Montana of 300

Having witnessed the devastating effects of drug and alcohol abuse on his parents, during his childhood, Montana has a strong aversion to drugs and urges his fans not to use drugs.

There was a controversy shortly before the release of his album ‘Don't Doubt the God,’ in May 2017. He had shared a message on social media that said he had been jailed.

“Montana of 300,” or Montana, was born Walter Anthony Bradford, in Illinois, Chicago, in a large, impoverished family. Reports suggest that his family was dysfunctional and that both his parents were addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Little is known about his early years, except that he began songwriting and rapping in his early teens. Unconfirmed reports suggest that he had two brothers and three sisters.

His troubled childhood left a deep impact and possibly pushed him closer to religion. Many of his songs contain religious symbolism and themes. He also advocates his young fan base to stay away from drugs.

Montana is known for his innovative rap style and dance moves. He incorporates other genres, such as trap, drill, and R&B, into his music. He started remixing, songwriting, and singing in his early teens.

He is said to have idolized Lil Wayne, Tupac, and DMX, as a kid. Speaking about Lil Wayne’s style, he stated, “His uniqueness and out-of-the-box thinking is what I admire.”

Since 2006, Montana began using ‘YouTube’ and other social media platforms to release his remixes of popular songs. He has a strong presence on ‘YouTube,’ ‘Twitter,’ and ‘Instagram’ and had garnered a huge fan following even before his first solo debut.

In 2008, Montana formed a band called ‘300,’ with his school friend Montelle Talley. The band was the namesake of Zack Snyder’s critically acclaimed war film, released in 2006 and starring Gerard Butler.

Montana named the band ‘300’ because he was inspired by the motto of the film ‘300’ that said, “No Surrender, No Retreat, Only the Hard, Only the Strong; Against All Odds.”

While Montana has enjoyed popularity throughout his career, his albums ‘Fire in the Church’ and ‘Don’t Doubt the God’ have been major hits. The former reached the 95th position on the prestigious ‘Billboard 200’ list.

His remix tape of ‘Chi-Raq,’ originally performed by Nicki Minaj and Lil Herb, also broke the internet and has had more than 23 million ‘YouTube’ views.