India, Aug. 27 -- Karim Kharbouch was just 13 years old when he left his family's estate in Casablanca, Morocco, and moved to the South Bronx, New York, with his parents and younger brother. Two years after moving to the US, the family began struggling financially and his father decided to return to Morocco shortly before his youngest brother was born. His mother stayed on with the family and young Karim soon found himself as the family's sole breadwinner. Rap was one of his favourite hobbies growing up, but it soon evolved into much more.

Strolling through the streets of the Bronx, where he learned English, Karim began his career as a battle rapper in his teens, setting him on the path to becoming French Montana. Three decades later, he...