He began creating beats in 1997, gathering experience as a producer and DJ on a regional level and also becoming a member of a rap crew called Bizness Music. When he sent a demo CD to Bushido's ersguterjunge label in 2006, he was invited to participate in the production of the label's first sampler, Nemesis. In October 2006, Montana released his first record, Blackout, a collaboration with Chakuza. After contributing to two more label samplers (2006's Vendetta and 2007's Alles Gute Kommt von Unten), Montana issued a "street album," 2007's Mukke Aus der Unterschicht, which entered the German album charts at number 61. Two sequels to the album followed in 2008 and 2009, which charted at numbers 35 and 45, respectively. He had a small part in Bushido's feature film debut Zeiten Andern Dich, rapping the song "Weg Eines Kriegers" in one scene, but left Bushido's label in March 2011. He released a mixtape titled Ein Hauch von Gift the same year. 2012 finally saw the release of Montana's first full-fledged solo album, Gift, which was released on fellow rapper Vega's Freunde von Niemand label and entered the German charts at number 32. ~ Christian Genzel