(audio) Remy Boy Monty – Lost It @MONTY1738 @remyboymonty1738
Only two years ago, East Coast emcee Remy Boy Monty never would have thought that he’d be flying from coast to coast performing to high energy crowds.
Prior to his breakout year of 2013, Montana “Monty” Buckz was cutting his teeth in the underground rap scene of New Jersey and New York City. Born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in the multicultural inner city of nearby Paterson, hip hop was a constant in Monty’s young life. Acccustomed to hearing his mother freestyle as she puttered about their home, as early as the first grade he and his younger brother were rapping in their neighborhood, taking advantage of every opportunity to battle with friends and experiment with lyrics. By seventh grade Monty was starting to see rap as a life choice instead of a hobby or past-time, and it was in Paterson that he co-founded Remy Boyz 1738, a rap troupe that included his childhood friend Willie “Fetty Wap” Maxwell. Passionate about their music but still preoccupied with getting by and earning for their families, they chose the name Remy Boyz 1738 as a tongue-in-cheek reference to a luxury cognac they thought they’d never be able to afford. None of the Remy Boyz could have predicted that within several years their voices would be topping Billboard.
At age seventeen, Monty’s love for hip hop was only strengthened by the passing of his mother, who had always supported his rapping. Monty also acknowledges the influence his friends had on his meteoric rise through the charts, and his time with 1738 allowed him to learn from mentors such as Fetty Wap, who he credits as both an adopted brother and an indelible musical infuence. Fetty Wap has acknowledged that Monty inspired him as well, stating to Hip Hop Weekly that “one of my bros, Remy Boy Monty, kind of influenced me a little bit after he heard me freestyle. He said a little bit more work and you would be good. That’s when I started to really get into rap.” Vice Media concluded that “Montana pushed Fetty to take the leap as an artist,” and Fetty Wap would go on to be the first Remy Boy to have a major radio hit with “Trap Queen,” a heartfelt trap mix that starts with a shoutout to Remy Boyz. Around 2005 Monty discovered the recording studio, and local engineers and producers such as People’s 456 (Brian Garcia) helped Monty and the Remy Boyz define their beats and soundscapes. By 2010 Monty couldn’t keep himself away from the studio.
Early 2015 saw the release of Monty’s first solo releases and first music videos, with Fetty Wap’s hooks supporting Monty’s hard verses on tracks like “Extendo.” Throughout the year he continued to collaborate with the Remy Boyz, andMonty’s rhymes first hit Billboard with the Fetty Wap track and video “679,” with featured verses from Monty. Monty’s hard voice and rhymes are a perfect counterpoint to Fetty Wap’s unique sing-song delivery on the hook, and the official release in June 2015 saw the single shoot to number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song charted even higher on the US Rap Songs chart, reaching number 2, and selling over a million domestic copies in the next several months. With the track spurring a number of remixes, the video proved immensely popular as well, gaining 100 million views on YouTube in its first six months. Monty appeared with The Roots and Fetty Wap on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in September 2015, performing “679” to fans worldwide.
The following Fetty Wap single, “My Way,” again featured Monty’s vocals, rocketed even higher than “679” number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Rhythmic chart. Fans saw Monty prominently featured in the music video, rhyming while he drives a BMW i8 through the streets of Jersey. In September 2015, the Monty and Fetty Wap collaborative track “My Way” was nominated at the BET Hip Hop Awards for Best Collaboration, Duo or Group.
When Fetty Wap’s debut album dropped in late September 2015, Monty’s vocals were featured on a whopping 9 of the 20 tracks, by far the most of any of the album’s guest artists. After the album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200, it also went on to be well-played overseas, charting at No. 2 on the UK R&B Albums chart and higher than No. 15 on the albums charts of countries such as Australia, Canada, and Sweden. After P-Dice left the Remy Boyz in the fall of 2015, in October 2015, Monty was featured along with Fetty Wap in Vice Media’s “Noisey Raps” series, with the duo dubbed The Zoo Gang. Under the stage name Remy Boy Monty, Monty’s single “Cash Green” hit the airwaves on October 6, 2015.
On December 2, 2015, Monty released his debut album as a leading artist: Monty Zoo – The Mixtape. The underground hip hop label Empire Distribution and RGF Productions handled the release. With Fetty Wap featured on ten of the seventeen tracks and other guest artists such as Tapia and Oskama, the tracks utilized production from such as up-and-comers as Frenzy, Dre the Drummer, and Sonny Digital. The album also included production by trap instrumental legend Metro Boomin, known for working with Wiz Khalifa and Ludacris.
In good fun, Fetty Wap brought Monty in as a guest artist on the single “Merry Xmas” on December 15, 201, and two days later they released the collaboration “Handgun.” With production by Zaytoven, the track was released as a promotion for their upcoming tour. February 2016 will see Monty embark on the “Welcome to the Zoo” tour with Fetty Wap and opener Post Malone, a singer from Dallas. Over a span of seven weeks, the long-term collaborators will hit cities across the United States in a series of 24 performances. Making their way from coast to coast as part of the Energy Outbreak Tour organized by Monster Energy and Idol Roc Entertainment, performances are scheduled at esteemed venues such as the House of Blues in both Chicago and Dallas, and Irving Plaza in New York.
Monty is currently the CEO of the Remy Boyz record imprint and company. Beyond Fetty Wap, artists on the imprint include newcomers such as Chaos and Tap. Learn more about Remy Boy Monty and his upcoming events through histwitter account, and don’t forget to pick up Monty Zoo and his most recent single on iTunes.
