French Montana originally dropped "Unforgettable" back on his 32nd birthday in November 2016 - at that point, it featured Jeremih and Rae Sremmurd's Swae Lee – but it was quickly removed from the internet. The final version was released on April 7, 2017 and cuts Jeremih's contribution, leaving only Swae Lee's vocals on the track.

The remixed version comes with an emotional backstory from Montana in an Instagram post, in which he describes his family's immigration from Morocco to America, accompanied by a picture from his parents' wedding day in Africa. "I didn't know any English," he revealed. "It was tough because I thought we were moving into the high rises of NYC, but we ended up in the back streets of the South Bronx lol. It was still better than back home in Morocco, but my father had a hard time and wanted to move back. My mother knew we couldn't because there weren't any opportunities there and she sacrificed a lot for us to survive in the states. We were on welfare and she worked overtime to keep us fed, clothed and a roof over our heads. I promised my mother that I would hustle and make my accomplishments unforgettable once I found my opportunity. I want other people who might be struggling to know that the sky is not the limit… You can do unforgettable things, so I present to you my single 'Unforgettable.'"

For the song's music video, French Montana flew to Uganda, inspired by a clip he came across of African children dancing barefoot in rocky, muddy terrain. The Bronx MC explained to Billboard magazine: "I listen to a lot of African music. I was on the computer going through it, and I ran across these kids. I was a fan and I felt like I saw me in them, 'cause I grew up in Africa when I was their age. I was doing the same thing they were doing. In my head, I was playing 'Unforgettable.' They were just dancing and I fell in love with it and said, 'I gotta find these kids.' It was something new, it was a breath of fresh air. With having gone through living in poverty and being happy with nothing, they channel that through their dance moves and their energy. Them having no TVs and just learning how to dance, it just makes them have their own moves and their own swagger."