French Montana faces backlash after inviting Andrew Tate on stage

Karim Kharbouch, known by his stage name French Montana, is an American rapper of Moroccan descent. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family at 13. He began his musical career in 2002, releasing many underground projects. His career began after signing a record deal with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records and Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group in 2012.

On 13th July, during a concert at the Beach Please! Festival in Romania, the rapper managed to surprise the audience. He invited Andrew Tate to the stage, who is known for his extremely misogynistic views and is awaiting trial before a Romanian court for charges of sexual assault and human trafficking.

French Montana's fans were not thrilled with the surprise the rapper had prepared for them. He also boasted about it in an Instagram post, which he captioned: "First rapper to stream with Top G and first to bring Top G on stage." Top G stands for "Top Gangster." Tate has long used this term in reference to himself, likely quite aptly.

Montana's fans do not share his enthusiasm. The most popular comment on Instagram aptly captures the situation: "How embarrassing, lol". Other fans elaborated on their feelings: "French, why are you bringing the Tate brothers on stage? Why are you associating with them? They're really slimy guys. I'm disappointed."

Romania is the only country where Tate can listen to live music. In June 2023, he and his brother Tristan were officially charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to exploit women sexually. In April this year, a court in the Romanian capital ruled that their trial could proceed. Andrew Tate, from the United States, appealed this decision and was prohibited from leaving Romania, an EU member state, while awaiting a ruling on the matter.

At the beginning of July, a Romanian tribunal lifted this restriction, granting the suspects freedom of movement within the EU. The Romanian organised crime prosecution agency DIICOT appealed this ruling, and the Bucharest Court of Appeal overturned it on 16th July. The Tate brothers cannot leave Romania. It has not been disclosed when their trial will begin.

It is known, however, that once the Romanian legal system deals with the Tate brothers, they will be extradited to the United Kingdom. Bedfordshire police have secured a European Arrest Warrant for both men in connection with further rape and human trafficking charges dating from 2012-2015. When this happens, it depends on whether they are found guilty and what sentences the Romanian court imposes.