Less than a year after the unfortunate rollout of what was supposed to be his sophomore LP, MC4, rapper French Montana returned with his second official album, Jungle Rules.
Much like MC4 -- which was eventually issued as a mixtape -- Jungle Rules is packed with high-profile guests and boasts 18 tracks of varied hip-hop that find the Bronx emcee dabbling in sounds that might find their way onto a Weeknd or Drake album.
In a similar fashion, Jungle Rules is as bloated and stretched thin as Starboy, Views, and More Life.
To some, this more-is-more approach won't be a problem; but as a sonic statement, some listeners may be left wanting less.
For better or worse, there's something here for everyone, whether it's woozy trap, Drake-style hip-pop, and even a few nostalgia trips.
The guest features add an impressive wow factor and provide many of the highlights.
Rae Sremmurd's Swae Lee elevates the tropical dancehall "Unforgettable," a summery jam that borrows directly from the Drake handbook, while Pharrell Williams helps Montana nail the throwback spirit on "Bring Dem Things," which features vocals by the Kid Daytona on a track that resurrects the early aughts.
Travis Scott, Quavo, and Future bring the trap to Jungle Rules, but Young Thug takes the crown on the booming "Black Out." Among this glut of trap -- serviceable jams but nothing listeners haven't heard before -- Montana takes a few chances with haunting atmospherics, like on the album-opener "Whiskey Eyes," which features Chinx and the gorgeous vocals of British singer Fe, and throbbing standout "She Workin," on which Marc E.
Bassy lends his silky voice.
Often, Montana gets lost in the guest shuffle, but of the six tracks where he's riding solo, he showcases his own skills well enough.
The best of which, "Famous," is a nice break from the rest of the album, once again channeling Drake (this time, opting for the Canadian's talent for sensitive emoting set to an addictive beat).
In the end, with enough highlights that could constitute a tighter and more effective track list, Jungle Rules suffers from lengthy playlist aspirations and not enough focus.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whiskey EyesBen Diehl, Fenrick Gibbs, Khaled Khaled, Karim Kharbouch, Fe Maria Knight, Nick Long, Shaun Lopez, Lionel Pickens | French Montana | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | UnforgettableKhalif Brown, Karim Kharbouch, Aujla Jagvir Singh, McCulloch Reid Sutphin, Christopher Washington, Michael Williams | French Montana | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | TrippinBen Diehl, Marc Griffin, Khaled Khaled, Karim Kharbouch | French Montana | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 4 | A LieMatt Carillo, Karim Kharbouch, Fred Lowinger, Russ Mitkowski, Rory Quigley, Matthew Quinones, Abel Tesfaye, Charly Wingate | French Montana | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | JumpImogen Heap, Karim Kharbouch, Jeryn Peters, Jacques Webster | French Montana | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 6 | Hotel BathroomFloyd Bentley, Adam Feeney, Karim Kharbouch, Ishmael Montague | French Montana | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | Bring Dem ThingsPaul Butterfield, Austin Donawa, Karim Kharbouch, Charles Mingus, Rory Quigley, Paul Simon, Pharrell Williams | French Montana | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | BagNico Burrell, Sherwin Charles, Karim Kharbouch | French Montana | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | Migo MontanaLondon Holmes, Karim Kharbouch, Quavious Marshall | French Montana | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 10 | No PressureFloyd Bentley, Noel Fisher, Karim Kharbouch, Nayvadius Wilburn | French Montana | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 11 | Push UpKevin Gomringer, Tim Gomringer, Karim Kharbouch, Shane Lindstrom | French Montana | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 12 | Stop ItClifford Harris, Karim Kharbouch, Scott Storch | French Montana | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 13 | Black OutShamann Cooke, Karim Kharbouch, Jeffery Williams | French Montana | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 14 | She WorkinFenrick Gibbs, Marc Griffin, James Hau, Karim Kharbouch, Will Mosgrove | French Montana | Play | 03:07 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 15 | FormulaKarim Kharbouch, Leonandre St. Anthony Miller | French Montana | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 16 | FamousRichard Butler, Nate Hills, Karim Kharbouch, Dwayne Nesmith | French Montana | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 17 | Too MuchKarim Kharbouch, Lonnie Kimble, Alex Lustig | French Montana | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 18 | White DressAhmad Balshe, Jeremy Felton, Karim Kharbouch, Theodore Tchamala, Francisco Javier Soto Vidal | French Montana | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 64 mins | 148 MB | |||||
