Who are French Montana’s parents? Rapper’s family struggles explored amid engagement to Princess of Dubai

Rapper French Montana (real name Karim Kharbouch) is making headlines for his engagement to Princess of Dubai, Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The couple got engaged in June 2025 during Paris Fashion Week, shortly after Montana’s first runway walk for the Spring/Summer 2026 collection for 3.PARADIS, according to a report in People magazine.

The 31-year-old princess is the daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. She was previously married to Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mana Al Maktoum and shares a daughter with him.

French Montana was born to parents Abdela Kharbouch and Khadija Guled in 1984 in Casablanca, Morocco. In an interview with DJ Vlad in 2024, he recalled his father working in and out of the country. He also shared that his father spent time in jail when he was born, admitting that he never asked him the reason. His mother was a stay-at-home mom.

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All we know about the family struggles of French Montana

French Montana’s parents moved to the US in 1996 in search of more job opportunities, with their family, according to a report in Distractify. They settled in the South Bronx in New York, where Montana received his education in hip-hop. He has two younger brothers: Zack Kharbouch and Ayoub Kharbouch.

In 2023, the rapper released a 90-minute documentary titled For Khadija, which focused on the rise of the Morocco-born immigrant to a global music icon. In an interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo, the rapper said that the film is about his struggles. He said:

“It’s based on letting people know you’re going to lose more than you’re going to win. You’re going to see the hurdles, you’re going to get a lot of wounds – all the wounds – but you gotta understand the wound is where the light is shining.”

When Montana’s family moved to the US, he was only 13 at the time. His father tried several businesses, but that “went bad on him.” The family arrived without papers and faced language barriers, which made it difficult to survive. None of the family members spoke English and were only familiar with Arabic and French.

His father wanted to return to Morocco to continue his successful jewelry business. He told his mother, who had just had their third child, that they should leave Montana in America, which they refused. He eventually left his wife and their family behind in the US. Montana said:

“That’s sacrifices only mothers can make. There’s nobody that’s not going to be thinking about themselves more than they’re thinking about their kids, except for a mother.”

His father’s departure also pushed French Montana into the streets of New York, where he ended up selling drugs. He gradually learned English through rapping, which helped him cope with stress. Montana told CNN,

“I get my pen, my book, I write, I go in the booth, I express myself, song by song, writing my struggles, living my life. And it became therapy – therapeutic to the soul. And I got good at it. And it became a release.”

Ever since then, French Montana has emerged as a global hip-hop icon who is known for his blend of Moroccan roots with modern rap and pop influences.

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