, it's a billionaire I was with every day for five years. Yeah, right. And he taught me everything about business. And the biggest thing he taught me is that everybody gotta eat. You go to my stores, the managers.

[Jadakiss]

Seminars you used to do.

[Joe Crack]

Yes, the seminars market America. But Junior's a billionaire, a genius. He made sure everybody made money, and then he was good.

[Jadakiss]

Record labels, that.

[Joe Crack]

It's the same thing. When Remy came home, you know, it was a struggle. Me and her. Me and REM was struggling, right? So I sit down in the car, said, listen, let me tell you something. And I know I'm hallucinating. Guys, don't get mad at me in podcast world, but. But I told her, yo, me and you, we like Dr. Dre and Snoop. If we hit one out the park, we out of here.

[French Montana]

This before Lean Back?

[Joe Crack]

No, this after Lean Back. If Lean Back was in Instagram era.

[French Montana]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Oh, my God. It's a different type of animal. Old ladies would have been doing all is Beyond. We'd have been buying Yankee Stadium. Imagine all the girls on Instagram right now. If she was a model for a year and a half, and if she got it, that'll go down to her ass, man. Tick tock, bro. What?

[French Montana]

Yeah, y' all knew them joints was the ones. Every one of them joints y' all put out, y' all knew it was the ones.

[Joe Crack]

I knew everything.

[French Montana]

For real, though, it was. It wasn't one that you was like, I don't know.

[Joe Crack]

The one real thing the record label ever taught me, Craig. Comedy. He said, yo, you're not Beyonce. He said, you can't put out two, three songs and pitch. He says, if it hits, we'll get another video, we'll get another song, we'll put the bag behind it. So he taught me that I gotta get a hit every time. So I was thinking like a program director, bro. I used to go to South Carolina and watch little kids running across the grass and all that and play those songs there and say, if these kids can hear this on a Sunday, this shit outta here. And that's how we'll pick a hit every single time. And so I train myself to pick a hit. That's what you saying you don't do. You just go in there naturally do hook do songs, and then if it go, it goes. Now, I heard a lot of artists say that.

[Max B]

I just treat them like I don't try to make a hit. That's not what I'm saying. I just go with a good joke, and if it happened, it happened. It would take a nigga, like, to come in, like, oh, he come in and go through. Yo, that's the one. That's some shit. Or he'll come play some shit all the time. That like the shit we just did, shot the video for last night. We got death on the bitch coming out. Rap. That's.

[Joe Crack]

That's some, you know, Shout out Booby the boxer. That's how I'm.

[French Montana]

Yeah, shout out to Booby.

[Joe Crack]

Yeah, Pun's cousin. Yeah, you and Booby was super tight.

[French Montana]

Crazy. Pun used to come and play as the albums on 111 83rd, right by the basketball court. I remember Pun used to pull up with his bins. He used to have the custom. Custom made seat. Used to come in there, just put that capital punishment on. And it was even before capital punishment when he. When he came out the. With the mixtape that y' all dropped. Before that with the cassette tape, it was like six joints on it.

[Joe Crack]

Well, you've been around French. You know why I say that? Is because Pun would drive to Miami and play DJ Khaled his album.

[Max B]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Or his songs. He would go all the way to Miami. He trusted Khaled's ear before all of us.

[French Montana]

Crazy.

[Joe Crack]

And I played all the way up for Khaled, and Khaled sat in the speaker, and I said, yo, this the one. He was like. Like, I really don't know. I said, get the out the studio, nigga. I'm putting the bag up. I'm independent. This is the one. Just before that, I was fucked up. I did like four months to the Fed. They took all my money. Millions of dollars. Imagine you looking at your bank for 10, 15 years and you cake the fuck up. And one day you looked and that shit down like this. They took all my money penalties. This, this, that. And I already paid the accountant the fucking money.

[Max B]

At least you were still in the game.

[Joe Crack]

Oh, no.

[French Montana]

Still?

[Joe Crack]

I came home like you in a different way. There wasn't no people there. There wasn't no football field. No. None of that shit. I went right to Koola Dre studio. And Dre told me, yo, we gonna work. And I'm sitting up in there, and they got the little. With the. With the pink hair and the red. It was that time. Party like a rock star. And little pumps and all on them. And they up in there, and they looking at me like, what the this old doing in this studio?

[Max B]

He was getting one.

[Joe Crack]

And I said, man, like, you always do get one.

[Jadakiss]

I think I was talking about your leg too much.

[Joe Crack]

I fucked my leg up. We now have the Euro step. Let me tell you something, man. And super pause. I'll throw it right now, but I'm a little light on my ass. I'm 230 right now.

[Max B]

Look good.

[Joe Crack]

I'm 2:30.

[Max B]

Pause.

[Jadakiss]

Let me get 25 jumps.

[Joe Crack]

I feel magnificent.

[French Montana]

I was just watching the interview with you interviewing Big L. I had here, okay.

[Max B]

About. About two weeks before I came out. They had the throwback joints on. They played Got a Flow joke. You had that big army on.

[Joe Crack]

Playing with him like that. You know, I'm trying to stick around.

[Jadakiss]

What's up with Afcon? How was that? What was that like?

[French Montana]

Like, I ain't never. I ain't never do nothing that big in Morocco since. Since I left Morocco when I was 13. So it's kind of like of a moment, you know what I'm saying? I went there. It's like 2 billion people. It was like.

