DJ Infamous knew that he would find a way to play a major role in hip-hop when he stumbled upon turntables at age 12. After a few lessons from his sister’s boyfriend, DJ Infamous got his first set of turntables and began deejaying at local house parties in Alabama. He continued to hone his skills during his high school years and moved to Atlanta after college. He soon established a name for himself in hip-hop. Now signed with DJ Khaled’s We The Best/ Def Jam South, DJ Infamous discusses the mixtape movement and what fans can expect on his debut album. –a.r.
What was the vibe of the hip-hop scene in Atlanta when you first arrived in 2005?
It was a rush when I was fresh out of college. Lil John was the hottest producer and Young Jeezy was the hottest unsigned artist. I was working for AG Entertainment, V-103 and Club Vision in the same year. Buckhead was still open late. Coming from a small college in Huntsville, Alabama, to Atlanta was a big change for me. I loved it!
How did the mixtape game change hip-hop?
In Atlanta, mixtapes were like albums. It was crazy to see how unsigned artists who didn’t have albums would have mixtapes everywhere. Guys were getting deals off of mixtapes and major labels were looking at artists as the “next dude.” They were doing shows off of mixtapes. DJ Infamous & Young Jeezy Prime Minister was my first big mixtape. That was huge for me to get on MTV and market it.
How has DJ Khaled mentored you?
DJ Khaled has helped me with contacts and introducing me to the right artists. He knows my story. I was involved with a flood a few months back and that was a tough situation that I was dealing with. I didn’t go to Khaled; he came to me and said ‘I want to officially make you a part of We The Best.’ I thought about it for one minute and said, ‘let’s do it.’
What can we expect from the album?
The DJ Infamous album on We The Best/Def Jam South is coming. I’m just recording records. I believe in building myself up more and getting ready to record records. I’m just getting ready for it. I’m not rushing, I want to find the right records. I believe in building, marketing and branding. Over the past few years, I’ve been influenced by Greg Street, DJ Khaled and DJ Drama. I’ve seen those deejays put their projects together.
