In 2008, Harry Fraud was mixing a record French Montana was on so the two New York Hip Hop staples hit it off. French made him run through 50 or 60 beats before he was sure the young producer had the potential, and boy was he right. Both artists have gone on to become legends in their own way - French on the mic earning platinum plaques and Harry behind the boards producing for everyone and creating his own dusty sounds.

By the early 2010s, Harry and French brought a distinct sound that permeated the airwaves in New York City and around the globe. They came up with a slew of mixtapes - Mac and Cheese and Coke Boys - and kept it hot. Soon, French would be hitting the Pop charts and Harry would go on to produce niche projects from amazing MCs like Smoke DZA, Action Bronson, and Curren$y.

After a decade, these two old friends are back and sounding very good on Montega, a 12-track album that is all killer and no filler. It’s easy to see that Harry and French are on each other’s vibe straight from the start with ‘Blue Chills.’ The Skylar Gudasz ‘Femme Fatal’ sample is eerie and beautiful all at once and once French busts in with his coke raps, it’s a wrap. Listeners know what they are getting, and the getting is good.

There are a few surprise guests who stop by to drop some knowledge. Rick Ross sounds so good on La Musica de Harry Fraud that we’re tossing the idea of a collab album out into the universe to see if it sticks. Also, Quavo from the Migos seems like a weird choice, but after listening to ‘Drop Top,’ he fits in perfectly here, and more music is needed in that direction. Jadakiss, still riding high from his elite Verzuz jumps on ‘Bricks & Bags’ with Benny the Butcher and it’s about as perfect of a combo as can be from these four talented Hip Hoppers.

Montega is a welcome reunion of long-time friends peppered with a few added guests to keep things interesting. The album will be getting a lot of spins this summer for sure.

Check out the video for ‘Bags & Bricks’ and the whole Montega album below.