[Joe Crack]

2 billion.

[French Montana]

Yeah, like 2 billion viewers.

[Joe Crack]

All views, but yeah.

[French Montana]

And in there was like 70,000?

[Jadakiss]

Yeah, yeah.

[French Montana]

Like 70,000.

[Joe Crack]

You gave me. I could move to Morocco and live forever.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Free off of your strength. I got on the plane to Royal. What's it called? What's the airline?

[French Montana]

Royal Morocco.

[Joe Crack]

Pilot came up. You switched French Montana. I said, yes, I am. Threw that so smooth over there. That lands so smooth over there. Morocco, man. And they got the mans. I'll let you finish it. The man go like that, huh? For hours. And you eating in the restaurant. He's spinning some, right? The guy with the. What is that called?

[French Montana]

Nah, I never seen that one.

[Joe Crack]

You never seen that?

[Jadakiss]

What is that?

[Joe Crack]

There's a guy. No. Yes. Dizzy. Like, it's a guy. He got the fucking string on his head with the, like. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[French Montana]

That be playing. They'll be playing the bro.

[Joe Crack]

They go like this for hours. You'll be like, yeah. Is this the dude dizzy yet? Yeah, you eating all type of. And they keep going like this. You got. He got a tough job.

[French Montana]

Yeah, he got the string.

[Joe Crack]

He keeps that moving.

[French Montana]

Yeah, it's tradition. Yeah, about Afcon, man.

[Max B]

Yeah.

[French Montana]

So it was the opening game, Morocco. Red one had hit me. He the producer, all the music over there, he was like. He had the veto one.

[Joe Crack]

Got that?

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah. So Red one, he runs, you know, cuz he Moroccan. So the King let him run.

[Joe Crack]

I thought he was Jamaican. Nah, he produced Jamaican songs.

[French Montana]

Yeah, he produced Jamaican songs, but he Moroccan. He did all the Lady Gaga music. Yeah. So the King grabbed him to do all the music for that. For. For the Afcon, for the African Cup. And he just hit me like a week before the joint. He was like, yo, I got the biggest single. Come hop on it and come perform. We want you to perform. So I went there. The King came to watch it. It was like a moment. I took mom dukes over there and it was just like, you know, it was a big moment.

[Joe Crack]

Never been a more famous Moroccan ever, Right? I mean, in a humble way.

[French Montana]

Yeah. Yeah. Not that I think of. I mean, that.

[Joe Crack]

That.

[French Montana]

That really. I mean, there is. That went Europe, like different parts of the world, but as far as like the Mecca of music. Sick that somebody that came here and did not.

[Joe Crack]

I gotta take an old man piss.

[Jadakiss]

Morocco is playing Brazilian. Brazil for the World cup over.

[French Montana]

Yeah, it's crazy in Jersey.

[Jadakiss]

They probably gonna call you.

[French Montana]

Yeah, I gotta go. That's big. The Morocco was never this big in soccer until, like, the past couple years.

[Jadakiss]

Soccer was never this big. Like, I think soccer is always huge.

[French Montana]

They call it football.

[Max B]

In general. All of it. Every sport you got female basketball. Yeah, all that shit.

[Jadakiss]

Niggas watch everything that never watch the.

[Max B]

TV deals, the commercial deals.

[French Montana]

I think when Morocco made it to the semifinals in the World Cup, I think it was a moment where everybody was like, you know what?

[Jadakiss]

Getting on board.

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah, we belong here.

[Max B]

Even, like, the low market teams got like, they stadiums be lit, you know what I'm saying? It ain't like it used to be.

[Jadakiss]

Remember we used to watch certain teams. You know them.

[Max B]

You watch like, Atlanta game. Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Nobody.

[Max B]

You ain't seen nobody? Nobody that she like, yeah, that look like it's lit. It's a market for a.

[French Montana]

For everybody.

[Jadakiss]

Yeah, you write about that. Oh, a lot of arenas that were small markets that used to be they only show one patch because the people's only. Now them shits is lit. They sold you, right?

[Max B]

That was like one of the shits I used to like, see in jail when I be watching TV and I'm like, yo, the world is evolving. The economy, the money, the market. You know what I'm saying? This. This whole is like an Internet. Like, you really could come out here and do what you want from the crib. Like, for real. You really just gotta put your foot in some shit and go. That's some shit, though.

[French Montana]

Yeah, but Messi.

[Max B]

Messi coming to Miami, Morocco, and see a soccer game.

[French Montana]

Got to. I called this PO for the last game. I was like, yo, let him come. Like, nah.

[Max B]

Yeah, I'm working on that. I'm getting. I'm about to get that passport.

[French Montana]

I was trying to get you out there. I couldn't wait to get you out there.

[Max B]

Working on some things.

[French Montana]

Yeah. World cup this summer. You ain't gotta go nowhere. Morocco. Morocco playing I would like to go to Morocco. Yeah, you got to. Whoever the crack called or whatever that city is.

[Max B]

What do you say he start speaking languages?

[Joe Crack]

Maybe you definitely said before, but something. I want our audience because we suck a free. This audience. We killing these in the podcast, they are. Hey, yo, all these. I want the smoke with all of them. I can't really respond to the dirty section. The AM radio. Good morning, Vietnam. We leave them over there. The over there from tv. Go dirty yourselves up. That. But that. Why you do that? When I heard that. Why you do that? I said, Jesus Christ, man, this shit incredible.

