Artist Of The Week – Inf

Of all the artists who’ve been featured as Artists Of The Week Inf holds a unique distinction, he won his way here. A multiple time Whose Rhyme Is It Anyway? winner, Inf recently won their battle of the champions which earned him, among other things, a spot on this very site. A New York native his entire life, Inf was raised on music. Whether it was grandfather’s heavy rotation of Thelonias Monk, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderley, his mom’s Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye and James Brown records, or his sister’s love of 80’s Hip-Hop, Inf was constantly surrounded by music. Before picking up the mic and deciding to rhyme Inf spent a number of years playing the clarinet and the trombone, but emceeing turned out to be his true calling. He performed with a band for a few years and, in his own words, “touched the stage at pretty much every venue in the city. Some spots are still standing, some aren't.” This week I sat down with Inf to talk about winning the competition, the art of freestyling, and in what other ways he’s involved with the music industry.

Adam Bernard: You recently won the Whose Rhyme Is It Anyway? battle of the champions, defeating five other former champs; Bisc1, Rabbi Darkside, Domer, A Class and Syanide. How important was this to you and how did you feel about the competition?
Inf: It was a lot of fun. I don't know that I could accurately gauge its importance, but recognition for having a particular talent isn't really a bad thing, and I thoroughly respect the Mindspray crew and the majority of the people in the competition, so it was an honor. I suppose that's pretty important. It was a solid competition and I was lucky enough to be up there with three friends who are all tremendous artists and people, and a terrifically talented kid I've heard a great deal about. So, to come out victorious against that level of competition was wonderful... definitely a night to remember.

Adam Bernard: When it comes to the art of freestyling how does one practice being funny and topical off the head?
Inf: If/when you find out please let me know! I don't know that there's anyway to practice it, I certainly haven't found a method. I don't read the dictionary or make it a point to freestyle for X amount of time every day about X number of topics. Honestly, the best way to "practice" would just be conversation. If you're able to carry on a conversation with another human being, about anything, for a decent period of time, and you're able to rhyme, when it's asked of you I suppose you can just put the two together and, hopefully, you'll be entertaining.

Adam Bernard: Other than winning freestyle competitions, what have you been working on?
Inf: Lots of artist management and consulting. I spend the majority of my time checking on the progress of the music my artists are working on (all of whom can be found on Inf’s MySpace page), so there hasn't been a great deal of work on an album of my own. I'm blessed to have a decent number of artists and producers in my circle, so I've gotten my hand on some beats and I've recorded some stuff, but that's really just been in the interest of scratching an itch, something to kill time, none of it has been in the interest of putting together an album. I'm in the process of putting together collaborative EP's with a couple of friends, and verses have popped up on albums here and there. But, aside from gentle suggestions from friends, I haven't really given much thought to a solo album. Maybe I'll start now.

Adam Bernard: What's the transition like going from freestyling to songwriting?
Inf: Interesting. I never realized my tendency to over-analyze until I recorded music. Freestyle is only yours for the time it takes you to speak it, after it's out it's pretty much gone and there's nothing that can be done about it. You can't retract statements, you can't repair rhyme scheme, you can't say this line instead of that one. A song is, potentially, with you for life, so you want to make sure it's as accurate a representation of all you're trying to convey as humanly possible. When I record, even if I'm positively enamored with every element of the song, I feel as though it's my duty to go back over the work and check for even the slightest issue. It gets to be time consuming. Even if by all accounts it's a perfect take I have a serious problem letting it go. Which is natural, I guess (well, I hope), I don't know of many parents that willingly give their children to the world, there's bound to be a bit of separation anxiety.

Adam Bernard: When it comes to the individuality of Inf what qualities do you feel makes you unique and would make a person want to check out something you’re involved with?
Inf: I'm me, period. I can't very well say there's no one else in the world that rhymes the way I do. I can, however, say I've yet to meet them. I can't say there's nobody who combines flirting, wit, flow, delivery, etc. in a similar fashion to the way I do it, but, again, I can honestly say I haven't really come across anyone that does. I'm pretty confident in the fact that I can provide whatever it is the situation calls for. Now, I would never say I have the potential to be everything to everyone, but I'm certain I can consistently give someone that something they’re looking for regardless of who they are. So, if you see something and my name is attached to it, check it out. There's a solid chance you'll enjoy whatever it is I'm putting out there.

For more Inf check out MySpace.com/InfNYC and RapCircus.com.