Montana

Montana ⁱ/mɒnˈtænə/ is a state in the Western region of the United States. The state's name is derived from the Spanish word montaña (mountain). Montana has several nicknames, although none official, including "Big Sky Country" and "The Treasure State", and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains" and more recently "The Last Best Place". Montana is ranked 4th in size, but 44th in population and 48th in population density of the 50 United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller island ranges are found throughout the state. In total, 77 named ranges are part of the Rocky Mountains.

The economy is primarily based on agriculture, including ranching and cereal grain farming. Other significant economic activities include oil, gas, coal and hard rock mining, lumber, and the fastest-growing sector, tourism. The health care, service, and government sectors also are significant to the state's economy. Millions of tourists annually visit Glacier National Park, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and Yellowstone National Park.

Partnership

A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations organizations may partner together to increase the likelihood of each achieving their mission and to amplify their reach. A partnership may result in issuing and holding equity or may be only governed by a contract. Partnership agreements can be formed in the following areas:

Billings, Montana

Billings is the largest city in the state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area with a population of 166,855. It has a trade area of over half a million people.

Billings is located in the south-central portion of the state and is the county seat of Yellowstone County, which had a 2014 population of 155,634. The 2013 Census estimates put the Billings population at 109,059 the only city in Montana to surpass 100,000 people. The city is experiencing rapid growth and a strong economy; it has had and is continuing to have the largest growth of any city in Montana. Parts of the metro area are seeing hyper growth. From 2000 to 2010 Lockwood, an eastern suburb of the city, saw growth of 57.8%, the largest growth rate of any community in Montana. Billings has avoided the economic downturn that affected most of the nation 2008–2012 as well as avoiding the housing bust. With the Bakken oil development in eastern Montana and western North Dakota, the largest oil discovery in U.S. history, as well as the Heath shale oil discovery just north of Billings, the city's already rapid growth rate is escalating.

French Montana

Karim Kharbouch (born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, former videographer, and hip hop socialite. Born in Morocco, his family emigrated to the US when he was 13 years old. He is the founder of Coke Boys Music, and its predecessor Cocaine City Records. In 2012, he signed a joint-venture recording deal with Bad Boy Records and Maybach Music Group. Montana has been known for his frequent collaborations with producer Harry Fraud, and with rapper Max B before his conviction. More recently he is known for his collaborations with Rick Ross, Diddy and his MMG and Bad Boy labelmates along with his Coke Boys which include the late Chinx, Lil Durk, and his brother Zack.

French made his mixtape debut in 2007, and released his debut studio album Excuse My French on May 21, 2013. In 2003, he survived a gunshot to the head. Allegedly blackballed by radio and media in his earlier career stemming from his stint with Max B. In 2010, he had his breakthrough with "Choppa Choppa Down" which became a regional hit in clubs and radio throughout the South. By 2012, his single "Shot Caller" would be one of the most added/played tracks on urban contemporary radio in the country. His most successful commercial single "Pop That" remains a popular hit on club and summertime radio playlists to date. In 2014, French Montana was dating Khloé Kardashian, and the couple would be the frequent subject of tabloids and celebrity gossip. The couple formally broke up in mid-2015; French has also been linked to rapper Trina and actress Sanaa Lathan. Best known for his mixtapes, club hits, and feature collaborations, he has been called titles from "King of Mixtapes" to "King of Features".

Rae Sremmurd

Rae Sremmurd is an American hip hop duo, composed of two brothers, Khalif "Swae Lee" Brown (20 years old) and Aaquil "Slim Jimmy" Brown (22 years old). They are best known for their platinum singles "No Flex Zone" and "No Type"; the latter peaked at numbers 36 and 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100, respectively. They are based in Atlanta, Georgia. Their debut album SremmLife was released on January 6, 2015. The name "Rae Sremmurd" is derived from the duo's home label, EarDrummers, by spelling each word backwards. The two have drawn comparison to Kris Kross.

History

2013: Career beginnings

The duo had been working for several years under the moniker "Dem Outta St8 Boyz", producing music at home and playing at local parties in their mom's basement and bars respectively. Back then they went by the names Kid Krunk (Swae Lee), Caliboy (Slim Jimmy) and Lil Pantz who is no longer a part of the group. They used money from their part-time jobs to be able to partake in traveling and auditioning in contests. The boys performed as a trio with additional kid, Andre Harrys and appeared on television during the "Wild Out Wednesday" segment of BET's hip hop and R&B show 106 and Park. The trio appeared on the segment for a second time, in which they finished second place overall in the competition, and had also managed to have meetings with representatives from record labels Def Jam Recordings and Sony Music, although they were unable to sign a record deal.