[Max B]

Thank you.

[Joe Crack]

And the name Bigavelly. Could you break down the name?

[Max B]

It might be a weird little concept.

[Joe Crack]

Nah, I love it.

[Max B]

So when I first started doing music and I knew I could write, I was like, all right, now you need a Name. I always thought the name is, like, very significant when it comes to an artist.

[Joe Crack]

Absolutely.

[Max B]

You need a name that ring that people gonna love and respect. What type of music you trying to put out there, so why not? I said, how would I sound if I mix these three niggas together? Big Jigga and Machiavelli. Not Tupac. Machiavelli. That's the late Pac Pop. It was a difference. Talking about that late pilot, Seven Day Theory. Pop them, the three niggas. That's. That's. That was it. So I came up with Max Bigavelli. Bigavelly.

[Joe Crack]

Fucking incredible. What a name. Jada, how you came up with Jadakiss?

[Jadakiss]

Cracker Jackson.

[Joe Crack]

It said Jadakiss.

[Jadakiss]

Nah.

[Max B]

Jesus. N. Oh, I wanted to ask you that.

[Joe Crack]

Starting to believe you. You got me the turkey. I started to believe him. He got me the turkey chops. He brought Johnson's Fried Chicken in here. I'm starting to believe you. That's that.

[Jadakiss]

No, no. My old shout out to my man Rod Lee. I chilled on the block with older dudes.

[Max B]

Yeah.

[Jadakiss]

And one day he just came outside. Somebody must have called him or beeped him or asked him who was on the block. And he start saying. He starts. Start giving everybody names.

[Max B]

But he.

[Joe Crack]

He said.

[Jadakiss]

And I kid Jada kiss me.

[Joe Crack]

I just kept. Oh, he said it like that.

[Max B]

Well, there.

[Jadakiss]

K day this, that the kid Jada kisses me.

[Joe Crack]

That's a. I got a nice ring.

[Jadakiss]

Let me see if I can put some. See if I can make it mean.

[Max B]

Yeah, it do it.

[Joe Crack]

Then French and what made you Tony Montana?

[French Montana]

Nah, I mean, when I. When I first came from Morocco, I used to speak French. And I moved to the Bronx, and they used to have all these Africans on my block on Ellesmere. And they always used to be talking to me in French. Every time I come out, they're like. They go, bonjour. This is calling bonjour first. Then after that, they start calling me French. Then, you know, after I realized I couldn't, you know, go to college or play ball and none of that. I started hustling. Couldn't get no scholarships or nothing. So that's how I got it. So French was from Ellesmere, Montana. Just hustling, yo.

[Joe Crack]

It's crazy because I thought you was nice and ball, right? At one time.

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We was playing ball.

[Max B]

Still is.

[Joe Crack]

He got it.

[French Montana]

My knee bad.

[Joe Crack]

This fried right now. He don't went to touch the caicos too many times.

[French Montana]

That ran in the S. I got the. I got the joint crack Legs. Now I can't play ball no more.

[Joe Crack]

Crack leg.

[French Montana]

I can't play ball no more. Yeah. Some of my kneecap. I can't jump like I used to. I'm done.

[Joe Crack]

Oh, no, you done. But you was dead nice.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

In basketball, me, I was always Fat Joey. Yeah. I was born.

[French Montana]

I had had a bunch of letters from colleges and everything. I was trying to figure it out, but it was like, nah, you had good qualities.

[Joe Crack]

I had good qualities. They was like, yo, that's Fat Joey. Since I didn't even call myself Fat Joey, the whole block called me Fat Joey.

[Max B]

You always take the name your people give you?

[Jadakiss]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Crack]

You can't.

[Max B]

That's a lot of.

[Jadakiss]

But it's fine. Usually you don't get to make your nickname.

[Max B]

Nah, I don't.

[Jadakiss]

If people give it to you and it's still thick, yeah, you can make. You made your. And this is Cloud. Legendary.

[Max B]

Cause I was going for something. Yeah, that took. Yeah, they just pop.

[Jadakiss]

Yeah.

[Max B]

I had, like, four other names before that. They ain't right.

[Jadakiss]

They ain't work.

[Max B]

My first was Fetuccini. First my. My Ship under hood. Charlie Rambo.

[French Montana]

No doubt.

[Joe Crack]

Charlie Rambo. I heard that.

[Max B]

Boom, boom. Charlie Rambo, Fetuccini Fed. Lawson, Fetty Graham. Mr. Big Yard.

[Joe Crack]

Oh, Mr. Big Yard is great.

[Max B]

Mr. Big. Y' all branched all getting a little nice. So now I was listening to your shit. I used to dive in y'.

[Joe Crack]

All.

[Max B]

Nigga shit, Paul. No doubt. But I couldn't. Y' all were so. I love y'. All's.

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Max B]

I was.

[French Montana]

I was looking for mine. You beat me to it.

[Max B]

My bad, yo. I was so on, y'. All right. I didn't want it to rub off into my shit.

[French Montana]

Oh, my God.

[Jadakiss]

Whoa.

[French Montana]

Fried.

[Joe Crack]

He fried.

[Max B]

I a wanted to. I a wanted to see.

[Jadakiss]

Yeah.

[Max B]

So I just. I had to distinguish my. My sound. So as. As hurtful as it was, I had to stop listening to my locks.

[Jadakiss]

That's respectful.

