French Montana Talks Custom Yeezys, Kanye Wanting to Sell $1,000 Sneakers

French Montana came into the Bleacher Report offices in one of his favorite pair of kicks—custom Yeezys featuring art in the theme of Kanye West's album Graduation and prominently featuring Dropout Bear. They're one-of-one and have (real) gold lace tips, which complement the Takashi Murakami-style the 2007 album cover paid homage to.

"The guy that gave them to me, he hit me from Africa, he's a designer," Montana said. "I just loved the whole Graduation theme, and he had taken so much time and effort. He redid them cause Graduation is my favorite Kanye album."

The 32-year-old, who grew up in the South Bronx, wears sneakers from every brand and was one of the first to wear the cream white Yeezy Boost 350 in public. He's also made an appearance on Sneaker Shopping with Complex.

Montana's riding the success of the single "Unforgettable" featuring Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd, and his new album, Jungle Rules, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. As Montana munched on a bag of Sun Chips, Bleacher Report spoke to him about his favorite sneakers growing up, his holy grail shoe and his thoughts on Kanye's influence on sneaker culture and fashion.

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Bleacher Report: What are your three favorite sneakers that you own?

French Montana: "The purple Foamposites. The orange, green and white Bo Jacksons. The lime green Air Max 95."

B/R: Any story behind why they're your favorite?

FM: "FM: "It was a high school thing. I would go to school and wanted the purple Foamposites when Penny [Hardaway] first came out with them. They were just out of this world. I was always wearing white Bo Jacksons because when they hit, I was crying. And the lime green Air Maxes, that was the birth of a new shape of sneakers for me."

B/R: Was high school where your interest in sneakers started?

FM: "FM: "Yeah, it was. I think that's when everyone's sneaker stuff started. You don't got cars yet, so all you think about is sneakers. You put on new sneakers, it was like waiting for someone to say, "Yo, that s--t is fly." Then you graduate after high school and it turns into cars. As soon I left high school, all I wanted was a Lexus."

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B/R: Was there a sneaker you wanted in high school that you were really excited to get as an adult?

FM: "Nah, I don't think so cause back then, sneakers weren't that expensive. Back then you couldn't buy something and sell it back for four or five grand. I dare you to come to school with something on your feet worth $4,000. You're gonna get jumped in the locker room. It was more like sneakers and then the jackets."

B/R: Is there a holy grail sneaker for you that's escaped?

FM: "I don't think so. I think I've got them all. I'll probably get the purple Foamposites again, but I don't know if nobody's got the original ones."

B/R: What is the story behind your love for the purple Foamposites?

FM: "I feel like that was the first time you saw a basketball player put money into sneakers. The shine on them, the first time you wore them, you were like, "This s--t is worth the money I spent." Jordans were just different colors, but like what is it. It's all the same sneaker. Imagine someone else coming out with the Foamposites being like 'Boom, look at these joints.'"

B/R: When you were able to get Foamposites for the first time, what was that like?

FM: "When I got them, they weren't even dope no more. Like, I'm good."

B/R: Did you get a sense of satisfaction from getting them?

FM: "Sometimes, I'm just good when other people have s--t. When you get it, it's just like, this is what that was all about?

B/R: When you first started having success, was there a sneaker you needed to buy?

FM: "Probably the Yeezys. I hit [Kanye] up and he gave me the white ones two years before they came out. Somebody was trying to buy them off of me for $25,000."

B/R: How do you view Kanye's success in sneakers and how he's affected the entire sneaker game?

FM: "I love it, bro. He's a special kind of guy. He's successful at what he do as far as fashion and everything. Everything he puts his hands on, it always seems to blow up. The Off-Whites, Fear of God, everything that he touches helps other people. His sense of fashion is epic. He's proved it."

B/R: Why do you think everything he does turns into gold?

FM: "Because he's into fashion. He really spends millions of millions of dollars in fashion. When I sat down with him before he tried to sign me, he was talking about his sneakers coming out with Nike for $1,000. I don't think nobody ever thought like that, wanting to sell sneakers for 90 grand. I was like, 'Excuse me? Is that the master of all of the sneakers?' I didn't even ask him, but shout out to Kanye. I don't know if he moved to London or was going to move to London at that time for the fashion, but he really spent a lot of money in fashion. For somebody that believes in something that much, I wouldn't even question him."