Excuse My French (album)

Excuse My French
Studio album by French Montana
Released May 21, 2013
Recorded 2011–13
Genre Hip hop
Length 55:05
Label Coke Boys, Bad Boy, Maybach Music Group, Interscope
Producer Sean Combs (exec.), Rick Ross (exec.), Harve Pierre co-exec.), Allen Ritter, The Arsenals, The Beat Bully, Bos, Cardiak, Danny Boy Styles, Earl & E, Harry Fraud, Jahlil Beats, J Oliver, Lee On the Beats, Lex Luger, Mike Will Made It, Reefa, Rick Steel, Rico Love, Rob Holladay, Vinylz, Young Chop
French Montana chronology

Mac & Cheese 3
(2012)		 Excuse My French
(2013)		 Mac & Cheese 4
(2014)
Singles from Excuse My French
  1. "Pop That"
    Released: June 15, 2012
  2. "Freaks"
    Released: February 14, 2013
  3. "Ain't Worried About Nothin'"
    Released: April 15, 2013

Excuse My French is the debut studio album by American rapper French Montana. It was released on May 21, 2013, by Coke Boys, Bad Boy Records, Maybach Music Group, and distributed by Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Diddy, Ace Hood, Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Birdman, The Weeknd, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Max B, Ne-Yo, Machine Gun Kelly, Raekwon, Scarface and Snoop Dogg, among others.

The album's production was handled by Mike WiLL Made It, Jahlil Beats, Reefa, Rico Love, Lex Luger, Cardiak, and Young Chop among others. On June 16, 2013, the album has sold 94,000 copies in the United States.

Background

French Montana revealed in a September 2012 interview with RapFix Live that he has worked with fellow recording artists Diddy, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Drake, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Wale, Max B , Lana Del Rey,M.I.A., and Scarface,on the album.[1] Montana also stated that he had a song with R&B singer The Weeknd, entitled "Gifted".[2] In addition, on January 26, 2013, he revealed in an interview with Rap-Up TV that he had also worked with Kanye West on the album.[3] The album cover was released on January 29, 2013.[4]

In another January 2013 interview with Rap-Up he announced he had a song with Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg on the album and that producers on the album would include Young Chop, Harry Fraud and Rico Love. Also saying that the album would be the "album of the decade".[5] The final tracklist would also reveal features from DJ Khaled, Mavado, Ace Hood, Jeremih, Raekwon, Fabolous, Trey Songz, Machine Gun Kelly, Red Cafe, Chinx Drugz, Johnny May Cash and Los.[6] Max B performs the album's intro in a phone-in from jail.[7] During the promotional run for the album French told Hot 97 that the only artist he paid to make an appearance on his album was Max B.[8]

Release and promotion

The album was originally set for a July 17, 2012 release before being pushed back to Fall 2012.[3] On December 20, 2012, Montana revealed that the release date would be March 12, 2013.[9] However, it was later postponed again to April 16, 2013,[3] and once more until May 21, 2013.[10]

On November 19, 2012, Montana released a new mixtape, entitled Mac & Cheese 3. The mixtape included appearances from Diddy, MGK, Fat Joe, Wale, Mac Miller, Curren$y, Rick Ross, J. Cole, Trina, Prodigy, Tyga, and Ace Hood. In addition, the tape features production from Young Chop and Rico Love, among others.[11] As of January 26, the mixtape has been downloaded more than 1 million times on mixtape hosting site DatPiff.[12]

From February 26 to March 26, 2013, Montana embarked on the Excuse My French tour ahead of the album's official issuance.[13] He later released 30 second snippets for every song on the record on May 12, 2013.[14]

Singles

The first official single released from Excuse My French was "Pop That", which featured Rick Ross, Drake, and Lil Wayne, with production from Lee On the Beats. The song was released on June 15, 2012, and peaked at 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[15] On January 26, 2013, Montana announced that the next single would be released within the next week[16] and is a remake of the song "Freaks", which originally appeared on the debut album of rapper Lil Vicious, Destination Brooklyn. "Freaks" featuring Nicki Minaj was premiered on Hot 97 on February 13, 2013 and released to iTunes the next day.[3] On February 18, 2013, the music video was filmed for "Freaks".[17] On March 7, 2013. the music video for "Freaks" featuring Nicki Minaj was released.[18] On March 12, 2013, the single was released to Rhythm Crossover radio.[19]

