The photo tells a powerful story—a young couple on their wedding day in Morocco, full of hope and dreams. Years later, that same image would become the artwork for one of hip-hop’s biggest hits, “Unforgettable.” But the man in that photo, Abdela Kharbouch, lived a life far from the glitz of his son’s fame. His story is one of struggle, tough choices, and a decision that would change his family forever.
Abdela Kharbouch gained attention as the father of the famous rapper French Montana (born Karim Kharbouch). Unlike typical celebrity parent stories, Abdela’s tale is complex and emotional. He’s the man who brought his family to America seeking a better life, then left them behind in the Bronx when things got too hard. This decision shaped his son into one of hip-hop’s most successful artists, though not in the way anyone expected.
What makes Abdela’s story special is its honesty about the immigrant experience. Not every American Dream ends in success. Some dreams fail, forcing impossible decisions. Abdela represents countless fathers who struggled between staying in a country where they couldn’t survive and returning to where they came from. His choice to leave haunted his family but also accidentally created the hunger that drove French Montana to superstardom.
Profile Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Abdela Kharbouch |
| Known As | French Montana’s Father |
| Born | Estimated 1950s-1960s |
| Birthplace | Morocco (countryside near Casablanca) |
| Age | Estimated 60s-70s |
| Height | Not publicly disclosed |
| Weight | Not publicly disclosed |
| Profession | Former jewelry seller, gold merchant |
| Active Years | 1980s-1990s (business activities) |
| Famous For | Father of rapper French Montana, subject of documentary “For Khadija” |
Who Is Abdela Kharbouch?
Abdela Kharbouch exists in public memory primarily through his son’s eyes. He’s not a celebrity himself but became a crucial character in French Montana’s origin story. When people search for Abdela, they’re looking for the man behind the abandonment narrative that French Montana openly discusses in interviews and his 2023 documentary “For Khadija.”
His fame journey is unconventional. Abdela didn’t seek the spotlight—it found him when his son became a multi-platinum rapper. French Montana never hid his father’s story. Instead, he shared it as part of his identity, discussing how Abdela’s departure from their Bronx home forced him to become the man of the house at 17. This openness turned Abdela from a private figure into a subject of public curiosity.
The documentary “For Khadija” brought renewed attention to Abdela’s story in 2023. While the film focused on French Montana’s mother and her sacrifices, Abdela’s absence loomed large throughout. Viewers saw wedding photos, heard stories about the Morocco years, and watched French Montana process his complicated feelings about his father. The film didn’t villainize Abdela but presented him as a man who made what he thought was the best choice under impossible circumstances.
Early Life and Education
Abdela grew up in rural Morocco, in the countryside outside Casablanca. Details about his childhood remain scarce, but what’s known paints a picture of hardship. He came from a working-class background in a country where economic opportunities were limited for most people. The Morocco of the 1960s and 1970s, when Abdela came of age, struggled with poverty and unemployment.
His family story includes time spent in jail during the 1980s. In fact, Abdela was incarcerated when his first son, Karim (French Montana) was born in 1984. From behind bars, he named his newborn son—a detail that adds layers to their complicated relationship. This early incarceration suggests Abdela was involved in activities to make money, possibly illegal hustles that were common for young men with few options.
Little is documented about Abdela’s formal education. Like many in his generation and economic class in Morocco, he likely had limited schooling. His skills came from the streets rather than classrooms. He learned to hustle, to sell, and to survive in an economy that offered little to those without connections or capital.
His first steps toward building a life involved the gold and jewelry trade in Casablanca. Morocco had a thriving precious metals market, and Abdela found work selling gold and jewelry. This wasn’t a stable corporate job, but the informal economy where men carried their inventory and sought buyers daily. It wasa hustle-to-hustle existence, never knowing what tomorrow would bring.
Career and Professional Life
Abdela’s career can’t be measured in traditional terms like promotions or retirement packages. His work life was about survival. In Morocco, he operated as a jewelry seller, likely working the markets and streets of Casablanca. This type of work provided just enough income to support his growing family on their estate outside the city.
His big break, at least in his mind, came with the opportunity to move his family to America in 1996. Abdela secured I-20 visas for himself, his wife Khadija Guled, and their two sons Karim and Zack. This wasn’t easy—getting those visas required paperwork, money, and connections. For Abdela, America represented the ultimate upgrade from selling gold in Moroccan markets.
The family landed in the South Bronx, one of New York City’s toughest neighborhoods. Abdela tried multiple business ventures, hoping to replicate his Morocco hustle in American markets. But his businesses “went bad on him,” as French Montana later explained. The language barrier crushed him. He couldn’t speak English well enough to navigate American business culture or compete with established merchants.
Abdela’s career achievements, if you can call them that, exist mainly in what he attempted rather than accomplished. He tried to provide for his family in two countries. He got them to America, which countless Moroccans dreamed of but never achieved. His biggest failure was also his most defining moment—when his paperwork was denied after two years in America, and he faced the choice of staying illegally or returning home.
No awards decorated Abdela’s life. His special achievement was producing a son who would become famous enough to tell his story. Without French Montana’s success, Abdela would’ve remained just another immigrant whose American Dream didn’t work out.
Net Worth and Work
Abdela Kharbouch’s financial situation was never comfortable. In Morocco, his jewelry-selling provided basic survival income. The family lived on an estate outside Casablanca, suggesting they weren’t destitute, but they weren’t wealthy either. His earnings came from daily sales, whatever he could negotiate in the market.
His main work remained small-scale jewelry trading. This type of work meant variable income—good days and bad days, feast and famine. No steady paycheck, no benefits, no security. Just the contents of his inventory and his ability to convince people to buy.