[Max B]

So I could get better. Cause you know what I'm saying, as I start getting better, around, like, 2001, 2000, I came with the name Max. Max B. But guess what? I didn't know what to be. I didn't have no name for the B. When I came out in 030504, I caught the little violation. I went back up for 10 months, and I was writing like a dog. And that's when the shit came to me.

[French Montana]

Nobody had more name than Big Al.

[Max B]

Big Al. That's Lamar. He went to school.

[Joe Crack]

He's the same class, Lamar. So you know. And you knew his brother, Brother Lee. Yeah. You know his brother was allegedly giving it up. He was giving it up. Legend out there.

[Max B]

Listen, man, them 39 boys was all. They was all terrorizing shit. And I'm gonna keep it real. When l went. Rest in peace, best bro. When l first came through, we didn't appreciate it. We took his joints, we was flinging them off the roof. It didn't take me to, like, 10 years ago to really understand the significance of Big L shit and how nice he was.

[Joe Crack]

He was nasty.

[Max B]

He was super nasty. But it took me. It took maturity, flamboyant to go into that. I done mastered my sound. Now I'm going. I could go back and listen to. Now I know. I know how not to never sound like nobody. But now I can listen again.

[Joe Crack]

Big L would come and be like, yo, I got beef on the block spot. And we would go over there in the white van, ugly, okay? And we jump out, and he'd be like, hold up, krills. We. We ready to tear that up one on one. I'm like, well, who it be? The biggest dude on the block. He fight him one on one. I'd be like, yo, L, you want to fight this guy? Like, are you shoot? Nah, no. He wasn't a dirty guy, man. He would fight him one on one. And we got the animals in the van, man.

[Max B]

He used to fight my brother, and my brother Brother was a nut, but L wasn't like, you know, he wasn't running around on nobody.

[Joe Crack]

No, he fights, you know, he never wanted to set nobody up. If he knew you like that, he like. Cause we coming in the van early. Fat Joe.

[Jadakiss]

Three Fat Joes.

[Joe Crack]

We got Taco. We got this. He's like, oh, oh. It's one on one. And it always be the biggest guy in the world. I'm not going to say he won, but Al Fordham, one on one. I was out there when he. When he got killed. Yo, Cam and them was out there, too. I seen him on the floor. That was like the saddest shit, man. But L, man, he has so much coming, man. He had. His future was really, really, really, really bright. They did whatever, man. But shout out to Harlem a lot.

[Jadakiss]

Of love now Shout out to Mass.

[French Montana]

Appeal and his flow never got outdated. Like the way he rapped back.

[Joe Crack]

That's crazy, right?

[French Montana]

People were just rapping like that now.

[Max B]

Accustomed to. I'm trying to tell you. I went back and had one of his joints, like, a few months ago, and it just gave me a whole different feel. I was like, damn.

[Joe Crack]

You know, Finesse discovered him. So Finesse was the hottest rapper in New York. And it was different from us. We partying. You going, Charlie, baby. Finesse. The crowd standing there waiting for the. Ooh, yeah.

[French Montana]

Crazy.

[Joe Crack]

Ah. Like this grown man. That's all they wait. And he go in there and freestyle, and they like, Lord Finesse is the man that you got to hear flowing. Oh, the whole crowd. Like, every punchline. No, every punchline was dramatic. And when he said, yo, I found.

[French Montana]

This kid from Harlem, I didn't even know that.

[Joe Crack]

No, no. Yes.

[French Montana]

That's crazy.

[Joe Crack]

He said, that's how he's digging in the crates, you know? And, man, that man BL came out in that first song. That first show was up there like Broadway and, like, over there by Marble Hill, Big L's bit his ass off. The whole crowd, they was there for the. Ooh, Imagine he come up in there, the baby Finesse at the time, and he tore that shit down. He the only artist I ever did a song with that said he gonna. He gonna rip me down on the song and take all my Fans. We had DVD D&D Primo. Do the beat to the Enemy. I had just went gold for the first time. So he sits me down. He's my little brother, brother. He says, listen, I'm here to take all your fans.

[Jadakiss]

I'm here to.

[Joe Crack]

That's some Harlem shit, right? I'm here to take all your fans. I need it. So just know. Come with your very best right now. Cause I'm. I'mma go crazy on you on this song. And I had. And that's my favorite rhyme I ever said in my life, because I was on the spot.

[Max B]

You remember that Laws of the Underground freestyle diss record you did?

[Jadakiss]

Oh, yeah.

[Joe Crack]

You remember that? For Finesse. They good guys now, man. They're good. The Lords of the Underground.

[Max B]

What happened?

[Jadakiss]

Yo, discords in the underground.

[Joe Crack]

You as well, because, you know, they caught beef with Finesse because he was Lord Finesse. For some reason, the Lords of the Underground, they try to go at Finesse. And, you know, it's like every. I didn't mind my business. I was a wild nigga just coming in and damn, man, I hope they don't resurface. That shit don't resurface. They good people. It is what it is. Your friends, you had enough battles, huh?

[French Montana]

You.

[Joe Crack]

Yeah, that was like. Well, right now, we. We. We really not into none of the shit we used to be into, but.

[French Montana]

I think so, so, so. So y' all was the first one to really actually start Drill Rap. Because Drill rap is basically who's the first MCs to start beefing, right? Cause they was telling us, that's Kumo.

