French Montana, 34, knows how to hustle. Born in Morocco, raised in the South Bronx and now living in Calabasas, California, he made a name for himself with self-released mixtapes before he collaborated with rappers including Rick Ross, P Diddy and Drake. On the eve of the release of his third studio album, ‘Montana’, he talked about how he stays fit and healthy, both mentally and physically.
Super-Late Riser
I wake up at about 2 in the afternoon. I’m still jet-lagged from last year. When I wake up, I check on everybody — my family, my mother, my little brother — and make sure everything is straight. No. 1, I check my money. I look at the accounts on my phone. In this game, in a way it’s worse than the streets. In the streets, if you’re hustling, you sell or you get locked up. In this game, it’s lawyers.
Banana and Baby Oil
I’m not really a breakfast person. I might eat a banana or something light. Then I work out for about an hour. I’ll wear shorts, a tank top and baby oil. I’m not really a brand freak. I make the clothes; the clothes don’t make me. The baby oil? It’s to keep my skin soft, and since I was young it’s been a habit. Also, when you’re looking at the mirror and you see yourself with baby oil on, you get more motivated, ha.
No Weights, No Problem
I have a gym in the house, a pullup bar in my room, and I have a bike and a treadmill in the backyard. I do a lot of situps, push-ups, pullups — old-school style. I used to play basketball and I never got into the weights because my jump shot would get stiff if I lifted weights. So I got used to working out the classic way.
If I’m off work and I have a set plan or goal or something, I’ll do a trainer. But otherwise, my muscle memory is still there and I don’t really need one. I’ll also run and do some bike stuff.
Grooming Basics
I’m easy with my grooming, but when my friends suggest products to me I like to try them out. These are the ones that I’ve found that I can’t live without. My groomer, Nathaniel Dezan, started using the Peter Thomas Roth Gold Eye Patches on me and they became a staple in my everyday life.
I also have La Mer the Eye Concentrate and the La Mer lip balm. I use the Kiehl’s energizing face wash. I’m also a real-old school kind of guy. I have Old Spice deodorant, and Head & Shoulders is the only shampoo that works for me.
Lounge Wear
I like to hang out in robes. I have about 40. Some of them are custom. It’s a Moroccan thing, but it’s also a lazy thing. Egyptian cotton, microfiber, silk — a good robe, you have to start with what kind of fabric it is. After that, it can’t be too heavy. That silk robe, the way it feels on your skin, it makes you feel better about yourself. And it’s easy access.
One Good Meal
I don’t eat much. I follow the fundamentals of that. I don’t eat after 8. During the day, I eat a lot of things here and there but one good meal. I got heavy on my juice game. I’ve been getting ginger shots, grass shots and green juice. I get it at Pressed Juicery. The juice game is a big world. And it helps you stay light.
Frequent Checkups
Traveling so much through the years, I’ve started focusing on my immune system more than anything. I’ve gotten into IVs. I’ve gotten into all the vitamins. Your body is the only one you got to live in. Nowadays I’m checking on my body as much as anybody. As soon as I get back home, I’ll go see the doctor.
Judging Yourself
I’m doing what I love. No one is having more fun than me. A lot of people don’t get this opportunity in life. There’s a window right there, and you got 30 seconds before it closes. On the way to that window, there are going to be so many distractions — family, friends, suspects.
A lot of the people in this industry, they don’t last. They are not being true to themselves. A lot of people let other people judge them. But the most important thing is to judge yourself before you go to sleep at night.
