Montana of 300, called mostly only Montana, is a young Chicago based rapper who became known for his great way of combining rap and R&B and giving it a subtle religious connotation.
Early years
He was born as Walter Anthony Bradford on March 3, 1989, in the town of Chicago in the state of Illinois, in the United States. He said that he was very thankful for the fact he was born there because he was given many chances and could meet a lot of people he looked up to work with them.
He was often called Tony (short for Anthony) and he began making hip hop rhymes as a very young teen. He always liked music but hip hop seemed like a great way to send messages to young people.
He was raised in a big family, with five siblings and is still very attached to them and they are all very supportive of one another.
He said that if they were not as close as they were, it would be a huge problem and they would grow up to be much more deviant than they were.
He was influenced by 2Pac and Jay Z from the hip-hop scene and he always hoped that he will meet Jay-Z or Lil Wayne in person. He wanted to work with them and share his rhymes with them because he felt as if he was good enough to raise their game.
Although he grew up surrounded by drugs and alcohol he learned from an early age that these substances are not a good choice for him.
That is because he has seen what drugs and alcohol did to his parents. His mother was addicted to crack and was never there when he needed. On the other hand, his father was an alcoholic and sometimes lost temper when he drank.
Both of them were unable to work constantly and keep their jobs and provide for their children. This was really hard for the family and they had to tighten their belt in order to live a sustainable life.
When he got older he stated that he never used nor will he use any drugs and similar substances because he doesn’t want to ruin his brain and character like his parents did and that he will never forget what is important in life.
Career development
In 2008, Montana started thinking seriously about entering the hip-hop scene so he created a rap group named „300“. He wanted to become famous but didn’t know how he was going to get the attention. He didn’t want to get involved in any controversy.
He did it in the company of his high school friend Montelle Talley and a few other friends who were interested in music. They loved to hang out together because they felt as if they were also getting closer. It’s good to connect with friends as well.
The idea for the name came from a spectacular movie called „300“ which speaks about the victory of 300 Spartans over thousand of Persians. He loves to spend time watching adventurous movies and thinks that this specific movie is very brave and has a good vibe.
It speaks about bravery and not wanting to surrender although odds are not on your side. This is all about life.
He claims it was very inspirational for him and gave him the strength to pursue his dreams.
The release of his first mixtape came in 2014 and it had an interesting name: „Cursed with a Blessing“. The most popular singles from it were „Ice Cream Truck“ and „Holy Ghost“. They gained a lot of views, but they were hoping it will become a bit bigger.
In 2015 he had his first TV show appearance through a cameo role in a very famous musical drama series aired on Fox and called „Empire“. He said that he would like to build a career based off of acting, but he didn’t have time for this. He said that maybe later he would like to produce movies as well.
Again in 2015, he made a collaboration with Talley of 300 after which they released a mixtape titled „Gunz and Roses“. This did pretty well and he gained a lot of fans from all over the world.
In spring of 2016, Montana announced that his first album named „Fire in the Church“ is going to be released in May. The album contains eighteen tracks and it entered the Billboard 200 chart on the position 95. The album had a guest appearance of Kevin Gates.
One year later he has released a new album, featured by artists from his Fly Guy label and it was named „No Surrender No Retreat“.
He has also released his solo album named „Don’t Doubt the God“ which came out in the summer.
Before coming out through his studio albums he was already known to his online audience so it was a good start for him.
He has released numerous remixes through his YouTube channel and significantly increased his fanbase by uploading video and music on social media platforms.
He was aware of the power of media so he was and still is very active on Youtube, Twitter, Instagram and more. He often posts and uploads photos.
The band named „300“ stopped their collaboration in 2014 but both Montana and the former band member Talley kept the number „300“.
In 2014, Montana made a remix which went viral and was seen by millions. It was a remix of the single „Chi-Raq“, originally performed by Nicki Minaj and Lil Herb.
Montana released this remix (just as most of his remixes) through digital download. He received great feedback from people and hoped to work more with those that he aspired to be like.
In May 2017 it was found out that Montana is incarcerated and that he is in prison but the reason for it was never revealed.
This was a huge controversy in the media and it almost ended his career. People thought he was going to be canceled because of this, but he made his way out of the troubles.
He posted a message to his fans asking them to buy his new album but he didn’t reveal where he is. It is known that he was released in.
He released his new album in 2018 and the album is titled “Pray for the Devil“. It was released as a sort of the sequel to his EP named „Black Sunday“. The album has guest appearances from $avage, No Fatigue, and Don D.
It is known that he released his albums on the same dates, on May 20th every year. That is very unusual but keeps him in work since he cannot go over his word and disappoint his fans.
He said that it was a big problem to keep up with his music career with all of the controversy going on and some were hoping to hear about the trouble and hear him apologize.
When he was asked why he releases his albums only at that date he stated that he owes it to his fans to give them at least a dozen good songs from one year to another.
He caused controversy after he asked for crowdfunding his single „Who Run It“ with $15 k.
He is an independent artist and hasn’t been signed to label although he always gets offers. He likes to be independent and has control of himself.
Personal life
It is not known who he dates currently since he is not so open about his personal life. He is still single and was never married.
He is a father of two boys. He likes to read self-improvement book because they contain stories which give him material to think about.
His brothers are into sports, just like he did when he was in high-school.
He was good both in playing football and in running track. He says that he would be a player at the NFL if there wasn’t his love for rapping.
When he speaks about himself he says that he had no religion but that he is spiritual and feels there is somethinh bigger than this.
In 2010 he got charged for carrying a gun and he has locked up again in the near past and was behind bars in June 2017, when his album “Don’t doubt God” was released.
He made a phone interview with the XXL magazine where he explained a few things to his fans. He explained that he decided to release the album because life doesn’t stop when bad things happen to you and that he has to earn money no matter where he is.
He also stated that he has been grateful for the time he spent in jail because he appreciates God and freedom even more. Many people think he is saying this because he doesn’t want to seem too guilty for his actions, but others think his feelings are genuine.
Quick summary
Full name: Walter Anthony Bradford
Date of birth: March 3, 1989
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Age: 30
Profession: rapper, producer
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 75 kgs
Net Worth: $0.8 million