French Montana & Max B on 'Coke Wave 3.5,' prison stories & "All The Way Up" | Fat Joe & Jadakiss

Max B, after serving 17 years in prison, immediately re-engaged with music, producing a 24-song mixtape within his first 30 days of release. This demonstrates profound mental fortitude and a relentless commitment to his craft, refusing to dwell on the past but instead focusing on future output.

Max B states, 'It was horrible, but it was something I had to get over like that. It was nothing I sat on. It was like next day it was like, "All right, off to the next. How we going to get the [__] out?"' He later adds, 'My first 30 days out, I gave him a 20 plus 24 song mixtape my first day out.'

French Montana's 'Unforgettable' became a massive hit through unconventional means. He paid $300,000 for a leaked track (half from his pocket, half from the label) and personally funded the music video shoot in Uganda, showcasing a willingness to invest heavily and take significant risks on a project he believed in, despite initial label hesitation.

French Montana explains, 'The record leaked, the business wasn't done... I holler at Sway and I holler at Mike Will... S came in. He was like, "Bro, I'mma tell you how you gonna get this record. Just give him 300,000 for the record."... I put up 150 and shot the Sylvia own. She put up 150. But, I went to Africa and I shot the video out of my own pocket, too.'

Fat Joe achieved unprecedented financial success by going independent with his hit 'Make It Rain.' He earned significantly more by receiving $7 per CD sold for half a million units, totaling $3.5 million, which surpassed the advances offered by major labels for entire albums. This highlights the financial empowerment of artists who own their masters and control their distribution.

Fat Joe recounts leaving Atlantic Records and deciding to go independent: 'If I get $7 for a half a million, I make three and a half million. It's more than the 500,000 or the million dollars they giving me to do the whole album.' He then states, 'Make it rain. 4 million records on the masses with the [__] independent.'

Both French Montana and Max B emphasize that their collaboration and mutual support are rooted in genuine friendship, not just financial gain. This deep loyalty allowed French Montana to celebrate Max B's success from prison and Max B to trust French Montana implicitly with his career upon release, demonstrating that strong personal bonds can be a powerful asset in a competitive industry.

Max B states, 'My [__] is based on straight solid friendship, music creation, that's just my [__]. Everything else happened. So when I'm in jail seeing this [__] on TV, I ain't in there going, "Fuck, that should have been me." No, I'm in that [__] crying with happiness.' French Montana adds, 'When I got with Max, that's when the real French Montana was discovered.'

Many iconic artist names, including Max B, Jadakiss, and French Montana, were not self-chosen but rather emerged organically from their communities, personal experiences, or unique characteristics. This highlights the authentic, street-level origins of their identities, which resonated deeply with their audiences.

Max B explains his name's origin from Big Pun and Tupac's 'Makaveli' (51:45). Jadakiss's name came from an older block resident (53:05). French Montana's name originated from his Moroccan background and speaking French in the Bronx, with 'Montana' added from his hustling days (53:44). Fat Joe notes, 'You always take the name that your people give you... you don't get to make your nickname.'