French Montana Brings Out Controversial Influencer Andrew Tate During Romania Concert
The Beach Please! Festival in Romania this past weekend has been highlighted by Wiz Khalifa getting arrested for marijuana possession and smoking onstage. However, French Montana added to the controversy by bringing out problematic influencer Andrew Tate during his performance.
“Make some f**kin’ noise for my brother Andrew Tate!” Montana said as he welcomed his guest, and the crowd followed his instructions. “We did a podcast. I’m the first rapper to do a podcast with my brother, one time. But Romania loves you, my brother!” Tate reportedly led the crowd in an “Escape The Matrix!” chant and was clearly a fan favorite.
The internet, however, was not so impressed with the move. “That’s so embarrassing,” one fan wrote. “French, why would you bring the Tate brothers on stage? Why would you affiliate? They are seriously shady guys. I am disappointed,” another fan wrote. History has shown that rappers aligning themselves with problematic figures is very common, so this is rather unsurprising.
Andrew Tate’s hero’s welcome in Romania was a bit unexpected considering the fact he is awaiting trial in the European country. Tate has been charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group to sexually exploit women. He and his brother Tristan’s human trafficking ring reportedly stretched from Romania to the United Kingdom and the United States.
They have also been accused of failing to pay $27 million in taxes based on revenue from their online business, per reports from the BBC. Andrew Tate allegedly bragged about intentionally not paying the taxes, saying, “When I lived in England I refused to pay tax.” It is unclear how long he and French Montana have been friends, but his public support is tone-deaf to the larger world who is familiar with Tate’s controversial recent history.
Outside of problematic friendships, Montana has had an active 2024. He shared his latest album Mac & Cheese 5 back in February with features from Lil Baby, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Bryson Tiller, and more. Listen below.
