Rapper French Montana has been making his rounds lately.

Releasing a slew of mixtapes since his entry into the game a couple of years ago, the Bronx-bred spitter has been making his presence known on a number of tracks lately including his own “Choppa Choppa Down” and “Shot Caller." In addition, the Coke Boys general has also been making a lot of noise with rumors that Rick Ross is courting him in hopes of signing him to his Maybach Music Group.

Currently signed to Debra Antney’s Mizay Entertainment, French talks to XXLmag.com about his upcoming projects, his relationship with Ross, his label situation and just how he got a hold of Ma$e recently. — Ralph Bristout

XXLMag.com: How are things going for you right now?

French Montana: Everything good, just working you know?

I see. You on top of these streets, heavy with all the output of material you got going. From "Choppa Choppa Down," the "Warning (Remix)" with Uncle Murda, the YOBi joint, and the Coke Boys 2 tape.

Yup, and that "Shot Caller" joint is going crazy. Yeah, I'm trying to turn it up.

Tell me a little about the collaborative album you got coming out with Waka Flocka Flame titled Lock Out.

The album is already done. We'll be finding out the release date this week.

Any features we can expect on the album?

More than likely we're gonna have Gucci on there, Jeremih, the whole Coke Boys [and] Brick Squad movement. But, basically it's just us on most of the songs.

Cocaine Mafia with Three 6 Mafia coming up soon, too, am I right?

Yup, that's already done too. That drops September 15. It's our time. We're turning it up.

What's the deal with the label situations? Any offers on the table?

They're all hollering. Every last label is hollering, you know? So it's just up to me to see what I wanna do. That's where we're standing at right now. For right now, I don't really think I need anybody so, I'm gonna just keep working.

A couple of weeks ago on Twitter you tweeted, "Should I sign with my man Ross?" What's your relationship with MMG? It seems like you're always present with that movement.

Big shouts to Rick Ross, man. He just showed me a lot of love. He just hit me up one day, "I was always a fan of his music‚" at like three in the morning, telling me to come to the studio. When I met up with him, it was just love. He let me hear the whole <em>Self Made</em> album, asked me what was my favorite song, and let me jump on it then threw it on the album. [He] jumped on "Choppa Choppa Down" for me and we just been back and forth, man. He just love my work and I'm a fan of his work. It's just been like that.

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Did he ever ask you about signing with MMG?

He asked me to join MMG, so I'm definitely entertaining the idea. I definitely got a lot of respect for his movement, you know what I'm saying?  [However] right now, I'm just trying to figure out everything with myself, with my own entity, and my own movement. Then I'ma figure out everything else 'cause there was a lot of things I had to fall back off for me to get my situation straight.

Like what?

Wiz Khalifa had asked me to go on tour with him but I told him I couldn't do it just to get the whole Coke Boys movement together.

Are you still down with Akon?

Nah. I was never down with Akon, I just had a little shopping deal with him on the come up.  He was supposed to be getting me signed, so, you know, that was it. Big shouts to Akon, the whole Konvict movement, but, things just didn't work out like I thought it was gonna work out, so, I just had to work on my own thing.

You're one of the remaining New York artists with a buzz. Do you feel a bit of pressure?

Man, I just really don't get all the way into it, I just be working. I'm just staying busy, making a lot of music, and staying relevant, that's all it is.  It's just staying persistent. I don't really get into the politics, because at the end of the day everybody don't want me to win. I just stay away from all that and stay working on my music and everything that I got to do.

Two years ago, you managed to hook up with Ma$e for the remix to "New York Minute." I think everyone was trying to figure how you managed to pull that one off. How did that happen?

[Laughs] He just hit me out of nowhere one day. I looked at the phone like, "Am I bugging?" [Laughs] Yeah, I was just laughing. Me and him kicked it, man. He cool as hell. He loved that "New York Minute" record so, he just jumped on it for me. I made a lot of history, man.

You plan on bringing him back soon?

I mean whenever he decide to call me.

So to recap, you got the Cocaine Mafia tape coming September 15th.

Yup, and the one with me and Waka [Lock Out] right after that. Everybody get ready cause we about to turn it up.

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