Check out the video version of this article:
Lamar Silas is a character in the Starz BMF series, portrayed by actor, Eric Kofi-Abrefa. The character Lamar Silas, is loosely based on former drug dealer, Layton Simon aka “Ladon” Simon, who is still alive.
Here are 10 facts you probably didn’t know about Layton Simon:
1. Layton saved his mom’s life when he was 8 years old.
Layton explains that when he was 8 years old, he traveled down south using his mom’s car. He was able to get his hands on a shotgun that he took back home to Detroit. One day while Layton was at his house, he heard a loud noise and then heard his mother scream. Two drug addicts had broken into Layton’s house and were beating up his mother. Layton approached, with his shotgun, and saw the drug addicts slamming his mom against the wall.
The addicts told Layton’s mom that they knew there was $80,000 in the house along with some drugs, and demanded that she tell them where the money and drugs were hidden. Layton told the addicts to put his mother down and one of the addicts called Layton a punk.
The addicts put Layton’s mother down and she stood between Layton and the addicts, refusing to move. Layton told his mom to move so he could shoot the addicts but his mother begged him not to shoot them. Layton eventually calmed down, and let the addicts leave, unharmed. Layton says the incident was his first “gangsta moment” and it gave him the confidence he needed to survive in the streets.
2. Layton was 9 years old the first time he went to jail.
Layton explains that he was 9 years old, the first time he went to jail. Layton was arrested during the Detroit Riot of 1967 for stealing some hats. He says that he was heading home with about 20 hats he stole and several National Guard tanks and police cars drove by him. Layton says that as the last police car approached him, an officer spotted him with the stolen hats and arrested him. Layton says law enforcement had a jail on wheels. When they found out how old he was, he was released.
3. Layton started selling drugs when he was 14 years old.
Layton started selling drugs when he was 14 years old. It was the 1970s and Detroit, which was once known as the “Motor City” was becoming the “Murder Capital of the U.S.” with 751 killings in 1973. Dozens of street gangs took control of the Detroit’s booming drug trade and Layton decided to join. He was street smart and eventually met Harold Stinson, a drug kingpin who mentored Layton.
4. Layton bought his first car when he was 15 years old.
When Layton was 15, he used the money he earned selling drugs to buy his first car, a 1972 Lincoln Town Car. He wanted to buy the car in cash but his friend told him that it wouldn’t help his credit if he paid cash for the vehicle. Layton wasn’t worried about building his credit, so he gave his father the cash to buy the car for him. Layton didn’t have a driver’s license when he bought the vehicle.
5. Layton has never harmed a child.
In the first season of BMF, Lamar runs into Big Meech’s sister, Nicole, who is with her boyfriend, Darius. Lamar grabs Nicole and tries to put her in his car but Darius intervenes. Nicole escapes but Lamar stabs Darius twice. Lamar drives away as Darius dies. Layton explains that the incident never occurred and the scene bothered him because he would never harm a child.
Layton explains that although he was a drug dealer, he mentored kids. He had a boxing team, baseball team and some of the children he mentored ended up becoming politicians.
6. Layton Simon shot Big Meech 18 times.
Layton Simon shot Big Meech 18 times for running his mouth. During an interview with Vlad TV, Layton explains that Meech was running his mouth about Layton’s brother being murdered and Layton warned him to stop.
Layton and Meech’s beef calmed down but then Layton’s nephew was found beat to death and Meech started running his mouth about the incident. Layton was on his way home one night and he sees Meech and about 30 of his friends at the Coney Island restaurant down the street from his house.
Layton went home, grabbed his gun and tried to shoot Meech but Meech was hiding under the dashboard of a vehicle. Layton says he shot Meech 18 times and one of the bullets hit Meech in his neck.
7. Layton claims Ashford & Simpson were drug dealers and his biggest competition.
Layton claims that Ashford & Simpson, the husband and wife songwriting, production, recording duo, were drug dealers. He says that the 50 Boys weren’t his biggest rival in the drug game, instead it was Ashford & Simpson:
Ashford & Simpson was a duo, composed of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Ashford grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan which is about 30 minutes away from Detroit, Layton’s stomping grounds.
Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced some of the most popular songs of all time, including Aretha Franklin’s “Cry Like A Baby” and “Let’s Go Get Stoned” by Ray Charles. After writing and producing numerous hit songs, Ashford & Simpson started singing and performing themselves.
“Solid” was Ashford & Simpson’s biggest hit. After hearing Layton say they were drug dealers, “Solid” may have been referring to a different type of rock!
Ashford & Simpson’s 1982 hit single “Street Corner” includes the following lyrics: “They say, I’ve got a dime, I’ve got a nickel bag. Oh, it’s the best stuff you’ve, you ever had”:
8. Layton may have really sang “You Can’t Stop the Rain” during violent acts.
Layton pleaded the 5th, refusing to answer when Vlad asked him if he really sang the song “You Can’t Stop the Rain” while killing one of the 12th Street Boys. The incident was seen in episode 6 of the first season of the Starz BMF series.
Lamar is speaking to Slick, a member of the 12th Street Boys gang, when he all of a sudden, starts singing “You Can’t Stop The Rain” which was originally released in 1985 by the British R&B group Loose Ends:
Moments later, Lamar stabs Slick, and continues singing the song. Slick bleeds to death.
9. Layton respects Big Meech for not being a snitch.
Despite Layton’s beef with Big Meech, Layton says that he has respect for him because Meech never ran to the cops and snitched. Layton explains that Meech kept their feud in the streets unlike Edrick E.D. Boyd who Layton claims snitched on him, to the police several times:
10. Layton says he was never sent to a mental institution.
In the Starz BMF series, we see Lamar Silas escape from a mental institution and his cousin Alvin, played by Donnell Rawlings, picks him up and helps him get back on his feet.
Layton says the rumor that he was sent to a mental institution is false, explaining that people thought he was crazy but he had sense. He says after his brother was murdered, he didn’t go to the police because he’s not a snitch so the incident was stressful and frustrating but it didn’t make Layton go crazy:
What do you think about season 2 of the Starz BMF series? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.