Abdela had no side businesses or brand deals. He wasn’t building an empire. He was trying to feed his family and maybe save enough to change their circumstances. His decision to pursue American opportunities showed he was thinking bigger than just daily survival, but he lacked the resources or skills to make those dreams real.
Properties weren’t part of Abdela’s portfolio in any meaningful way. When French Montana reunited with his father in Morocco in 2012, he found Abdela living in a rundown apartment with unemployment problems. The walls displayed photos of his sons, the only wealth he seemed to possess. French Montana gave his father $10,000 during that visit—more money than Abdela probably earned in years of selling jewelry.
Current estimates of Abdela’s net worth would be speculative at best, but all evidence suggests he never accumulated significant wealth. He represents the vast majority of immigrants whose stories don’t end in riches but in survival, sacrifice, and complicated family dynamics.
Personal Life
Abdela married Khadija Guled, a woman of Somali origin living in Morocco. Their wedding took place in 1984, the same year their first son was born. The wedding photo shows a young couple in traditional dress, Abdela in a suit and Khadija in white, both looking hopeful. That image would later gain fame when French Montana used it as artwork for “Unforgettable,” turning his parents’ wedding into a symbol recognized by millions.
His love life centers entirely on Khadija. There’s no public information about relationships before her or after their separation. When Abdela proposed taking the family back to Morocco in 1996, Khadija refused. She was pregnant with their third son, Ayoub, and wouldn’t leave America. Abdela went alone, ending their marriage in practice if not officially.
Abdela fathered three sons. Karim (French Montana) was born in 1984 while Abdela was incarcerated. Zack came next, followed by Ayoub, who was born in America after Abdela left. Abdela didn’t meet Ayoub until 2012, when the boy was already a teenager. That first meeting came during French Montana’s Morocco visit—a father meeting his youngest son after 16 years of absence.
Close friends aren’t documented in available information about Abdela. His social circle, his support system, his daily companions—all remain unknown. What is known is that he kept photos of his sons on his walls in Morocco, suggesting they remained central to his thoughts despite the distance.
His living style post-America was modest to poor. The rundown apartment French Montana found him in during 2012 didn’t suggest comfort or success. Abdela struggled with unemployment and apparently never rebuilt the life he’d imagined. He went from being a father raising his family to a man living alone with photographs.
Current Life
Information about Abdela’s current activities remains limited. He’s now in his 60s or 70s, still living in Morocco. Whether he remains in Casablanca or moved elsewhere isn’t publicly documented. His son’s fame hasn’t translated into a public profile for Abdela himself.
Latest news about Abdela comes indirectly through French Montana’s life. When French Montana got engaged to Dubai Princess Sheikha Mahra in August 2025, media coverage briefly mentioned his father’s story as context for the rapper’s background. But Abdela himself doesn’t generate headlines.
The relationship between father and son appears to have evolved into peaceful acceptance. French Montana has stated multiple times that he doesn’t harbor anger toward his father. He believes Allah moved his father out of his life for a reason, that the abandonment shaped him into who he needed to become. This spiritual perspective suggests reconciliation, even if they’re not close.
Recent activities for Abdela aren’t tracked by media. He doesn’t maintain a public social media presence. He’s not doing interviews about his famous son. He exists in the background of French Montana’s story, acknowledged but not spotlighted. His current relationship with his other two sons, Zack and Ayoub, also remains private.
Future plans for an elderly man who struggled economically probably involve simply living out his remaining years in Morocco. Whether French Montana provides financial support isn’t publicly confirmed, but the $10,000 gift in 2012 suggests the rapper doesn’t want his father suffering even if their relationship remains complicated.
Quick Facts
- First significant life event captured on record: His 1984 wedding to Khadija Guled, later immortalized as artwork for “Unforgettable”
- Main hustle: Selling gold and jewelry in Casablanca markets
- Languages: Arabic, Berber dialects, limited English
- Living situation 2012: Rundown apartment in Morocco with son’s photos on walls
- Failed ventures: Multiple businesses in South Bronx that went bad
- Toughest decision: Leaving wife and two sons in America, returning to Morocco alone
- Special role: Inadvertently shaping French Montana’s hunger and ambition through absence
- Reunion moment: 2012 Morocco meeting with all three sons, including 16-year-old Ayoub for first time
- Gift received: $10,000 from French Montana during 2012 reunion
- Legacy: Father figure whose absence defined his son’s success story
Conclusion About Abdela Kharbouch
Abdela Kharbouch’s best work wasn’t a business success or career achievement. His most important contribution was survival—surviving jail in Morocco, surviving poverty, surviving the impossible choice between staying in a country where he couldn’t make it and leaving his young sons behind. His story proves that life isn’t simple, that people make terrible choices under crushing circumstances, and that those choices echo through generations.
The life lessons from Abdela’s story are uncomfortable. Not every immigrant succeeds. Not every father can bear the weight of providing for his family in a foreign land where he can’t speak the language or understand the culture. Sometimes leaving creates more opportunity than staying ever could. French Montana became the man of the house at 17 because his father left, and that early responsibility forged the determination that built a music empire.
Abdela’s future goals, if he has any beyond simple survival, remain his own. He’s lived long enough to see his firstborn son achieve wealth and fame beyond anything he imagined when naming baby Karim from a Moroccan jail cell. Whether that brings him pride, regret, or complicated mixture of both is known only to him. His story reminds us that behind every success story stands a more complex family history than headlines suggest.
DISCLAIMER: All information here comes from trusted sources, including interviews, documentaries, and verified media reports. If you find any mistakes or need updates, please let us know. We’ll check and fix them quickly.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: What do you think about Abdela Kharbouch’s story? Tell us in the comments how complicated family stories shape our understanding of success and sacrifice!
