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Lord Infamous: The Man, The Myth, The
Legend is back to headbussin’. Down-South got the exclusive with Scarecrow
himself:
Can you introduce yourself?
Okay. What’s up man? This is Lord Infamous, the Scarecrow. You know, from Three
6 Mafia fame. Black Rain Entertainment is my new label. Me and II Tone. And I
have a new album out called The Man, The Myth, The Legacy. It’s nice to be doin
this interview with you, man.
You been off the scene for a couple years. What’s been goin on?
Well, man, of course you may know, I did a little time. And me and my brother,
DJ Paul, that’s my brother.. Well before my departure from Three 6 Mafia there’s
been like some, know what I’m sayin, some minor little differences we never
resolved. And bein that I had a lot of ideas, I wanted to venture on my own to
try out some new things. And, you know, I’m forever a part of Three 6 Mafia. I’m
just not doin music with them at the moment. But the love is still there for
them.
And it was between the Unbreakables album and the Most Known Unknown album that
you stopped bein an official member of the group..
Yeah, well, it actually started during Most Known Unknown. Well, the beginning
of Most Known Unknown, I was out at the time, and actually I had titled the
album. And I did a few songs but then I had to go do my time so I didn’t get to
finish the.. They removed those verses from me on that project. And that’s
pretty much basically it for that deal right there, man.
And how long were you locked up?
I did like two years, man. Overall. Yeah.
You’ve never had an official, nation-wide solo album until now, correct?
Yeah, right. Correct, correct. Like my first solo projects were actually during
my underground days, and it was just like regional.. But yeah you correct. This
is my first nationwide solo project. Yeah I would have liked to have done it
with Three 6, but it seems like when I was with the 6, like when I would do a
solo project, we would end up makin it like a Tear Da Club Up Thugz or
something, so it just seemed to never work out that way. But, you know, those
projects always turned out great, so it really was no big deal for me. But, you
know, I wanted to see how I would do on my own. So, you know..
How’s the reaction you’ve been getting from doin it solo? Now it’s directly from
you to the fans..
Yeah. Yeah. They seem to like it so far. I haven’t been getting any bad reviews
so far, not too bad anyway. People seem to be confused about what I’m talking
about on “Where’s the Love”. It’s not a diss song. It’s a song about basically
bringin some things to light that people don’t seem to know about me and what
was goin on with me and the 6, you know. And pretty much on the record I’m
dissin myself. I’m not dissin the group. I’m talking about a lot of the mistakes
I made, you know, kinda like takin responsibility for the things that I did
wrong in the past, you know what I’m sayin. I kinda fucked myself up there, you
know, for a little while. But I kinda bounced back from it, you know. I’m still
learnin, I’m still goin through some things. You know in the past I caught a lot
of drug charges. And you know, people who know Lord Infamous know I dibble
dabble in, you know, drugs a lil. But for a moment in time I was kinda lettin it
take me over. So I had to just take a step back and look at myself, you know,
and do some things different.
You got locked up on drug charges the past time?
Yeah, that’s what the charges were for. Yeah. I caught a charge in a club called
Denim & Diamonds. I had like a couple of ounces of cocaine on me; powdered
cocaine and a lotta pills n stuff. And I admit that I had a bad problem with
powdered cocaine, and, you know, prescription drugs. Yeah.
So did jail give you a new mindframe about that. Are you tryin to lay off it?
(laughs) Are we bein honest?
It’s up to you, man.
Well I’ll give you the exclusive. I still.. I still tamper.. I still do my
thing, but I’m not as bad as I was. I’m not gonna lie.
Appreciate the honestly..
And goin back, you and Paul used to do underground tapes together..
Yeah. Yeah those Come With Me To Hell volumes: we had a Come With Me To Hell
Part 1 and Part 2. And actually before I left the group we always discussed doin
some more Come With Me To Hell volumes cuz, you know, the fans liked those a
lot. And if we ever get back together, I would like to do another one. You know,
that is my brother. I love him, you know what I’m sayin? I always will but, you
know, only time will tell on certain things.
And you were locked up when they received the Oscar, right?
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That was kinda painful to see it, cuz I woulda liked to have
been there with ‘em. Cuz, you know, a lot of the stuff, you know I.. me and Paul
created Three 6, you know. And actually I thought of the name.. we were actually
called Triple 6 Mafia, and I came up with the name. So the group is kinda like
my baby. You know, so seein.. so sittin back and witnessin that.. cuz on up to
that point, the masses didn’t know a lot about Triple 6 Mafia. They knew about
Three 6 Mafia. They knew about Tear Da Club Up Thugz, and that song “Tear da
Club Up”, and “Sippin on Sizzurp”, but they don’t know bout the long road that
came before all that stuff. So, you know, even though I wasn’t a part of that
song that won us the award.. But it was a long road up to that point, so I feel
like I played a large.. And actually when I got out me and Paul had a discussion
about that, you know. I was like, know what I’m sayin: do you feel like I
deserve any credit for that and he agreed that I did. And I feel so too. So, you
know, I would have liked to have been a part of that. But, you know, it just
wasn’t in the cards I guess.