The song "Ain't Worried About Nothin'" would be released as the third official single, for digital download on April 15, 2013. It is his first career solo single.[20][21] A music video was filmed in late April and released on May 7, 2013.[22] The first promotional single released off the album was titled "Marble Floors" featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz was released on December 4, 2012.[23] On June 19, 2013, the music video was released for "I Told Em".[24] On September 9, 2013, the music video was released for "If I Die".[25] On September 23, 2013, the music video was released for the Birdman and Rick Ross collaboration "Trap House".[26] On October 15, 2013, the music video for The Weeknd featuring "Gifted" was released.[27] On November 18, 2013, the music video was released for "Once in a While" featuring Max B.[28] On January 20, 2014, the music video was released for "Paranoid" featuring Johnny May Cash.[29]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 56,000 copies in the United States.[30] In its second week the album sold 18,000 more copies.[31] In its third week the album sold 11,000 more copies.[32] In its fourth week of release the album sold 8,400 more copies bringing its total sales to 94,000.[33]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [34]
The A.V. Club D[35]
DJBooth [36]
Exclaim! 1/10[37]
HipHopDX [38]
Pitchfork Media 3.5/10[39]
Rolling Stone [40]
RapReviews 1.5/10[41]
Spin 5/10[42]
XXL (L)[43]

Upon its release Excuse My French was met with mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 53, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[44] David Jeffries of Allmusic gave the album three stars out of five saying, "The rest of the album suffers from redundancy and some wasted opportunities with the guests, but Montana is a flossy tycoon first and a wordsmith second at this point, so his handing in a high-power mixtape instead of a focused debut is to be expected, and with a little bottle service, enjoyed."[34] Simon Vozick-Levinson of Rolling Stone gave the album two and a half stars out of five, saying "The beats on his major-label debut range from bleak to triumphal to jackhammer-manic; none of it seems to make a difference to French, who spills syllables in the same rich slurry nearly every time. He’s a man of few words – many of his hooks consist of a single staccato phrase, looped until it verges on nonsense. When these mantras connect, they’re indelible. When they don’t, it’s like being smacked in the face repeatedly with an iced-out chain."[40]

Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media gave the album a 3.5 out of 10, saying "This is the point in the review where you might expect me to say “this is everything wrong with hip-hop in 2013,” but that might’ve been the case if Excuse My French had sold a ton of copies and could be taken as a mandate for more of the same. Instead, forcing French Montana into that #1 spot and having it come off like a transplant rejection actually lets us know the genre’s in fine health."[39] Joven Haye of DJBooth gave the album three out of five stars, saying "Ultimately, Excuse My French was very predictable. If you were looking for music to ride around to this summer, then it is the perfect album. On the flip side, if you somewhat bought into French’s “10 year” comment, I can’t believe you won’t leave disappointed. There just isn’t much more to the album aside from the fun energetic singles we have already heard, but nevertheless, EMF was an ok-to-good debut for a Bronx native we can except to see in the game for years to come."[36] Peter Marrack of Exclaim! gave the album a one out of ten, saying "Excuse My French is almost exclusively loud and aggressive, which has become the formula for this type of thing: programmed, repetitive hi-hats, 808s and a guest verse by Rick Ross. Compared to the innovative production on Chance the Rapper and Green Ova's records, for example, or even Drake's recent material, Montana's selection of trap beats falls flat. It's the kind of sweatshop beat-making mainstream producers have learned to accept as they cash their cheques. Lyrically, Montana does what any cat on the corner can do: talk slick."[37]

