Montana Montana Montana’s journey into the world of independent hip-hop music began in Bakersfield, California, way before he thought music was going to be his career. The city’s position in the Central Valley provided him with access to various musical influences from around the state, including Bay Area street rap, Chicano music, and even the Southern California hip-hop style.
The thing that drew his attention at first was the fact that there was independence in this type of music. Artists found ways of recording, packaging, distributing, and selling their songs without relying on any major record company. This idea would become the basis for Montana’s career and 925five Records. “I was interested in how somebody could take their own story, record it, package it, sell it, and create an identity without waiting on a major record company,” Montana explains.
From Bakersfield to the Bay Area
Montana's affiliation with the Bay Area came through connections rather than an effort to take on another city’s identity. His relocation from one California music scene to another helped him understand that regional scenes can foster their own musicians, entrepreneurs, and fans.
His relationship with J-Diggs became particularly crucial. Through J-Diggs and the broader Thizz Entertainment & Thizz Nation ecosystem connected to the legacy of Mac Dre, Montana gained a closer understanding of what independent West Coast music could become when artists built their own networks and businesses. He understood that being independent was not only about making music but also about distribution, manufacturing, promotion, merchandising, performance, and management of finances.
This became especially true for Montana Montana Montana after releasing his debut project, J Diggs Presents Really Not a Rapper, in 2014. Featuring such artists as J Diggs, Philthy Rich, D-Lo, Messy Marv, Joe Blow, San Quinn, J. Stalin, and many others, the album introduced Montana to a wider independent West Coast audience while placing a Bakersfield artist inside an established network. It marked the beginning of a deeper understanding of the professional side, establishing the foundation for the catalog he would continue building.
The Philosophy Behind #RNAR and 925five Records
The phrase “Really Not a Rapper” eventually grew into an identity encompassing business and personal experience along with music. "I never wanted music to be the only definition of who I am," Montana says. This philosophy guided the creation of 925five Records, a label firmly rooted in his Bakersfield origins. Instead of waiting for someone else to build his career, Montana wanted to create an organization that could exist regardless of individual distribution or label partnerships.
Montana's career has included collaborations with T-Team, City Hall Records, Rapbay/Urbanlife, Black Market Records, and EMPIRE. Each was valuable in its own right, but 925five has always been a constant.
“I learned to separate partnership from ownership,” Montana explains. That perspective now sits alongside the music itself. Montana is returning with new material while continuing to strengthen the company and catalog he has spent years building. The next chapter sees a continuation of #RNAR with Really Not a Rapper 7, set to be released soon.
For Montana Montana Montana, his return is about more than releasing another project. It brings together the Bakersfield roots that started the story, the West Coast relationships that helped expand it, the independent catalog built over the years, and the ownership structure behind 925five Records. The music remains central, but it now comes from an artist with considerably more history behind him and a clearer understanding of what he wants to build ahead.
While we await the release of Really Not a Rapper 7, listen to Montana Montana Montana’s other releases on YouTube: