Released on February 6, 2009.
The enemies of my enemies are my friends. It is this universal principle that brings Max B and French Montana together. By the end of the 2000s, both men had fallen out with Jim Jones. After serving as the driving force behind the ByrdGang collective, Max B had cut ties with the Diplomats rapper, convinced that Jones was taking him for a ride. And since Karim Kharbouch, a.k.a. French Montana, had a feud of his own with Jim Jones, the two naturally grew closer. In 2008, they were heard together for the first time on “Waavvy,” a track from French’s second mixtape, Live From Africa. And a few months later, the duo released their first joint project, an important mixtape from the remarkably fertile year of 2009.
Coke Wave is a mixtape because, really, it could hardly have been anything else. Their falling-out with the influential Dipset camp had gotten them blacklisted. As a result, before the beginning of his seemingly endless prison sentence, Max B was releasing little besides free projects. French Montana, meanwhile, would not put out a proper album until Excuse My French in 2013, and was still largely operating through the Cocaine City DVD series, which allowed him to distribute his songs and freestyles directly in the streets. Released with the support of DJ Whoo Kid, Coke Wave – its title combining the two rappers’ favorite terms, “cocaine” and “wavy” – was therefore a natural next step for French Montana and Max B. And a turning point in both of their careers.
For much of the mixtape, they hijack other artists’ songs and make them their own. They sample 50 Cent on “We Wavey,” but they also venture far beyond New York rap. 2Pac’s “Can’t C Me,” an archetypal G-funk track, becomes “Smoking.” M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” turns into “All I Wanna.” Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” is transformed into “I Warned You,” David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” into “Been Around,” and Sting’s “Englishman in New York” becomes the memorable “We Run NY,” yet another entry in the long list of anthems dedicated to the Big Apple.
The two rappers also deliver some remarkable original tracks, such as the fantastic opener “Stake Sause.” And throughout the project, their styles complement each other perfectly: while French Montana adopts the raw, cutting delivery expected of a street rapper, Max B goes for his trademark off-kilter crooning. He blends his boasts and drug stories with an undercurrent of melancholy – the shadow of prison is already looming – and that contrast is sometimes heightened by the production, as on “Goon Music,” with its mournful Dame Grease piano.
Coke Wave is more than just a good mixtape. It is a milestone in both men’s careers. After it, nothing would ever be quite the same. Their paths, however, would move in opposite directions. By getting surrounded with the right people – Diddy, Rick Ross, Waka Flocka – and keeping himself in the celebrity headlines – he would be assaulted on several occasions, incidents that only helped his street credibility; he would date rapper Trina, and later Khloé Kardashian – French Montana began an unstoppable rise toward fame. Max B, meanwhile, would languish in prison, with his only consolation being that his legend continued to spread on the outside, aided by the unwavering support of his loyal partner in crime.