You got T-Rock and La Chat on your album, and they are two people, in a long
line of HCP members, who’ve fallen out with Paul and Juicy. Did you always keep
in touch with them, or how did that come about?
Well, you know, it’s strange about the situation with T-Rock. Cuz actually, when
I was with the 6 we were kinda beefin with T-Rock because, you know what I’m
sayin, some discretions we had with him. But, you know, he’s a young dude, you
know, and I made a lotta mistakes when I was young. And, you know what I’m sayin,
you kinda like a chicken with your head cut off when you that age. You don’t
really know what you wanna do. But I realize that.. just.. T-Rock is a talented
cat. And I didn’t wanna see that go to waste. And it woulda only be in my
benefit if he got on my project. And I figured that would get a couple of eyes
lookin my way. And the situation with Chat and the group, you know, that’s a
whole ‘nother nut to crack, you know, but I didn’t really have any like personal
feelings with them. It was just like a business. And of course I’m gonna be on
my brother’s side in any situation like that. But bein that, you know, I’m not..
It’s not a Three 6 thing right now.. So I had to put all that bullshit aside,
man, and look out for what’s best for me. You know, so.. so I gave T-Rock a
call, man. He was down to do it, so, you know, I wasn’t gonna let an opportunity
like that slide. And I appreciate him gettin on the album. Matter of fact I’m
considerin signin T-Rock, you know.
To Black Rain?
Yeah, you know what I’m sayin. If he’s down with that. And I would like to, know
what I’m sayin, work with Koop, Koopsta Knicca. You know Koop just has a lot of
legal problems, but I’m not one to judge nobody when it comes to that because I
have a lot of those issues myself. But I would like to do a project with him
also.
So does II Tone have an album in the works on the label?
Yeah, well.. actually we’re doin a compilation first cuz we’re workin with this
cat called Enigma. Enigma: him and his clique and my clique kinda cliqued up. We
kinda joined together. A girl named Santerria, a guy named Big Stang, D-Dirt,
and of course Enigma; and me, Mac Montese, and II Tone kinda joined our forces
together and we’re doin a compilation. And after the compilation we’ll start on
II Tone’s album. You know, cuz he actually had an organization called Da
Crime-Click. But we just merged that together because, you know, like I said, I
didn’t realize I was gonna have the opportunity to work with him, you know, this
soon. But bein that I have all this time freed up now. So I just kinda joined
his organization with mine. And well, it’s like a trial for us: my clique,
Enigma’s clique, and his. And we gonna do a compilation. And then we gonna start
workin on II Tone’s album.
Are you still based in Memphis?
Yeah. I love Memphis, man. I don’t plan on leavin this town no time soon. You
know, Paul and them doin their LA thing right now. We always did the New York
thing, but I can’t see myself livin any other place beside Memphis. You know a
lotta people seem to migrate to Atlanta, but you know, the scene out there.. you
know I don’t like bein in cities where you just trippin over rappers, you know.
In New York and Atlanta, everybody and their mami rappin, you know, so.. I’m not
scared of competition, it’s just, you know, I don’t like bullshit competition if
I have some. But, and you know, it’s not quite the sound I’m lookin for. I love
Atlanta music, don’t get me wrong; I love the New York sound, but I’m just
stickin with the script, you know.
In terms of Memphis, you’re a major southern rap spot, but in terms of size
you’re the smallest city..
We’re like a large small town: Memphis.
Why do you think it is that Three 6 and other long-time artists from Memphis
were so successful in coming up with your own sound and identity for your city,
and makin it popular? Cuz Memphis isn’t really a major metropolis like Miami or
Atlanta.
Man, you just don’t know man, it’s so hard to come, to make our.. especially
when we started cuz the only people that were really doin anything outta Memphis
at that time was a guy named Gangsta Pat: he had a song called “I’m the Gangsta”,
and 8Ball and them. But, like, for Three 6, man we had to do a lotta lotta..
when we broke on the underground scene, and I guess the people with, you know,
families outta town, they would send our music to they friends up north, and the
MidWest because, you know, a lotta people in Memphis have family in Chicago, and
you know, the Texas area. So that’s basically how we got out there for people
like sendin it to their cousins and their brothers our music. So, cuz, we had
like 16 or 17 underground volumes before we came out major and before we dropped
Mystic Stylez. But bein that Memphis is like a small town.. but it’s like..
