Rick Ross and French Montana Face Off in High-Stakes Verzuz Battle
The catalogs of French Montana and Rick Ross took center stage on Thursday, May 7, 2026, during a highly anticipated Complex Verzuz event. Streamed live on Apple Music, the two rap heavyweights delivered a night of era-defining anthems, ranging from Ross’ “Hustlin’” and “B.M.F.” to French’s “Unforgettable” and “Ain’t Worried About Nothin’.”
The event was marked by a headline-making moment when Rick Ross pointedly requested to mute Drake’s vocals during “Aston Martin Music.” Addressing the crowd, Ross stated, “I wanna do ‘Aston Martin Music,’ minus Drake’s vocals. No Drake vocals.” He followed up by telling the audience, “If you wanna sing that, I’ma let you sing that,” skipping the verse entirely. This move aligned with comments Ross previously made to Complex’s Jordan Rose regarding his plans for the battle.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: (L-R) French Montana and Rick Ross perform onstage at Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: (L-R) Rick Ross and French Montana perform onstage at Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: Rick Ross performs onstage at Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: (L-R) Max B, Rebecca J, and Rick Ross perform onstage at Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: Rick Ross performs onstage at Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: Rick Ross performs onstage at Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: French Montana performs onstage at Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: French Montana performs onstage at Complex and Apple Music present VERZUZ: French Montana vs. Rick Ross at Apple Music Studios on May 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Complex)
The night also featured a major surprise as Max B joined the stage to deliver the debut performance of “SMOKING PART II” alongside French and Ross. The new single serves as a bridge between the Coke Wave era and modern energy, appearing on the upcoming album Wave Gods 2: Cosmo Brothers, out May 22. Notable guests in attendance included Rebecca J and Whole Slab, as the artists celebrated their shared history with performances of joint tracks like “Minks In Miami.”
