Montana of 300
Montana of 300 | |
|---|---|
| Born | Walter Anthony Bradford March 3, 1989 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, vocalist, songwriter |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Known for | Hip-hop collective 300, studio albums including Fire in the Church |
Walter Anthony "Tony" Bradford (born March 3, 1989), widely recognized by his stage names Montana of 300 or simply Montana, is an American rapper, vocalist, and songwriter originating from Peoria, Illinois. During his high school years, he co-established the hip-hop collective 300 alongside Talley of 300. His inaugural studio album, Fire in the Church (2016), secured a position on the Billboard 200 chart. Subsequently, he released four albums—Don't Doubt the God (2017), Pray 4 the Devil (2018), A Gun In The Teacher’s Desk (2018), and Views from the General's Helmet (2019)—all debuting on May 20. After several postponements, his sixth and final album, Rap God (2022), was unveiled.
Early life
Born in Chicago, Illinois on March 3, 1989, Tony Bradford grew up with two brothers and three sisters. He began rapping at age 15, drawing inspiration from artists such as Tupac, DMX, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z. Both of his parents faced struggles with substance abuse—his father battled alcoholism while his mother was addicted to crack cocaine—which influenced Montana to steer clear of drugs to safeguard his mental well-being.
In 2008, Montana teamed up with his high school companion Montelle Talley ("Talley of 300") to form the rap group "300," named after the film about Spartan warriors triumphing against formidable odds. The group's guiding principle—"No Surrender, No Retreat, Only the hard, only the strong, Against all odds"—served as a source of motivation for Montana.
Career
Montana introduced his debut mixtape titled Cursed with a Blessing in 2014. He appeared briefly on the television series Empire in September 2015. Later that year, in December, Montana and Talley of 300 collaborated on the mixtape Gunz and Roses, which included tracks such as "FGE Cypher" and "Mf's Mad".
On May 20, 2016, Montana released his first studio album, Fire in the Church. This 18-track project featured contributions exclusively from Fly Guy Entertainment artists and Kevin Gates, earning acclaim from XXL for its "heat-seeking bars and thought-provoking metaphors". The album reached number 95 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Following this, on February 10, 2017, Montana put out a compilation album titled No Surrender No Retreat, featuring fellow Fly Guy label artists.
On February 11, 2025, Montana was taken into custody facing several allegations including Criminal Trespassing, Domestic Battery, Resisting Arrest, and Theft.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/HH | US Rap | US Ind. | ||
| Fire in the Church |
|
95 | 7 | 2 | 11 |
| Don't Doubt the God |
|
— | — | 4 | 22 |
| Pray for the Devil |
|
— | — | 3 | 37 |
| A Gun in the Teachers Desk |
|
— | — | 10 | — |
| Views from the General's Helmet |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Rap God |
|
— | — | — | 1 |
Mixtapes
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
| Cursed With a Blessing |
|
| Gunz n Roses (collaboration with Talley of 300) |
|
Compilation album
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
| No Surrender No Retreat (in partnership with Fly Guy Entertainment) |
|
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Derrick Rose MVP Song" | 2011 | Non-album single |
| "Ice Cream Truck" | 2014 | Cursed With a Blessing |
| "Gas Mask" (with Talley of 300) |
2015 | Gunz n Roses |
| "Nothing New" (with Talley of 300) | ||
| "You Know" (with Talley of 300) | ||
| "Mf's Mad, Pt. 2" (feat. Talley of 300) |
2016 | Fire in the Church |
| "Land of the Dark" | ||
| "Here Now" | ||
| "Wts Now" | ||
| "Dirty Dancin'" | 2017 | Don't Doubt the God |
| "Ugly" | 2018 | Pray for the Devil |
| "Chiraq vs. NY" | ||
| "Been a Beast" | 2018 | A Gun in the Teacher's Desk |
| "Dip-n-Sauce" |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Bad Combo" (Nasty Nem featuring Montana of 300) |
2014 | Non-album single |
| "Black On Black Everything" (Talley Of 300 featuring Montana of 300) |
Thanksgiving | |
| "Upstate RockStar" (Locx featuring Montana of 300) |
2015 | Non-album single |
| "Stephen Curry" (J Real featuring Montana of 300) |
Non-album single | |
| "Black Out" (Jax Teller featuring Montana of 300) |
Just Another Crazy Kraka | |
| "Like Me" (Jewelz Montalvo featuring Montana of 300, Abbie and Tatiana Carrion) |
2016 | Non-album single |
| "Come Up" (Innocent featuring Montana of 300) |
2017 |
Filmography
| Year | Series | Character | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Empire | Jamming Prisoner | Featured in episode: "Without a Country" |
| 2017 | The Quad | Dreds | Appeared in episode: "Pilot" |