Bruce Smith of HipHopDX gave the album two and a half stars out of five, saying "Excuse My French comes off as extremely formulaic. The use of recognizable samples, the go-to features of the day (Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, two Lil Wayne features, three Rick Ross features), the attempts to cover all markets and demographics, give the album a forced feel. While some of the records either have, or will make their run in the clubs—strip clubs specifically—listening to Excuse My French in its entirety is an extremely strenuous task at best. While excessive tales of flossing, the streets, and misogyny are nothing new to Hip Hop, the complete lack of creativity those subjects are executed with on this project, whether it be lyrically or instrumentally, make it a hard listen."[38] David Turner of Spin gave the album a five out of ten, saying "The end result is that French disappears on his own album. His biggest single to date, "Pop That," was dominated by Drake, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne; his other radio hit, "Freaks," needed Nicki Minaj to generate spins. Even the beats on those singles — an Uncle Luke sample on the former, and a rework of Lil Vicious' "Freaks" on the latter — feel more prominent than the main guy rapping over them. French has a great, unique adlib ("Haaan"), an identifiable voice, and a face recognizable in a silhouette. But on Excuse My French, he's outshone and undervalued."[42] Dan Buyanovsky of XXL gave the album an L, saying "For every artistic, deep-thinking rhymer in hip-hop, you need someone like French Montana, who can balance out the ratchet equilibrium of the genre, so taken at face value—as a fun record filled with turn-up anthems—Excuse My French is a good album, possibly the best one the Coke Boy could make. There’s enough big boasts and big beats here to carry French’s charm, which is really all you could ask for with a debut LP from the Bad Boy."[43]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Once in a While" (featuring Max B)Karim Kharbouch, Sharif Slater, Fenrick Gibbs, Skip Prokop, Kanye West, Dwayne Carter, Jr., Dominick Lamb, Norman Landsberg, Felix Pappalardi, John Ventura, Leslie Weinstein, Charly WingateReefa, Rick Steel (co.) 4:47
2. "Trap House" (featuring Birdman and Rick Ross)Kharbouch, Bryan Williams, William Roberts II, Orlando TuckerJahlil Beats 4:24
3. "Ain't Worried About Nothin'"  Kharbouch, Richard Butler, Jr., Earl Hood, Eric Goudy IIIRico Love, Earl & E 3:32
4. "Paranoid" (featuring C.A.S.H.)Kharbouch, Nayvadius Wilburn, Tyree PittmanYoung Chop 4:27
5. "When I Want"  Kharbouch, Danny SchofieldDanny Boy Styles 3:38
6. "Fuck What Happens Tonight" (featuring DJ Khaled, Mavado, Ace Hood, Snoop Dogg and Scarface)Kharbouch, Khaled Khaled, David Brooks, Brad Jordan, Antoine McColister, Calvin Broadus, Anthony Tucker, Joseph Jefferson, Charles SimmonsThe Beat Bully 5:27
7. "Gifted" (featuring The Weeknd)Kharbouch, Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Amir Esmailian, SchofieldDanny Boy Styles 4:08
8. "Ballin' Out" (featuring Jeremih and Diddy)Kharbouch, Jeremih Felton, Carlos Coleman, Carl McCormickCardiak 4:25
9. "I Told Em"  Kharbouch, Jeffery RobinsonJ. Oliver 4:22
10. "Pop That" (featuring Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne)Kharbouch, Roberts II, Aubrey Graham, Carter, Jr., Anthony Norris, Luther CampbellLee On the Beats 5:03
11. "Freaks" (featuring Nicki Minaj)Kharbouch, Onika Maraj, Butler, Jr., Hood, Goudy, Douglas Davis, Quame Riley, Everton Bonner, Sly Dunbar, John Taylor, Lloyd WillisRico Love, Earl & E 3:02
12. "We Go Wherever We Want" (featuring Ne-Yo and Raekwon)Kharbouch, Shaffer Smith, Corey Woods, Anderson Hernandez, Allen Ritter, Robert DiggsVinylz, Allen Ritter (co.), Reefa (add.) 4:17
13. "Bust It Open"  Kharbouch, Austin Woolridge, Brandon Huggins, Campbell, Harry Casey, Rick FinchThe Arsenals 3:27
Total length:
 55:05
Sample credits

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart[46] 11
UK Albums Chart[47] 78
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[48] 5
US Billboard 200[49] 4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[50] 1
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[47] 1

Release history

Regions Dates Label(s)
United States[51] May 21, 2013 Coke Boys, Bad Boy Records, Maybach Music Group, Interscope Records

