Sincere: Who were your musical influences growing up and what made you decide to make hip hop your full time passion?
Infinito 2017: Growing up my musical influences was my family first, the music my mother and my Uncle Frank (Nephew of Frank Records) would play in the house. They would always introduce us to the Dusty Steppers sets that they would randomly perform in the basement or the living room at my Grandmother’s house on the South side of Chicago. The type of music they would play and influence me to do music would range from Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, L.T.D., Brothers Johnson, Switch, Debarge, Jackson 5, Commodores, Anita Baker, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Shalamar, Freddie Jackson, Funkadelic, The O’Jays, Gap Band, Prince, Whispers, Earth Wind & Fire, S.O.S Band, The Sylvers, ZZ Hill, Sade, James Brown, Staple Singers, Issac Hayes, Donny Hathaway, Rufus, Al Green, Run D-MC, Aretha Franklin, The Emotions, Stax, MoTown, Philly Sound and countless others. The music that influenced me from the Hip Hop perspective it was mostly Bronx Boy style music for breakers, joints like Jimmy Castor and the average break beats. But when I grew into the music portion of Hip Hop culture I grew to love music by artist like Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, Busy Bee, Love Bug Starski, Mr. Magic, BDP, Juice Crew, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Stretch & Bobbito, Marley Marl, Queen Latifah, Black Moon, Ice Cube, Geto Boys, King Tee, Organized Konfusion, Nas, KMD, Beatnuts, WHPK (Radio station in Chicago), X Clan, Poor Righteous Teachers, Common Sense, Wu Tang, New York, Los Angeles + Chicago Underground Hip Hop 95 – 2002 and so many more. It’s so many people to name its pathetic, but I will admit I never listen to stupidity and ignorance; I do not draw off self hate and the destruction of impressionable minds. My development of Music and Creative arts comes from a positive foundation of my immediate family, my uncles, mother, father, cousins, aunts, grandparents, my cousin Fatnice who is a major influence because he never was into pointlessness or wackness. We always were taught to be positive, have great self esteem, purpose, dedication, hard work and be unified as a family, we were taught to share good quality to self others and be great every day, every hour in everything we do.
Sincere: You have released your new album “Indigenous Unification Inside The Endless Nothing.” Can you give us a brief description of what your latest project is about and the meaning of the album title?
Infinito 2017: Albums to me are like an accomplishment or a goal to set. Last year, I was given a challenge to complete for my 2017 name 17th year anniversary. I was Infinito up til the year 2000 and before 1996 I was MCML (MC Marcellous Lovelace). So with that goal challenged, one of my peers assigned me to complete a 17 album box set for the year 2017, which I started writing and recording December 1st, 2016. I’ve completed all 17 albums and I’m just releasing the projects as a form of completion as I paint / design the covers and finish doing what I set out to do. I’m a person who finishes every goal I set so “Indigenous Unification Inside The Endless Nothing” is number 3 of 17. This album just like the first 3 parts of this box set are the consciousness component and pull from my love of the knowledge of the 5% Nation, Black liberation, The destruction of Colonialism and the complete awareness of African Independence globally through all mediums of decolonization. See what you must know is I create only to stabilize the minds of those who fail to love themselves and develop independently for Africans worldwide. Music is an art form to me so I’m painting sonically using sound as creativity as a utensil. It’s all on purpose and well planned out while creating sporadically picking up information as it happens. I got into Hip Hop as a visual communicator; I’m a fine artist Afro Urban Painter as well, so these albums are just paintings transformed into waveforms. This album in particular is the rebellion of Mau Mau, Toussaint Louverture, the penmanship of David Walker, Patrice Lumumba and the attitude of Master Verbalizer Dr. Khalid Muhammad. “Indigenous Unification Inside The Endless Nothing” or 3 of 17 is my protest against global colonial oppression and me creatively explaining that we the people live on a stolen land where the original inhabitants are savagely murdered and mentally destroyed, not allowed by colonial squatter laws to be free and not allowed to live as nature had designed. These stories are endless and an ongoing epic saga to the conquest of our Original People of Earth Indigenous natural identity before oppression, returning ourselves as original people on earth towards unity and self love minus the nothing we accept to live in!
Sincere: Who handled the production on the album and how long did it take for you to complete it?
Infinito 2017: The production on all the 17 projects are handled mostly by my people Dion Brown who independently helps me manage and run Joe Left Hand Records / Nephew of Frank Records, a label that releases over 15 projects a year for 20 plus years and counting. The rest of the beats come from Kiza Beats, ILLsugi, The Deity Complex, Maxptah, and Unagi. The production is really based on who loans me production at that point in time.
Sincere: Can you tell the fans about your new label Culturepower45 and how important is it to own your masters and publishing?
