Although Miami producers Infamous and Drew Correa got their first major placement as a collective when their track “Mr. Carter” appeared on Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” album last year, the pair didn’t think they’d have the same luck when they presented Wayne with their latest collaborative effort, “Prom Queen.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Wayne hit me up one night and wanted us to come through the studio to make some tracks with him live. When the track came together the next morning everyone thought it was the sh*t and [Wayne] told us it would be a single,” 24-year old Correa tells Billboard.com about “Queen,” which introduces Wayne’s April 7 rock-tinged album “Rebirth.”
Related
“We thought he was joking,” Correa adds. “We thought he was just saying that to be nice. But a couple of days later we were signing paperwork and it was actually happening.”
Infamous admits he was wary about how “rock” the album would turn out to be. “There were rumors Wayne was working on a rock album, but I assumed it was just 808 drums with guitars on it. But that night when we worked on the track, [Wayne] said he wanted lots of drums, bass and guitars,” says Infamous, 28. “Drew started to add organs, and [Wayne] said no. That’s when I realized it was actually going to be a real rock album.”
The duo wound up with three tracks on “Rebirth” and say Wayne deserves credit for shifting gears. “He’s done everything he can with hip-hop and has proven himself,” says Infamous. “Now he’s about to prove himself as a rocker and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
Correa and Infamous got their start in music separately — Correa as an engineer for Lil Wayne in the early ’00s and Infamous as a DJ and as part of a now-defunct group once singed to Columbia. In 2007, they both quit their day jobs to pursue production full time. They later met through mutual friends.
That year, Infamous worked on more than a dozen tracks for Wayne that were slated to appear on “Tha Carter III,” including “She’s A Ryda,” all of which leaked. “Ryda” eventually appeared on Wayne’s digital album, “The Leak.” It wasn’t until Correa put in a call to Infamous, after he’d “dreamt with the hook” to what was later released as “Mr. Carter,” that the two finally landed the major placement they were hoping for.
“Mr. Carter” is nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at this year’s Grammys, while the album is up for Album of the Year and Hip-Hop Album of the Year.
In the future, Infamous and Correa plan to continue working together when the job calls for it as well as individually. Correa is currently working with Birdman and Lupe Fiasco, while Infamous is in the studio with Kid Cudi, Leona Lewis and Rihanna, among others. Together, they are scheduled to work with Kid Sister and Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes.
In addition to Infamous and Correa, producers Cool and Dre and Develop also have tracks on “Rebirth.”