Memphis is like a hub. It’s a distribution center. So that’s pretty much what
help us: bein a hub town. And so it branched out from there. But we pretty much
had to get out and pound the pavement to get our music out to the masses.
So what is your style like now? Is it the same, or has it changed since you were
in Three 6?
Well my style of music.. during like the last end times with Three 6, I was
kinda venturing away from my original style: you know the heavy tongue-twisting
with the dark, you know the devilish flow. But I had to reevaluate myself
because a lotta people, like, they miss the old Lord, you know. They miss when I
was doin the satanic flows with the tongue twist. So I started doin more of that
again. So I’m tryin to get back to the original Lord Infamous, you know what I’m
sayin? Not the Tear Da Club Up Thugz Lord Infamous or Da Unbreakables Lord
Infamous. I’m tryin to get back to the Come With Me To Hell version of myself;
The Scarecrow, you know.
Are you workin a single right now?
Yeah, yeah. Actually I’m workin two. I’m workin a song called.. well actually
I’m workin three. I’m tryin to get this song called “You Don’t Want None” in the
MidWest, and some regions.. in like the Southwest, I’m tryin to work a single
with Chat called “These Pros”. On the album it’s called “These Hoes”, but the
radio version is called “These Pros”, and around the Memphis area and like the
deep South, I’m workin a single called “Frosty”. I mean from the chorus you
would think it’s like another one of these bling bling songs, but actually the
song is really about people that’s, you know, glamorizing jewelry. You know what
I’m sayin, if you don’t have a buncha diamonds on, ya know what I’m sayin,
people don’t watch your videos or think you not a big rapper. So I’m kinda like
gettin on the subject of, ya know what I’m sayin, what’s up with the ice
thingies and it’s just I’m not a person that like to rock a lotta jewelry. And
like I’m just kinda tired of people sayin that in order to be a big popular
rapper you gotta rock a lotta jewelry. So, it’s kinda like a song.. it’s like a
parody of the jewelry thing.
How do you feel about the state of the rap game in general today?
Man, you know, the thing about that, man.. it’s kinda I have a biased opinion
because, you know, I’m a person that talks about dope a lot. But I just don’t
agree with the thing about everybody is just a big ass drug dealer these days.
Everybody, you know what I’m sayin.. it’s like this here: if you so busy sellin
dope, and you sell so much dope, why are you rappin? You know what I’m sayin,
cuz if you was such a big ass drug dealer you wouldn’t have time to rap.. When I
was growin up, me and Paul was basically raised by gangstas and drug dealers.
And I’ve never known a drug dealer that’d have time to sit up and go in the
studio and record a full fuckin album, ya know what I’m sayin? And anybody.. in
order to sell records, you sell records by your rims and your chains, and how
many drugs you push. That’s the only thing I disagree with. But if you real, and
that’s really what you do, I have no problem with it. And then it’s just like..
these cats that I know they’re fake niggas. A lot of these cats, man I met these
cats before they blew up and before they had record deals when they was comin to
us tryin to get contracts. And a lot of them, man, aren’t really gangstas, don’t
really sell dope. Now here’s what you finna do: if you somebody like a Rick Ross
or a Jay-Z and you really did, was in the game, I.. cool, I’m with that. But if
I know you a fake ass nigga, man, or you a fake ass gangsta, you know what I’m
sayin, you were never really in no gang, you never really been to jail, you
don’t really sell no dope, man, I ain’t feelin you. And I know a lot of these
cats. I’ve seen ‘em. They know me, I know them. And they some wussies, you know
what I mean? So that’s the only thing I got a problem with, really. It’s just
these fake cats, man. But other than that, you know, the game is basically the
same, man. It’s just a lotta characters these days is all.
Is there anything else you wanna add?
Yes, man. I’d like to give a Rest In Peace to my great-grandmother: she’s
recently passed away. Her name is Helna Bogard. And Tommy Elliot, and to my
uncle Benjamin Dunigan, and Willie Beauregard. Yeah, that’s all, man. And to all
my fans, man, just keep supportin Lord Infamous. I’ma keep givin ‘em that dark
gangsta shit, you know. And I’m in this game to stay, man.
Do you have a website?
Yes, man: officialblackrainent.com.
Aight, man. I’m a long-time fan. Good to see you back on the scene.
Aw thank you man. Appreciate that.
Lord Infamous on Myspace
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