French Montana invites Andrew Tate on stage during Romania festival performance
It’s incredibly difficult to shock a crowd these days. Fans are usually prepared for everything, from impromptu fireworks to celebrity crowd-surfing, and random objects thrown at their favourite celebrity mid-performance. However, ‘Unforgettable’ rapper French Montana still managed to render his audience speechless when he brought out controversial manosphere influencer Andrew Tate during his set at the Beach, Please! Festival in Romania.
On Sunday 14 July 2024, the rapper, who also goes by the name of Karim Kharbouch, greeted Tate on stage with a big bear hug. “Make some f*cking noise for my brother Andrew Tate,” Montana said to introduce him.
The two also posed for pictures after the highly controversial former influencer greeted the crowd, with some attendees screaming “Escape the Matrix”—one of Tate’s manosphere catchphrases.
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Following their little public meet-up, Montana also posted a carousel on Instagram with Tate, standing on stage, hanging out on a terrace while soaking up the sunshine.
According to Indy100, the rapper’s live crowd greeted Tate with a fairly average welcome. However, online the reactions to his new pal were less than enthusiastic, to say the least.
“French, why would you bring the Tate brothers on stage? Why would you affiliate? They are seriously shady guys. I am disappointed,” one Instagram user wrote under the post.
Someone else commented: “Embarrassing. Unfollowing.” “No one in Romania loves Tate,” another user responded.
In case you don’t know, Tate is a former professional kickboxer, Big Brother contestant and British influencer. The 37-year-old, alongside his brother Tristan Tate, has built an online empire based on promoting misogynistic and repressive views. Moreover, Tate is currently being processed for criminal offences against seven women, including sex trafficking and rape.
Tate has been living in Romania for over a year now. In a video, the influencer explained that he decided to move there because it would be easier to evade rape charges, adding: “I’m not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free.”
French Montana is also no stranger to rape allegations. In March 2020, Montana was sued by a woman using the pseudonym Jane Doe, who alleged that the rapper had assaulted her and committed acts of battery, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, supervision and retention and negligence, in connection to an incident reported to police on 28 March 2018. Doe reportedly recounted that Montana drugged her and raped her while she was incapacitated on his bathroom floor. The suit was dismissed under a settlement on 13 April 2022.
This uncanny connection aside, the rapper’s friendship with the disgraced influencer still came as a surprise to many.
Many saw this stunt as an indication that the two were ideologically aligned, positioning Montana within a very fringe form of extreme misogyny.
With no other previous indication for this viewpoint, this incident from Sunday will continue to be seen as a shocking surprise and point of speculation about the rapper’s personal values.