[Joe Crack]

D. Yeah, that's Kumo D. Kumo D started you, Busy D, Busy Bee, Spirit, Master Cash. But. But they say the first gangster rapper was Ice T, and then KRS was the second one. We Googled that shit, right?

[Jadakiss]

Like, I don't know who we is.

[Joe Crack]

We Googled that shit. IC was the first gangster rapper. I think the first rapper with a.

[French Montana]

Diss song was Ice C. No, the first nigga.

[Joe Crack]

First nigga with a dip. First of all, they dissing each other. Every battle can have battles. Cold crush against the romantic theme they've been battling forever. But the first big battle was Kumo D and Busy B. Busy B was like a Max B. Life of the party, having fun. I don't know if you remember the old school movie. He spelled his name with the money. He was Busy B. Busy B was rock the party crazy. And your man, a young Kumo D came up in there and was like that, Bob to the Bob. Take that shit on home. His shit was like his hit. His lean back was to the Bob to the Bob. The bang, the bang. He said something in his own. Take that ball to the bar.

[French Montana]

Oh, no. I always thought it was MC Sham and KRS that started the first one.

[Jadakiss]

A little bit. That's a little bit.

[Joe Crack]

They put a picture in instagram yesterday of krs1 and they said what comes to mind. I immediately wrote, South Bronx, South, South Bronx. I looked at the comments and they was like, let me begin. The bridge is over. Then they come and they like, are you a philosopher, Yo, There is so, so many KRS quotes. I don't think nobody repeated the quotes, like, every. So much you must learn.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

My main man Rob. Now, what you. What the AM I? You remember that?

[Max B]

Love's gonna get you.

[Jadakiss]

Love what?

[Max B]

He said.

[Joe Crack]

School. Your love's gonna get you a week.

[Jadakiss]

And finish you right now.

[Joe Crack]

A G week.

[Jadakiss]

And it was good.

[French Montana]

Shout out to Jamaica. I was shaking up with a ghoul, somebody Jamaican who started hip hop pop. That's crazy. Shout out to Jamaica.

[Joe Crack]

Oh, you didn't know that?

[French Montana]

No. Yeah, but I didn't even know he was Jamaican, though, so. Shout out to Jamaica.

[Jadakiss]

That is like a giant.

[Joe Crack]

And he's the most solid one of all the founders.

[French Montana]

Crazy.

[Joe Crack]

You know, he's a real cooler, yo. When the Bronx. When the Bronx looked like Vietnam, where all the buildings was blue blown up. That got the convertible with the speakers in the back, back. Driving through the Bronx when his looked like Vietnam.

[Max B]

Still has spray paint on him big time.

[Joe Crack]

Before the spike train or something. That was before graffiti. That was out there with the convertible like a dawn. Crazy, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah, right? He had the Caddy, the big. He was riding around. He was. He driving through the. This is cool Hurt, the founder of hip.

[French Montana]

Yeah, but just know somebody Jamaican created hip hop, and in Jamaica, they don't even do hip hop. It's kind of. It's kind of crazy.

[Joe Crack]

Something that's crazy, right? I don't want nobody to kill me at the deli, but every Sunday, I go to the Italian deli, go get the olives, the turkey, the everything. So there's a man there that's like the Rain Man. He's a customer. He stands there and he.

[French Montana]

My flag ready?

[Joe Crack]

No, the man start telling me, the Rain man, it's a white dude. He's really, really smart. He got like, as burgers on autism on a high level with a smart, smart guy. And then he asked me, he said, yo, man, what instruments y' all play for hip hop and all that? And I was like, you know what? We don't really play the instruments. We sample. He said, what do you mean, sample? They got these machines, but they take jazz, they take rock, they take salsa, they take R and B. They take. And I realized hip hop come from everywhere.

[Max B]

Everywhere.

[Joe Crack]

Yeah. I never really thought about it till he asked me that question. It actually is a gumbo.

[French Montana]

One million percent.

[Joe Crack]

You sample all the. Together. Together. And that's how hip hop come out. Yeah, the album would be out already.

[Jadakiss]

Turn it a coke wave, man.

[French Montana]

Coke wave. Narco. How many joints on 3.5? Let me tell you how we got a 3.5. Because we were so high that we skipped.

[Joe Crack]

You don't get high no more.

[Jadakiss]

They said they were so high, they skipped three.

[French Montana]

We skipped three. So we. We went straight from two, two to four. So he come home, I'm like, yo, we got a problem. We skipped the whole volume.

[Joe Crack]

You got cut back to 3.5.

[French Montana]

I got a solution. We're gonna call it 3.5.

[Joe Crack]

That's both.

[French Montana]

He said the three for the one we missed and the 0.5 for the one that come after four. So we got two vacuums.

[Joe Crack]

You want to know what's crazy?

[French Montana]

That's a genius.

[Joe Crack]

You want to know what's crazy? I could never get the vision out my face.

[French Montana]

Pause. Come on, man, come on, crack, you can't get wet.

[Joe Crack]

The vision. Vision. I ain't saying I'm pause out my face of this man with a captain's hat with force. White girls just. It looked like he was. What's my man that died? The playboy dude. You. He was you after that night in the club.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

I'm looking at him, I'm like, yo, this.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

B is out of control, bro. What a life, man. Now you're married, got your wife everywhere with you?

[French Montana]

Yeah, she in the building.

[Joe Crack]

Smart man. Keep you out of a lot of trouble, huh?

[Max B]

Nice. It's a nice system implemented.

