Montana

Mac n Cheese 5 review: French Montana delivers hits

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2024

Mac n Cheese 5 review: French Montana delivers hits

French Montana delivers the hits on his latest album, Mac N Cheese 5.

French Montana returns with a new project, Mac n Cheese 5. Although this offering from the Moroccan native raised in the South Bronx is technically classified as a mixtape, it is available on all major streaming services. The prolific hitmaker from New York City sticks to his successful formula of limiting his solo time and using his reputation to attract big-name features.

Mac n Cheese 5 review

“Dirty Bronx (Intro)” is a strong start to the mixtape that shows French talking about a variety of topics he has widely discussed in the past. He talks about where he came from, how fame has made people look at him differently, friends that he lost along the way (the late Chinx Drugz gets a shoutout here), and how at the end of the day he is still the same person that he was growing up in the Bronx. This song is a touching ode to the city that raised him, and it sets the tone for the rest of the project.

Features carry this project

French Montana is an artist who is known more for his features than for his solo songs. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and it isn’t meant to be an indictment on Montana as an artist. Some artists work better alongside others, and French is at his best when his voice is complemented by other artists.

Therefore, it’s not a big shock that the best songs on Mac n Cheese 5 are those with features on them.

It’s ironic to title a song “Splash Brothers” in 2024, given that Klay Thompson has seen his play fall off recently and Steph Curry is the only member of the “Splash Brothers” duo that is still standing and going strong. Regardless, this song works well to showcase the talents that Lil Wayne and Montana have and they work well together. You can tell that Weezy put effort into his verse and didn’t just give a throwaway 16 for this album.

Lil Wayne steals the show with his best punchlines in years

Wayne’s verse features some of the best punch lines we have heard from him in years. “Young Montana and Lil’ Weezyana / Fat pockets got my pants lookin’ like MC Hammers / I p**s a n***a off until he got an empty bladder / A hustler, baby, I can sell Nevada to Nevada / Huh, I’m on that coke wave / Stay in your own lane, n***a, I got road rage,” Weezy raps. Other standout bars from the New Orleans native include “Okay, I used to run the corner like a jet sweep” and “Dropped the cocaine in the water, that’s a wet dream.”

Wayne’s bars are reminiscent of the Carter 3 and Carter 4 glory days, as well as his iconic mixtape run. It’s hard to believe that Lil Wayne’s heyday was nearly 15 years ago. It even makes it all the more impressive that Weezy sounds fresh and energized, and his lyrics feature some of the most creative rhymes he has dropped in recent memory.

Lil Durk drops by with honest reflections about life in Chicago

Lil Durk shows up to complement Montana on Money Ain’t a Thing and delivers an excellent verse. French is in his bag on this one, rapping with authority in his voice as he shouts out their respective hometowns and touts their murderous lifestyles: “I rep the South Bronx, yeah, the Essex / TEC with the air holes for protection / Yeah, we runnin’ wild, from the Ps in the wild in the east / Certified, I’m a beast, oh my God / You can ask Durk, Chiraq, Ls up from the dirt.”

Durk brings high energy, which differs from some of his most popular songs. While Durk’s two most popular styles are his melodic flow and his more aggressive no auto style, the Chicago-born rhymer does an excellent job of mixing the two styles on this track.

Durk uses his melodic singing voice which is easy on the ears, but his flow is much more reminiscent of his energetic no-auto style. Durk’s verse is hauntingly detailed, with rhymes such as “Man, I know some shorties that’ll stay outside your mama crib / They don’t give a f**k, they serve bags in front Obama crib / I know n****s richer than these rappers driving Bonnevilles / A lot of n****s cappin’ in they raps, we off a lot of pills / When I take a Perc’ on an empty stomach, it make me vomit still / Thinkin’ ’bout my cousin getting murked, it make me vomit still.”

Durk ends the verse by reminding listeners of his street bonafides, rhyming “We make sure n****s know how the chopper feel / They was getting shot for real, if they was on the block for real,” and ending with the line “I’ma claim Lamron forever, you know what it is.”

The result is a standout verse from the 300 star, and Money Ain’t a Thing is one of the best songs on the album.

J. Cole’s protege JID lends his talents to this tape for Praise God, which is arguably the strongest track on the album. JID’s voice is incredible, and his flow is so smooth and effortless over this beat. French has a decent but not great verse, but he really stands out In the chorus. The rhymer from the South Bronx delivers an infectious melody that will stick with listeners for a long time. While writing this review, I find it impossible to get the chorus out of my head. JID’s top-tier verse combined with a classic Montana chorus will keep this track in rotation for many months to come.