Infinto 2017: That’s a good topic, thanks for asking. Culturepower45 is a label I must say I’m proud to be a part of. With the support of a few private backers along with Fatnice, MaxPtah and Thaione Davis the label exists. First I’d like to say a little about how Culturepower45 was formed; back a few years ago in the fall of 2015 a few Black men in creative music had a plan to develop a vinyl only label. It was a private donor, DJ What, Thaione Davis and myself. As a collective who came from the Underground Hip Hop era we are just looking to put out some vinyl through an independent Black owned design, that is the goal. After some discussions about what and how Thaione came up with the name Culturepower45 based on the history and legacy of knowledge we all developed from our childhood and unity needed in the African global community. We took our education and resources and started getting Cut Vinyl made, pressed vinyl and Shaped vinyl with a motto “We Don’t Do Digital.” We have worked continuously since the inception of the label to be consistent and respectful towards each other. Our main goal is support and consistency in creating artist projects. In the fall of 2016 we got the first projects made and the dream becomes fruition. We released CP4501 in December and it sold out immediately in less than 5 days, Next CP4502 came out and sold out in a few days and so on. We are preparing the release of CP4506 which features Fatnice and Iomos Marad on April 7th so grab that quick it is expected to sell out immediately. But what I really want to talk about is our compilation venture CP4507 “Fruition” which comes out June 7th 2017 and this release is 12 inch, 18 track, colored vinyl, in full colored jackets of art I painted, the LP lineup is crazy featuring Fatnice, MaxPtah, Tall Black Guy, Jason Da Hater, Empee, Infinito 2017, 9th Scientist, Kenny Keys, Radius, Rashid Hadee, Fatnice, L.I.F.E. Long, Nekaybaww, Thaione Davis, Masai Bey and more. The CulturePower45 (CP4507) Fruition compilation is really dope and come together similar to how the label did through unity. These releases are limited edition pressings so when it gone it gone for good no repressing. Also it’s no digital release from the label so vinyl is the only format you can receive the albums. All artists should control their publishing and the masters to their music; our labels do not control or dictate rules over peoples creativity as free thinkers. Please take the time to go to the website www.culturepower45.com and save our media sites all under @culturepower45.
Sincere: You have a song on the album titled “Filthy Swine Flesh” in which you have said, “White teacher told black student/don’t make me call Trump get you sent back to Africa.” What was going through your mind when you wrote the song and why did you use that line?
Infinito 2017: Man dude, the internet! I usually watch this wack media universe and collect ideas plus moments off old VHS movies, Netflix, CSPAN, ESPN, Cartoon Network, Al Jazeera, CNN, YouTube and the worst of all Facebook lame ignorant social media feeds. One day after Agent Orange (Trump) was faked into the stolen lie, I saw this colonial oppressor teacher on this evil social media network degrading and berating this innocent African American child. I actually quoted the beast saying “don’t make me call Trump get you sent back to Africa,” I thought it was super interesting and sort of normal because I’m always getting assaulted by colonial oppressors insults with poorly planned out ignorant logic. I was thinking this is part of a song; I often use my phone recorder to collect the randomness of insanity that’s fed into people’s minds, so I’m just quoting what happens in society.
Sincere: Do you feel police officers should undergo mandatory sensitivity training?
Infinito 2017: All police are part of a larger goal to secure the rich, these cowards are just like the history of colonial oppression, Indian removal acts, Jim Crow, and Unfair Housing Acts. The slave patrollers are part of a greater plan to protect those who have killed, raped, lynched, created mental corruption, gentrify, torture, Emmett Till and subjugate the world to one common evil. Anyone who decides to work to protect and guard imperialism is evil. Imagine the mind of a person who is wicked enough to kill or force people against their will to follow laws that don’t even benefit from the evil law enforcement themselves. Police should have to live exposed to the taxpaying societies they work for, they should be given double the fines for breaking the laws they accuse others of, police should be given life in jail for killing citizens. Police need more than sensitivity training. 99% of these cowards are in these roles because of their insecurities!
Sincere: Chicago has been plagued with gang violence, drugs, police corruption, etc and the President’s solution is to send the National Guard to deter the violence. Do you think Trump’s idea of sending the National Guard will stop the violence in Chicago?
Infinito 2017: What ends the problems in Chicago, you have to get rid of all the politicians who have dictated the policy. The youth in Chicago are a response to social neglect and disrespect of Black people in Chicago for years. It’s no love for Black people in Chicago. It’s an ongoing story of hatred towards Black people because they are not wanted in the city. To describe Black people in Chicago think the words they want you to “Get Out,” or the evil system will harvest your organs, unapologetically create a society that’s detrimental to your soul. Colonialist clones have to stop creating a logic that says it’s a thing as a Black Community or Black Government that dictates something for a separate group of Black People. The word black people becomes disrespectful at this point because now the media, the politicians, the scholars/educators, business of the Prison–industrial complex , the book makers, gun makers, criminal injustice system, religious designers, law makers, etc have created a reality for Black People. In reality, Black People are governed by White people inside the stolen land or colonized system. The policy makers in Chicago have predetermined the fate of Black People in Chicago. The people who make these negative determinations for black people are the reason for violence in their city not the black people who do not own or govern their own existence. Inside all the communities in Chicago the people in power neglect those living in poverty; it’s no Black Government, No Black Business majority and no such thing as Black America. All the companies, realtors, banks, street sanitations, policies, etc are designed by the white people, so the black thought is never developed or advanced. It’s just Black people as property who are people that are poorly trained by wicked people to follow demeaning rules and do what they are not taught to do. After years of this subjugation nothing comes from this existence and from this hunger exists, poverty, illiteracy and Black people end up fighting amongst each other in controlled chaos, because if black people are trained to think and live poor they eventually fight each other for petty tax returns, low wage jobs, bad drug deals and food, desert meals or in laymen’s terms survival. Black people don’t control or dictate the reality in Chicago so they can’t fix it, it’s like asking black people to end racism worldwide, when black people didn’t create racism they are mostly fighting against it and trying to figure a way out of it. Black people don’t print money or gain money from cotton, tobacco, indigo, coffee seeds, oil trade, diamonds, coltan, gold, uranium etc … it’s no version of Black community in America or Black development so those who create the negative unjust laws have to consider the outcome from this. Chicago is plagued by a dictatorship that neglects Black People and carefully destroys the reality these people live in. Trump, Bannon, Sessions are unwise milksop who serve no purpose or any good to anyone because of their personal illiteracy and ignorance.
Sincere: You have said a lot of valid points in regards to the situations people of color constantly deal with on a day to day basis. What are the solutions for us to uplift ourselves out of this decadent state?
Infinito 2017: Honestly, there are no solutions, you can't expect anything good from a system that oppresses and neglects people on purpose. It is foolish to think something positive from a colonial oppression that created the Holocaust Atlantic Slave Trade, The Namaqua genocide in Nambia, The planned 1884 Berlin Conference scrambling for African land, Massacres of Indigenous Australians, The Evil of Leopold of Belgium in the Congo, Savages like Cecil Rhodes and the countless atrocities on Natives of the Americas. You don't make solutions for something that's naturally evil, you separate yourself from the association with zero expectations.
Sincere: In a recent radio interview Congressman Steve King of Iowa said , "Hispanics and blacks will be fighting each other before outnumbering whites in the U.S." What goes through your mind when you hear a sitting congressman in 2017 making such asinine statements?
Infinito 2017: I don't take time out of my life to think about a devil with genetic disorders like this pointless waste.
Sincere: What are your views on liberalism in America and do you feel there are some liberals who are wolves in sheep’s clothing who are there to serve their own interest?
Infinito 2017: The liberalists you speak of are wolf’s period; these savages are the same lawmakers. The entire legitimacy of this is the reason of inequality, the world we live in is not designed to progress but to seek fantasy, each individual is a about $200,000 dollars away from selling their soul for a spot inside of the sheep’s suit. An individual has to be completely uninterested in the idea of colonialism to succeed, no cheese, no tea, no diamonds, no pretty gym shoes, no nothing.
Sincere: Corporations and special interest groups have funded both parties for a long time and these parties are only loyal to the ones who stuff their pockets. Do you think the rise of new political parties can make a difference?
Infinito 2017: I must say No, not at all only way is to “GET OUT,” new people have to be born void of the mentalities of their parents and the complete destruction of every system in place. “It’s No Such Thing As A Good Colonial Oppressor!” 1 of 17
Sincere: You are one of the few rappers who not only rhyme about change but you also do what you can in your community. Any thoughts of running for local office in the future?
Infinito 2017: I do not feel politics or the laws of this stolen land are legitimate. No real comment.
Sincere: If you have the power to change one political issue in Washington, what would it be?
Infinito 2017: To get rid of every politician in place and build minus all of the laws the colonial oppression has created. Keep in mind all of the indigenous people all over the world this government has murdered.
Sincere: Thanks for taking the time to conduct this interview with me. Do you have any final shout outs and where can the fans follow you on social media?
Infinito 2017: I want to thank My Mother, My Grandmother, My Brothers, My entire immediate family. Respect to Joe Left Hand Records (Joe Left hand records was created to honor my uncle Joe Lovelace who is a left hand Scorpio like me) www.joelefthandrecords.com search Infinito 2017 www.infinito2017.com and Marcellous Lovelace www.marcellouslovelace.com, Culturepower45 www.culturepower45.com
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