[Joe Crack]

Can't complain, but you got it. You got your together. And I've watched other interviews. Nah, you got your shit together, bro. You ain't with that. You ain't falling for nothing.

[French Montana]

Yeah, yeah, doing.

[Joe Crack]

You got your shit together. And everybody, if everybody's even the goons, I know they've been waiting 17 years for you to come home. Everybody been waiting for the. The money to come in, whatever the case may be. Everybody been on max time. So you gotta let them know we all gotta be in harmony. And that's one of the toughest things I had to learn since. Since day one. I'm coming with the animals, and they beating up my fans. Ugly ones. You gotta flow, Joe. We be. I sl. Look, they do Flo Joe. It's number one in America. They do a concert. My first show, Lehman College in the Bronx. I come up with the whole forest projects. Not half, not two thirds, Black Spanish.

[French Montana]

This F.J. 560 days before that.

[Joe Crack]

This is not right. You funny, too. We was in Patterson project, and he told me, yo, you. You safe around here. I said, nigga, I sold my first bag of dope on this. I swear to God, I sold my first bag of dope in that park on that bench.

[French Montana]

Nah, crack came out. No, it was heavy that day. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Joe Crack]

But he told me, I'm safe. I said, all right, Frank. Don't worry, man. You know.

[French Montana]

You know, you remember like an elephant.

[Joe Crack]

No, I told him, I said, yo, I don't see smoke. I don't drink. I'm. I'm focused. My sugar right? I'm good.

[French Montana]

Yeah, you stopped drinking way before everybody, man, listen, I couldn't even give crack a bottle of Nuvo while he was making all the way up. I'm trying to get him to drink nouveau. I'm like, yo, there's no liquor in this crack. He stopped drinking before everybody.

[Joe Crack]

Well, you got me. You. You got me high. We Shot the video to Cooking in the Desert. And I went in your fucking trailer. I don't know if you remember that. You, Zach, and y' all was there and y' all had chocolate chip cooking. Oh, yeah, of course. My fat ass go. And I start eating the truck. And they all laughing. I don't know why they laughing at me. I'm tearing up the chocolate chips. Next thing I know, I'm high. I don't smoke nothing. I'm like, yo, what the. In the desert. We had tigers in the desert. I'm so high, I'm banging on Remy's door. She's in the trailer next door now. Boom, boom, bam, bam. We gotta go. It's turning dark. That shit was like 12 noon my night. It's turning dark. Talk video. As soon as the sun goes down, the video's over. I was high. Then I realized, I went back, I said, she said, something wrong with you, Joe? I said, yo, Rev, stop. She's like, you're high. Something. And I went back, I said, yo, they started dying, laughing.

[Jadakiss]

Spike.

[French Montana]

She changed the whole treatment.

[Joe Crack]

So this. What's the African joint where the kids is dancing?

[French Montana]

Unforgettable.

[Joe Crack]

Unforgettable. How many diamond is that now?

[French Montana]

Probably, like, going on 20. About, like 84 around the world. I wish, man. I wish I walked out the label and. And. And didn't make a rain like how you did it with that record.

[Jadakiss]

You were the smear.

[Max B]

I wish I'd have vote that, baby.

[Joe Crack]

Yo, French, I think you went. I think you was off the label, right? You was leaving the label. And then you hit that one. And they came back and said, hold up.

[French Montana]

Yeah, let's work this out, cuz I paid for that record. I paid. I paid half for that record. Then when I was in the studio just working on the album, I remember Travis coming in. We did a joint. Couple people came in, but Jeremiah came in for like, two days. We stayed up for like, two days, Cook. There was a point where Jeremiah was playing records. And he played this one joint with Slaying.

[Joe Crack]

It was already a hook on there.

[French Montana]

Yeah, Jeremiah played it.

[Joe Crack]

You gave him that million dollar voice.

[French Montana]

I turned around, looked at him, he looked at me. I said, pull that joint up.

[Max B]

That was a layup.

[French Montana]

Yeah, he played it.

[Joe Crack]

How genius was it your idea? I know you African, but it was your idea to go get the kids.

[French Montana]

Yeah, to the kids. I was watching them kids. Before I even had the record, them kids, I was already watching them. Because I'm like, man, these kids, like, they don't Dance like nobody. I'm like. So I started asking, doing my homework. They're like. They don't watch no tv, no nothing. So they had to learn all their moves, like on some. You know, just as.

[Joe Crack]

As they going, what part of Africa was that?

[French Montana]

It was Uganda. It was Uganda. So I was. So I was trying to.

[Joe Crack]

The wrestler Big Kamala.

[French Montana]

So I was trying to fly him in in there was like, they can't get no visas, no none. Like, you gotta go there. It was a 30 hour flight. And mind you, when I got unforgettable, the record leaked. The business wasn't done. So when. So when Jeremiah gave me the record, I remember I called up soy. I'm like, yo, bro, I want this record. There was like, they already had the record going on something else. So imagine like, you had lean back and somebody called. You say, nah, you can't have that record no more. So I holler at Sway and I holler at Mike Will. So it was kind of back and forth, but I think my man Sal came in, shot the Sal. Sal came in here was like, bro, I'm gonna tell you how you gonna get this record? Just give him 300,000 for the record. We paid 5,000 for beats. We paid 10 grand for beats. I never paid for a record for 300,000. I was looking at Sal like he was crazy. But the record was already out. So now the record is already out, and somebody is telling you, pay 300,000 for a record record. Nobody in their right state of mind gonna be like, I'm paying 300. Because you still don't know if the record gonna go or not. But the record was already leaked out. It was already out. When I went to the label, they said, the record is already out. The label was like, nah, we don't want to invest in this. So I had to go in my pocket and I was like, look, if y' all match me, I get it. So I put up 150 and shot the silver own. She put up 150. But I went to Africa and I shot the video out of my own pocket too crazy. Yeah, we shot the video and we had the song, and the song was already out, so we just had to gamble. It was like a million dollars in gambling.