| 64 mins | 422 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alkaline | Featured Artist |
| 2 | Alkaline | Featured Artist, Producer |
| 3 | Koury Angelo | Photography |
| 4 | Ahmad Balshe | Composer |
| 5 | Raul Barcena | Assistant Engineer |
| 6 | Count Basie | Producer |
| 7 | Marc E. Bassy | Featured Artist |
| 8 | Beat Billionaire | Producer |
| 9 | Murda Beatz | Producer |
| 10 | Floyd Bentley | Composer |
| 11 | Ben Billions | Producer |
| 12 | Khalif Brown | Composer |
| 13 | Evan LaRay Brunson | Engineer |
| 14 | Nico Burrell | Composer |
| 15 | Richard Butler | Composer |
| 16 | Paul Butterfield | Composer |
| 17 | Matt Carillo | Composer |
| 18 | Sherwin Charles | Composer, Producer |
| 19 | Chinx | Featured Artist |
| 20 | Sean Combs | Executive Producer |
| 21 | Shamann Cooke | Composer |
| 22 | Ben Diehl | Composer |
| 23 | Austin Donawa | Composer |
| 24 | Amir Esmailian | A&R |
| 25 | Adam Feeney | Composer |
| 26 | Jeremy Felton | Composer |
| 27 | Noel Fisher | Composer |
| 28 | Frank Dukes | Producer |
| 29 | Harry Fraud | Engineer, Producer |
| 30 | French Montana | Executive Producer, Primary Artist |
| 31 | Future | Featured Artist |
| 32 | Fenrick Gibbs | Composer, Executive Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 33 | Kevin Gomringer | Composer |
| 34 | Tim Gomringer | Composer |
| 35 | Marc Griffin | Composer |
| 36 | Clifford Harris | Composer |
| 37 | James Hau | Composer |
| 38 | Imogen Heap | Composer |
| 39 | Nate Hills | Additional Production, Composer |
| 40 | London Holmes | Composer |
| 41 | David Hughes | Engineer |
| 42 | Shawn Jarrett | Engineer |
| 43 | Jaycen Joshua | Mixing |
| 44 | Shin Kamiyama | Vocal Engineer |
| 45 | Khaled Khaled | Composer |
| 46 | Ayoub Kharbouch | A&R |
| 47 | Karim Kharbouch | Composer |
| 48 | Lonnie Kimble | Composer |
| 49 | Sean Klein | Assistant Engineer |
| 50 | Fe Maria Knight | Composer, Vocals (Background) |
| 51 | Swae Lee | Featured Artist |
| 52 | Shane Lindstrom | Composer |
| 53 | Nick Long | Composer |
| 54 | Shaun Lopez | Additional Production, Composer |
| 55 | Rico Love | Producer |
| 56 | Fred Lowinger | Composer |
| 57 | Alex Lustig | Composer |
| 58 | Michelle Mancini | Mastering |
| 59 | Quavious Marshall | Composer |
| 60 | Max B | Featured Artist |
| 61 | McCulloch Reid Sutphin | Composer |
| 62 | Leonandre St. Anthony Miller | Composer |
| 63 | Charles Mingus | Composer |
| 64 | Russ Mitkowski | Composer |
| 65 | Ishmael Montague | Composer |
| 66 | Terik Morris | Introduction |
| 67 | Will Mosgrove | Composer |
| 68 | Nic Nac | Producer |
| 69 | Dwayne Nesmith | Composer |
| 70 | Ziico Niico | Featured Artist |
| 71 | Jeryn Peters | Composer |
| 72 | Eric Nealante Phillips | Engineer, Mixing Engineer |
| 73 | Lionel Pickens | Composer |
| 74 | Quavo | Featured Artist |
| 75 | Rory Quigley | Composer |
| 76 | Matthew Quinones | Composer |
| 77 | Travis Scott | Featured Artist |
| 78 | John Shullman | Engineer |
| 79 | Paul Simon | Composer |
| 80 | Aujla Jagvir Singh | Composer |
| 81 | Rick Steel | Additional Production, Engineer, Producer |
| 82 | Scott Storch | Composer |
| 83 | Ben Swantek | Art Direction, Design |
| 84 | T.I. | Featured Artist |
| 85 | Theodore Tchamala | Composer |
| 86 | Abel Tesfaye | Composer |
| 87 | Francisco Javier Soto Vidal | Composer |
| 88 | Christopher Washington | Composer |
| 89 | Jacques Webster | Composer |
| 90 | The Weeknd | Featured Artist |
| 91 | Nayvadius Wilburn | Composer |
| 92 | Mike Will | Producer |
| 93 | Jeffery Williams | Composer |
| 94 | Michael Williams | Composer |
| 95 | Pharrell Williams | Composer, Featured Artist |
| 96 | Charly Wingate | Composer |
| 97 | Lawrence "Ell" Wydermyer | Engineer |
| 98 | Young Thug | Featured Artist |
| 99 | Dafina Zeqiri | Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |