By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
A legend in the mixtape game due to his work with Compton emcee, Game, DJ Haze has been around for well over a decade. But, DJ Infamous Haze is relatively new to the scene. As everyone knows, things do not always go as planned and sometimes the main part of the plan has to change.
In the case of DJ Haze, he had to become DJ Infamous Haze. The name change coincides with a change in overall direction. DJ Infamous Haze has taken a sharp turn from that of DJ Haze, as he is now focused on the artists around him as opposed to the artists on the West Coast.
Hip Hop Vibe had a chat with DJ Infamous Haze and he explained how all of this came to be. DJ Infamous Haze briefly spoke on his name change and then talked about his past work with Game. But, DJ Infamous Haze spent the bulk of the interview talking about the Staten Island hip hop scene.
Before we even get started, how did you even wind up DJ-ing? When I was young, one of my friends wanted to rap. I couldn’t rap, so my friend suggested that I become the DJ and that’s when it began for me.
Being an East Coast guy, how did you link up with Game? I linked up with Game through Nu Jerzey Devil. He was in Atlantic City at the time and we were doing mixtapes together. Game saw my grind and then he invited me to join the team.
So, what is behind this name change to DJ Infamous Haze? Well, a few years ago, a buster put out papers on me. That is when I learned the name was trademarked and there was someone using the name. So, I decided to change my name and now I am using it on the street level.
What led you to refocus on East Coast hip hop? I think what caused my refocus was me not traveling as much to California. I have a studio on the East Coast and then I saw all the grinding artists around me with no way to get their sound out.
Can you tell us more about this “Fly Motherfucker” remix with Jim Jones and Carl Lowe? Yeah! That was something I put together to let people know that I am coming back and to mark the name change. On my first album, The Color Purple, I included “Fly Motherfucker,” so I returned with a new beat from my producers and dropped this song, I had it for a while and this will usher in the new stuff.
How has Staten Island hip hop changed since the initial Wu-Tang era? I definitely see it being more accepted and I feel like the world wants that boom bap hip hop back. The masses have now come to realize the rappers in Staten Island are still doing that and then there are guys like Wu-Tang Clan coming back and performing here as they would do at Hot 97 summer jam.
Who are some of the Staten Island artists you are working with? Some that I am working with are Dro Pesci, Hellfire Sic-min. Dro Pesci represents the other side of Staten Island, the mixed side, as he is Italian and Spanish, he represents the money. Hell Fire represents the hood side of Staten Island that has never been heard of before and it is called the Wild Wild West. Definitely trying to show the world this new Staten Island movement.
Should we expect a DJ Infamous Haze/Staten Island compilation? I’ve been approached about doing something like that and I might do a compilation in the future. It would be kind of hard to manage, as there are frictions between some of the artists, since the place is so small. But, I definitely see that happening.
Before we check out, leave us with your Facebook and Twitter? My Twitter is @TheInfamousHaze and my Facebook is the same “The Infamous Haze.”
