French Montana, assisted by Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd, has a hit on his hands with “Unforgettable.” Is “Unforgettable” worthy of the hype it’s received?

Most of us expected French Montana to drop his sophomore album in 2016.  Originally, the rapper had set MC4 to arrive throughout the course of the year.  Ultimately, he scrapped the album, despite the fact that he had something going with single “No Shopping,” featuring Drake. Save for a last-minute change, Jungle Rules arrives mid-July 2017.  The album gets a boost thanks to promo single “Unforgettable,” featuring Swae Lee.  BUT, is “Unforgettable” worthy of the hype it’s received?

Swae kicks off “Unforgettable” with the chorus.  This is a vocal performance – singing, that is.  This isn’t far-fetched for one-half of Rae Sremmurd, but the chorus is lengthy.  Many times in a rap song, we expect the hook to be short and sweet – ultimately memorable.  This one is not.  Despite its length, it’s pleasant.  The only problem is that it’s not particular memorable as far as singing it yourself.

French Montana makes his first appearance after Swae sets the tone.  Like on the chorus, the tropical-, internationally-tinged percussion drives the record – for better or worse.  This is a popular trend in urban music these days with some artists pulling it off better than others.  In this case, it’s successful. Thankfully, neither artist tries to play into the dialect itself.  But back to French, does he deliver bullets with his rhymes? No, not really.  This is more vibe than memorable rhymes or depth.

Final Thoughts

So, “Unforgettable” is a hit without question.  But, is it a good song? Personally, it’s a meh.  The vibe gets an ‘A,’ but the song itself is merely okay.  This is sort of the problem with French Montana.  To some extent, beyond “Pop That,” he’s a rapper you’re waiting to discover a distinct identity.  Once again, on “Unforgettable,” he’s still not found or at least showcased that identity.  In essence, Swae out performs him here because that’s the identity he’s established. All in all, okay, but personally, surprising it’s the caliber of hit it is.    

French Montana • Jungle Things • Epic • Release: 7.14.17

Photo Credit: Epic