References

  1. ↑ "French Montana's Next Single Will Have No Guests". Complex. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  2. ↑ Markman, Rob (20 September 2012). "French Montana Snags The Weeknd For Bad Boy Debut". MTV. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Miles, Dante (26 January 2013). "French Montana Delays "Excuse My French," Talks Nicki Minaj Duet On New Single". HipHop. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-01-29). "French Montana "Excuse My French" Cover Art". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  5. ↑ Vasquez, Andres (2013-02-01). "French Montana Calls "Excuse My French" The "Album Of The Decade"". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  6. ↑ "French Montana Excuse My French Tracklist". Rap Radar. 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  7. ↑ "Six Takeaways From French Montana's 'Excuse My French' Listening Party - Page 2 of 7 - XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  8. ↑ Jake Crates (2013-05-09). "French Montana and Uncle Luke Exchange Words via Hot 97 Interviews". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  9. ↑ Donaldson, Erich (20 December 2012). "French Montana Reveals "Excuse My French" Release Date". Complex. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Cooper, Roman (2013-02-08). "French Montana Delays "Excuse My French"". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  11. ↑ Horowitz, Steven (20 November 2012). "French Montana "Mac & Cheese 3" Mixtape Download & Stream". HipHopDX. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "French Montana - "Mac & Cheese 3"". DatPiff. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-02-01). "French Montana Announces "Excuse My French" Tour". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  14. ↑ "Listen To Snippets From French Montana's Bad Boy Debut, 'Excuse My French' - XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  15. ↑ "French Montana - "Pop That"". Billboard. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  16. ↑ "French Montana Predicts "Freaks" Featuring Nicki Minaj Will Reach No. 1 On Billboard Charts, Announces New Release Date For ‘Excuse My French’ [Video]". XXL. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  17. ↑ "On The Set: French Montana x Nicki Minaj "Freaks"". Rap Radar. 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  18. ↑ "French Montana f. Nicki Minaj - "Freaks"". HipHop DX. 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  19. ↑ "Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  20. ↑ "TV: French Montana Talks Scarface, Ne-Yo Collaborations on 'Excuse My French'". Vibe. 2013-04-01. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  21. ↑ "New Music: French Montana "Ain’t Worried About Nothin"". MissInfo.tv. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  22. ↑ "Video: French Montana "Ain't Worried About Nothin"". Complex. 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  23. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Marble Floors (feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz) - Single by French Montana". Itunes.apple.com. 2012-12-04. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  24. ↑ "French Montana "I Told Em"". Complex. 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  25. ↑ "New Video: French Montana "If I Die"". Rap Radar. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2013-09-10.
  26. ↑ "French Montana, Rick Ross, And Birdman Tell Haters To Mind Their Business (Video) - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  27. ↑ Homie, Big. "New Video: French Montana x The Weeknd "Gifted"". Rap Radar. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
  28. ↑ : B.Dot (2013-11-18). "New Video: French Montana "Once In A While"". Rap Radar. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  29. ↑ "French Montana f. Johnny May Cash - "Paranoid"". HipHop DX. 2014-01-20. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  30. ↑ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 5/26/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  31. ↑ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/2/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/9/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  33. ↑ Paine, Jake (2013-06-19). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/16/2013 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Jeffries, David. "Excuse My French - French Montana : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  35. ↑ DeVille, Chris (2013-05-21). "French Montana: Excuse My French". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "French Montana - Excuse My French". DJBooth. The DJBooth LLC. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Marrack, Peter (2013-06-21). "French Montana - Excuse My French • Hip-Hop Reviews •". Exclaim!. Ian Danzig. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Smith, Bruce. "French Montana - Excuse My French". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "French Montana: Excuse My French". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Simon Vozick-Levinson. "French Montana, 'Excuse My French' | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  41. ↑ "French Montana :: Excuse My French :: Bad Boy/Maybach Music Group". RapReviews. 2013-06-18. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Turner, David. "French Montana, 'Excuse My French' (Maybach Music/Bad Boy/Interscope)". Spin. Spin Media. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 "Album Review: French Montana, Excuse My French - XXL". XXL. Harris Publications. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  44. ↑ "Excuse My French Reviews". Metacritic. 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  45. ↑ "Excuse My French [Best Buy Exclusive] [PA] - CD - French Montana". Bestbuy.com. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  46. ↑ "French Montana - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 "French Montana - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  48. ↑ "2013-06-01 Top 40 R&B Albums Archive . Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  49. ↑ "French Montana - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  50. ↑ "French Montana - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  51. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Excuse My French (Deluxe) by French Montana". Itunes.apple.com. 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2013-09-30.