DJ Infamous has made a name as one of the iconic mixers in the music industry, working with several big-time artists and ensuring the clubs are always jumping. Infamous has hits that people will never forget, including the favorite “Itchin'” song with Future, which still gets playing time anywhere you go.
DJ Infamous spoke with rolling out about his connection with Future and the creation of “Itchin’.”
How did you first connect with Future?
I’m DJ Infamous at this point and Rocko was out with his record “Umma Do Me.” Rocko brought Future to the radio station and was like, “Yo, this is Future. We need to break him; this is my next artist. He’s the future.” Rocko is still my guy to this day, but at that time, me and my partner Lil Bankhead were the go-to guys and we had our own radio show called “The Takeover.” That’s where the “Talk to Me” really came from. Rocko was our guy so when he made a phone call to us, it was like, “Of course, bring him up.” We listened to him, and this is when he was on “Racks” and then he was on a couple of other records. Before that, I wasn’t up on his other music, so when Rocko brought him to our attention it was like, “Oh, I’m down.” Future was cool and we built a rapport after that.
How did “Itchin'” come about?
Mike WiLL Made-It used to come to my club and give me beats. He showed up every Friday to give me beats. I took the CD and at the time I’m rolling with DJ Khaled, and he’s like, “If you need to put a song out, I got you.” I’m not noticing how powerful I was in the city. I knew how powerful I was but I’m still young and having fun, but everybody’s telling me. So I go on the radio and say I’m gonna jump into this DJ artistry thing. I deejayed the Velvet Room on Sundays and Mike WiLL came. He brought me “Itchin”’ and he said, “I got your single.” I listened to it in the headphones and I’m like, “Didn’t Future just put this on his mixtape?” He’s like, “Yeah, but it’s fresh. This is gonna be perfect for you.”
Mike WiLL told me to listen to it on the big speakers. I played “Itchin'” in Velvet Room and I heard the beat. It hit differently in a club that holds 3,000, 4,000 people. I called Future in the club and said, “Bro, Mike WiLL brought me something and said I can use it as a single.” He was like “Infamous, the mixtape is going to burn the streets; You burn the radio. That’s a gift right there.” I always shout out Future and Mike WiLL because they gave me an alley-oop into the music business with that record.
Why do you say that the record was a blessing and a curse?
It’s hard to top it. ‘Itchin'” is so culturally and deeply rooted in rap music. I can say Southern, too, but just rap period, bro. It’s hard to top it. “Itchin'” is my number one record street-wise and culture-wise. “Double Cup,” my second single, is a bigger record commercially but not culturally. “Double Cup” had Jeezy, Ludacris, Juicy J, The Game, and Hitmaka. It’s hard to top “Itchin.”‘ At one point in time, I used to complain because when I had new singles out, I would come to the club or go somewhere and the DJ would say, “DJ Infamous is in the building” and “Itchin”’ would come on. I’m like, “I do have a new song out right now.”
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