Track-by-track breakdown

“Dirty Bronx Intro” (feat. Amber Run): 9/10
“Talk to Me”: 7/10
“Stand United” (feat Kanye West, SAINt JHN and Buju Banton): 8.5/10
“Splash Brothers” (feat. Lil Wayne and Rick Ross): 9.5/10
“Okay” (feat. Lil Baby and ATL Jacob): 8/10
“Casino Life” 3: 7.5/10
“Where They At” (feat. Kanye West and Westside Gunn): 8.5/10
“Too Fun” (feat. Kyle Richh and Jenn Carter): 7.5/10
“Facts”: 6.5/10
“Praise God” (feat. JID): 10/10
“Money Ain’t a Thing” (feat. Lil Durk): 10/10
“Goals” (feat. Jeremih): 8/10
“Other Side”: 6/10
“Fake Friends” (feat. Bryson Tiller): 8.5/10
“Where We Came From”: 7/10
“Made It In USA”: 7.5/10
“Millionaire Row” (feat. Rick Ross and Meek Mill): 8/10
“Ride The Wave”: 6/10
“Documentary” (feat. Mikky Ekko): 7/10

Overall: 7.9/10

About the Author

David Rooney is a former betting and fantasy football writer at ClutchPoints, primarily covering the NFL.

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Montana

Apparent AI Glitch in Filing by Montana Public Defender, Recent Congressional Candidate

Published

55 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Apparent AI Glitch in Filing by Montana Public Defender, Recent Congressional Candidate

Everyone makes mistakes, even experienced professionals; a good reminder for the rest of us to learn from those mistakes. The motion in State v. Stroup starts off well in its initial pages (no case law hallucinations), but is then followed by several pages of two other motions, which I don’t think the lawyer was planning to file, and which appear to have been AI-generated: It begins with the “Below is concise motion language you can drop into …” language quoted above.

Griffen Smith (Missoulian) reported on the story, and included the prosecutor’s motion to strike that filing, on the grounds that it violates a local rule (3(G)) requiring disclosure of the use of generative AI:

The document does not include a generative artificial intelligence disclosure as required. However, page 7 begins as follows: “Below is concise motion language you can drop into a ‘Motion to Admit Mental-Disease Evidence and for Related Instructions’ keyed to 45-6-204, 45-6-201, and 4614-102. Adjust headings/captions to your local practice.” Page 10 states “Below is a full motion you can paste into your pleading, then adjust names, dates, and styles to fit local practice.” These pages also include several apparent hyperlinks to “ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws,” “ppl-ai-fileupload.s3.amazonaws+1,” and others. The document includes what appears to be an attempt at a second case caption on page 12. It is not plausible on its face that any source other than generative AI would have created such language for a filed version of a brief….

There’s more in that filing, but here’s one passage:

While generative AI can be a useful tool for some purposes and may have greater application in the future, when used improperly, and without meaningful review, it can ultimately damage both the perception and the reality of the profession. One assumes that Mr. Stroup has had, or will at some point have, an opportunity to review the filing made on his behalf. What impression could a review of pgs. 12-19 leave upon a defendant who struggles with paranoia and delusional thinking? While AI could theoretically one day become a replacement for portions of staff of experienced attorneys, it is readily apparent that this day has not yet arrived.

The Missoulan article includes this response:

In a Wednesday interview, Office of Public Defender Division Administrator Brian Smith told the Missoulian the AI-generated language was inadvertently included in an unrelated filing. And he criticized the county attorney’s office for filing a “four-page diatribe about the dangers of AI” instead of working with the defense to correct her mistake.
“That’s not helping the client or the case,” Smith said, “and all you are doing is trying to throw a professional colleague under the bus.”

As I mentioned, the lawyer involved seems quite experienced, and ran for the Montana Public Service Commission in 2020 (getting nearly 48% of the vote) and for the House of Representatives in Montana’s first district in 2022 (getting over 46% of the vote) and in 2024 (getting over 44%). “Его пример другим наука,” Pushkin wrote in Eugene Onegin—”May his example profit others,” in the Falen translation.

Thanks to Matthew Monforton for the pointer.

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Montana

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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Montana

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

HELENA — You probably have goals and plans for 2026—the Montana Department of Agriculture does too.

“We’re really focusing on innovative agricultural practices,” Montana Department of Agriculture director Jillien Streit said.

It’s no secret that agriculture—farming and ranching—is not easy. There are long days, planning, monitoring crops and livestock, and other challenges beyond farmers’ and ranchers’ control.

(WATCH: Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026)

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

“We have very low commodity prices across the board,” Streit said. “We still have very high input prices across the board, and we have really high prices when it comes to our equipment, and so, it’s a really tough year.”

But innovation, including new practices, partnerships and technology use, can help navigate some of those challenges.

“We can’t make more time and we can’t make more land, so we need to start putting together innovative practices that help us maximize what our time and land can do,” Streit said.

Practices range from using technology like autonomous tractors and virtual fencing—allowing rangers to contain and move cattle right from their phones—to regenerative farming and ranching.

“It is bringing cattle back into farming operations to be able to work with cover cropping practices to invigorate the soil for new soil health benefits,” Streit said.

The Montana Department of Agriculture is working to help producers learn, share, and collaborate on new ideas to work in their operations.

The department will share stories of practices that work from farms and ranches across the state. Also, within the next year or so, Streit said the department is hoping to roll out technology to help producers collaborate.

“(It’s) providing a communication platform where people can get together and really help each other out by utilizing each other’s assets,” she said.

While not easy, agriculture is still one of Montana’s largest industries, and Streit said innovating and sharing ideas across the state can keep it going long into the future.

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