The Infesticons (and their enemies, The Majesticons) are an underground-rap-concept-super-group-myth conceived and brought together by Mike Ladd.

Born in Boston, MA, Mike Ladd has written and produced a slew of critically acclaimed albums: Easy Listening For Armageddon (Scratchie/Mer­cury); Welcome to the AfterFuture and Vernacular Homicide (LikeMadd/Ozone); The Infesticons: Gun Hill Road, The Majesticons: Beauty Party, The Infesticons: Bedford Park (Big Dada), Nostalgialator (!K7/Definitive Jux), Negrophilia (Thirsty Ear); Father Divine (ROIR); In What Language (Pi) and Still Life with Commentator (Savoy), the last two both collaborative efforts with jazz pianist Vijay Iyer.

Mike has also collaborated /remixed /performed /toured with musicians including Company Flow, Saul Williams, MURS, Terranova, Slug (Atmosphere), Cannibal Ox, Roots Manuva, William Parker, Roy Campbell,, DJ Spooky, Ken Ishii, Arto Lindsay and others plus has remixed songs for the likes of Yo La Tengo, Anti Pop Consortium, even Enrico Macias!

First signed to Scratchie/Mercury Records by the Smashing Pumpkins, he has assembled a body of work rare amongst his peers and influenced indie music in ways yet to be seen. Guided by the voices of Funkadelic, Charles Stepney, The Bad Brains, Brian Wilson, Kraftwerk, Bollywood, The Jungle Brothers and Divine Styler, Mike Ladd exists at the heart of progressive black music today. He has toured extensively for the last decade throughout America, Europe and Asia, establishing a cult following in the process.

Mike Ladd now lives in Paris because his wife wouldn’t move to his one bed apartment in the Bronx. Between the 2006 release of ‘Still Life with Commentator’ and 2010, Mike produced a jazz record titled ‘Maison Hantée’ for Alexandre Pierrepont and has been working with high school kids in the Parisian banlieues. He also co-teaches a class on Black American literature and music at a French university. In between the teaching gigs, Mike spits on or remixes random tracks sent to him via yousendit or some other non-human delivery system. He has two young kids as loud as he is.

Review:

The cream of the underground hip-hop crop – a gaggle of lost gangstas and a Beastie Boy collaborator – comprise the wild and should-be-wonderful mob collectively know as the Infesticons, spearheaded by the inimitable Mike Ladd. It should be wonderful but it isn't: Gun Hill Road suffers mightily from blurred vision, splintered beats, tuneless loops, too much noise, and a low rap standard. The sound is pure N.Y.C. underground and stellar moments abound, but the overall impact is scattershot. A stunning wealth and breadth of talent, anti-playa attitude, and derangement are on display here, but the feeling is showy and spotty. Highlights have to be Saul Williams' reassuringly nutcase “Monkey Theme,” Rob Smith's waveless proto-rap “Chase Theme,” and Dana & Majesticon 69's transsexu­al/freak/funk show “Shampoo Theme.” There are some reverential moments to funkadelia and many of Smith and Majesticon's mo­vements are often sheer labyrinths of voicescapes in the most ambitious of the rap traditions.
All Music Guide – Becky Byrkit