French Montana has addressed the backlash surrounding his decision to drop five versions of his latest mixtape, Mac & Cheese 5, which boasts a total of 126 songs.
In an interview with TMZ, French clarified his intentions behind releasing multiple versions of each track from the mixtape, offering explicit, clean, sped-up, slowed-down, instrumental, and acapella versions.
Contrary to speculation that he aimed to inflate streaming numbers, French revealed that he drew inspiration from Taylor Swift, who had released various versions of her albums, resulting in significant sales boosts.
“Taylor Swift dropped eight versions of her album. I’m just learning the hustle from them,” he explained.
He elaborated on his approach, stating, “My fans always love my beats so I dropped the instrumental. I dropped acapella for all the DJs that like blending and I dropped clean. I dropped the sped-up one because of TikTok, and I dropped the chopped and screwed.”
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Highlighting the practicality of offering diverse versions, French emphasized, “So people can stop asking me for all different types of versions.”
He underscored the strategic move by noting that various artists, including Justin Timberlake, had employed similar tactics, labeling them as “geniuses.”
Mac & Cheese 5 boasts an impressive lineup of guest appearances, including Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and more.
In a separate interview with the Breakfast Club, French expressed his desire for the mixtape format to make a resurgence in the music industry, citing the need for the raw energy and creativity often associated with mixtapes.
“I feel like the game needs mixtapes,” French asserted. “That feeling isn’t there anymore.”