[Joe Crack]

You know, I caught an L like that one time I did the song with. I was so honored to do a song with Kanye West. He made me book Hype Williams. He made. We. I paid Hype Williams. I think maybe 300,000. I'm independent, man. Come with a flashlight was the Light. You know how they got. They got more lights in here right now than the. He came with a flashlight. Like, he's like, something new I'm working on. I said, what? Oh, man, you talk about. I got body night Bullions might have spent 10 grand on that video, but the video came out phenomenal. He can't do it. And then your man Kanye never charged me, but he said, yo, Joe, cover the wardrobe that he ordered $10,000 tank tops from France and shit. Like, he. He killed me on that budget. Like, I'm like, Kim Kardashian comes through. It's a movie, right? But I flew the bag on that couple of hundred thousand radio video. This, this, that, and this ain't go. And I came back and threw another bag that, another 300,000. I just knew it had to be a hit. Yeah, man.

[French Montana]

And it didn't go.

[Joe Crack]

It didn't go.

[French Montana]

It was great.

[Joe Crack]

It's a nostalgia piece. I rock with Kanye. This shit looked beautiful, But I caught a hell on that. Yeah, that's one I caught a hell on.

[French Montana]

Yeah. I remember Kanye had me. Had me meet him in the middle of the desert with his planes. With a shotgun. Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Incredible.

[French Montana]

Yeah, I.

[Joe Crack]

That video was incredible.

[French Montana]

Getting him and Nas there, that's when.

[Joe Crack]

I was like, that was like us getting French Montana.

[French Montana]

It wasn't Moses. It was. I forgot the name, but it was like a hip hop joint. I never expected it to be a hip hop hit.

[Max B]

I seen that joint.

[Joe Crack]

No, it was incredible. You on the. On the graveyard of the. Of the plane.

[French Montana]

Yeah, it was with. With a shot. Con Air. It was not. Was a vibe.

[Joe Crack]

That video right there was legend.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

Yeah, but you had to get them there.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

How crazy is that, bro?

[French Montana]

Lightning in the bottle.

[Joe Crack]

Talk about 300,000. I'll tell you a story I never said before was crazy. We just talking. But. But I never forget. We shot John Blaze, had the young Jadakiss hard pun back. The only one that was late was Nas. And last minute, Steve Stout showed up and was like, yo, we need 10 grand for him being the video. This is when Joe cracked his Don Carter jean. I ain't paying for a peach. I'm walking in the supermarket getting free food. Like, I'm like, y', all, I ain't paying 10 grand. I'm in the supermarket taking free peaches. And like, yo, Don don't pay for y'.

[French Montana]

All.

[Joe Crack]

I was so in my feelings, even though I was rich already. I was like, you know what? I was like, yo, 10 grand. He was like, yo, you know it's Nas. I said, no, no. That's not even a question. He did the song for free, but I gave him that 10 grand. That felt like the 300.

[French Montana]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

For that, like. Cause in them days, yeah. I don't think nobody was paying for nobody to show up or nothing like that. Jade is there. Who's there? Raekwon is there. Pun is there acting?

[Max B]

No.

[Joe Crack]

Up M10, Mac 10.

[French Montana]

But I learned from that, though. I. I saw the weekend pay somebody as big as the weekend was, I was bugging. I was like, yo, why you paying you the Weeknd? My man? Cash was like, when they ask us for something, smoke, they G. He said, you gonna smoke?

[Max B]

They what?

[Jadakiss]

Smoke they git.

[Joe Crack]

We got. We got new music to play. We got new music. Yo, play that joint you've been talking about, French, that you think is the boy.

[French Montana]

I'mma let. I'mma let Max pick one and I pick the tape. You can play.

[Max B]

Which one is it? Oh, Papa have.

[French Montana]

He'll play Papa half and I play and I'll play. Ever since you left me joint. She popped the half guy panties on count Cash is my favorite song that cool black but the baby chrome I make the most of it I bet them hoes love it Fly by that plane tell up ain't no luggage might just go ghost white got no stomach coke boys they ain't ready wave guys they all love cash in the zone probably with four or five trying to show probably four or five years years and I be gone probably with my dogs high sitting on the. Get up in.

[Max B]

Yeah we ace, boom corn true hustlers give me all the energies up you can muster new attitude, new mood, new clusters, gallon of the bulls if you snooze you too rusty some other type of it's so hard to explain it powers is the way it's so hard to contain it bigger boy the streets back you so hopeful you see him in the streets he's a local that slick ass there with the charming debonair When I wave my arm I make alarms pull up the stairs, pull up a chair these is old, they going home I couldn't care.

[French Montana]

She popped the half guy that bad with no panties on count Cash is my favorite song that cool black but the message baby chrome I make the most of it I bet them hoes love it fly by that plane Brandy tell up ain't no luck might just go Ghost white got no stomach coke boys they ain't ready wave guys they all I'm cashing zone probably with four or five trying to show probably four or five years and I be gone probably when my dog's high Sitting on the throne probably catching.

[Max B]

Just a taste Just a taste. It's hard.

[French Montana]

Play one more.

[Joe Crack]

Yeah.

[French Montana]

Hell yeah.

[Max B]

Just a taste.

[French Montana]

Play the other one.

[Joe Crack]

Oh, no, this is the one. Yo, stop on the bit. This the one.

[Max B]

It's the one. This the one.

[Joe Crack]

No, no, this the one.

[Max B]

It's the one.

[Joe Crack]

I heard y' all in the studio when y' all played this. I was like, this shit out of here. Yeah, this the one. I never even heard one word.

[Max B]

Word.

[Joe Crack]

Guess the one. Remember I told you this is work? This is what One second when I already know. This the one. Let's go. Get ready to shake your asses.

[French Montana]

I went deaf on the.

[Joe Crack]

Ever since.

[French Montana]

You left me More money, more cars, more hoes, more show Ever since you left me More diamonds, more gold, more motion, more holes I went deaf on the biff. I went deaf on the biff. All I need is one night.

[Joe Crack]

You going to have to splurge on it.

[French Montana]

All I need is one night. I went deaf on a. Yes, ma, yes I fiesta, drop top G wagons we don't do Tesla us don't pay for the bad guy pay semesters I turn dream girls to my new extras Niggas recognize game girls do too Run through the city like the 2 Live crew got a Harlem broad, Got a Brooklyn broad I ain't come this far just to come this far A friend to all is a friend to none so don't push me, bitch cause I'll press the button. I went deaf on the biff it started I went deaf on the biff? All I need is one night. All I need is one night. I went deaf on a bitch.

[Max B]

All I need is one night. One chick dumb drip Baby wanna piece Call me scrumptious Baby wanna be with me Call me husband. She was singing on my mic.

[French Montana]

I went deaf on the I went deaf on the. All I need is one night. All I need is one night. I went deaf on a.

[Jadakiss]

Trying to get him that other he's trying to get you the other back. I'm trying to get you you to another kind of. This is a monster, a super. This will get you to Morocco to see the monkey.

[Max B]

You going to get that I didn't.

[Jadakiss]

Get you the Morocco. I didn't get you to see the monkey right there.

[Joe Crack]

He going to get that pass.

[Jadakiss]

I get you your own monkey.

[Max B]

He going to get that passport.

[Joe Crack]

I wear death on him.

[French Montana]

That's crazy with that.

[Max B]

That's a heat seat, couple pieces. Taste. This is taste.

[Jadakiss]

That's a global nuclear monster, right?

[Max B]

Listen and shout out to bro. The rollout was crazy.

[Jadakiss]

Still roll.

[Max B]

The Vinnie, we still rolling. Still roll.

[French Montana]

Still having our rolls yet.

[Max B]

Sample my man, Big Swiss roll from Miami.

[Jadakiss]

Ooh, the big.

[Max B]

The big Swiss Roll. We still rolling. Yeah, roll out is crazy. You know, put like, three, four together. Outfit changes.

[Joe Crack]

Yeah, that's the way we got Kid Art.

[French Montana]

Shout out to Johnny.

[Max B]

Shout out to Johnny.

[French Montana]

Kid Art got produced that joint.

[Max B]

The Mahwa was crazy.

[French Montana]

I had that record for, like a year. I just had a tuck.

[Joe Crack]

I heard it. Two seconds. I heard it. I said, oh, no, no.

[Max B]

Yeah.

[Joe Crack]

There's no way Max B coming home to rap all this. I said this because you. You got so much charisma, so much style, and, you know, it takes me back to the little clips when you had the long head. So I knew you was gonna do what you had to do to this. I said, oh. Oh, my God.

[Max B]

He made it a point. I get on that record. He like, yo, fuck doing. We got shit going on. But look, get on this like you need this. Yeah, that's how. That's how he did that.

[Joe Crack]

You shot the video yet?

[Max B]

You shot the video last time, man.

[Joe Crack]

You didn't bring out the pilot hat?

[Max B]

Nah, we was brought out the pilot.

[Joe Crack]

Pilot hat resting on the pilot hat. I never. I seen a lot of things in my life that pilot hat.

[Max B]

Boy, we had the velvet Bl. Crazy is going on.

[Joe Crack]

Y' all was going crazy.

[Max B]

That on last night.

[Joe Crack]

Friends, that's out of you.

[French Montana]

Oh, thank you.

[Joe Crack]

Put the bag behind that.

[Max B]

He was not around. You got.

[Joe Crack]

Welcome to Royal Airlines. What's the. Take you to Morocco? Yeah, what's the name of it?

[French Montana]

Yeah, the airline, which I wish I go independent. Get that back.

[Joe Crack]

Like, what's the.

[French Montana]

What's the Royal Air Morocco?

[Joe Crack]

I get it at Macares. Y' all should have brought the little man in the video. Yo, this ain't that. That ain't that. Ain't this cracking Kiss.

[Max B]

Arizona, too. That also was tough.

[Josh Zieman]

A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 when he was finally caught. The answers were there, hidden in plain sight. So why did it take so long to catch him? I'm Josh Zieman, and this is Monster Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer, the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York since the Son of Sam. Available now listen for free on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.