Who is the real Lamar Silas?

Lamar Silas is a prominent character in the hit Starz series BMF (Black Mafia Family), portrayed by actor Eric Kofi-Abrefa. While fictionalized for the show, Lamar is based on real-life Detroit street figure Ladon "Beast" Simon, who was an associate of Big Meech and Southwest T back in the 1980s and 1990s. Let‘s take a closer look at the real story behind Lamar Silas and the other Detroit legends that inspired BMF.

The Real Lamar Silas – Ladon "Beast" Simon

According to interviews, Ladon "Beast" Simon grew up with Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory in Detroit and was part of their inner circle as the Black Mafia Family criminal enterprise rose to power in the 1990s drug trade.

Like on the show, there was friction between Meech and Simon over money and women. Simon had a long-term relationship with a woman named Monique, who later dated Meech. This allegedly led to escalating tensions between the former friends.

In 1994, Ladon Simon was shot outside a nightclub in Detroit, leaving him in a coma for three weeks. Meech was suspected of ordering the hit in retaliation for Simon‘s growing subversion within BMF.

After recovering, Simon went to prison on drug charges. He was released in the early 2000s, after BMF had been dismantled by the DEA. Simon claims he later confronted Meech about the attempt on his life when they were both serving time in federal prison.

Overall, while dramatized for television, the core details around Lamar Silas mirror Ladon Simon‘s real run-ins with Big Meech and BMF as they fought for supremacy over the Detroit drug trade.

Other Detroit Legends in BMF

The BMF series features several other iconic Detroit street figures who crossed paths with Big Meech and Southwest T back in the day:

Butch Jones

• Known on the show as YBI (Young Boys Inc.)
• Notorious drug kingpin in 1970s and 1980s Detroit
• Controlled major heroin and cocaine distribution networks
• Employed many future BMF members like Meech and T
• Currently serving multiple life sentences in federal prison

White Boy Rick (Richard Wershe Jr.)

• Former FBI informant from Detroit who infiltrated local drug gangs
• Arrested and sentenced to life in prison at age 17 in 1988
• Played by Eminem in a brief BMF cameo
• Released from prison in 2020 after serving 32 years

The Chambers Brothers

• Notorious Detroit crime family led by three Chambers brothers
• Major cocaine traffickers throughout the 1980s and 1990s
• Rivaled and later aligned with BMF to control Detroit drug trade
• All three brothers sentenced to life in prison in 1998

Eddie Jackson

• Legendary Detroit kingpin known as "The Pope"
• Longtime leader of the Jackson organization crime syndicate
• Prime cocaine distributor before rise of BMF in the 1990s
• Served 30 years in prison before being released in 2014

So while dramatized for television, the core dealers, kingpins and hustlers portrayed in BMF are directly inspired by these real larger-than-life figures from Detroit‘s turbulent drug underworld in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Flenory Brothers – Big Meech and Southwest T

At the center of it all are Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory, the real-life founders of BMF. Some key facts on the legendary Flenory brothers:

• Grew up in Detroit and entered the drug game as teens in the late 1980s
• Took over city drug trade through BMF with wide-reaching distribution network
• Expanded to Atlanta and LA, pulling in $270 million at peak in mid-2000s
• Branded BMF name with splashy promotion at hip hop events and clubs
• Both currently serving 30-year sentences in federal prison

Despite their flashy persona, the Flenory brothers ran BMF like a ruthless mafia enterprise, unafraid to use violence and intimidation. They brought many Detroit hustlers like Lamar into their inner circle, leading to frayed relationships once loyalties and money were at stake.

The Downfall of BMF

BMF‘s wild run came to an end in the mid-2000s when the feds caught up with Meech, T and their extensive operation:

• Federal task force launches Operation Motorcity Takedown in 2005
• Wiretaps, informants and surveillance used to gather intel on BMF
• Over 100 associates indicted, 30+ arrested in major October 2005 raid
• Meech arrested in Atlanta in 2007, T in Detroit in 2005 after manhunt
• Both Flenory brothers agree to plea deals, sentenced to 30 years
• Dozens of other BMF members sentenced to major prison terms

Despite years of wilderness, the BMF legend has lived on, inspiring rap lyrics, documentaries, and now a glossy Starz drama series. But behind the glamor and hype was a ruthless Detroit crime syndicate that stopped at nothing to conquer the drug trade in the 1980s and 1990s, leaving a trail of violence and lives destroyed in its wake, before the law finally caught up to the infamous Black Mafia Family.

Layton Simon aka B-Mickie‘s Net Worth

Layton Simon, who goes by the street name "B-Mickie", is another childhood friend of Meech and Terry featured prominently on BMF. Here‘s a quick profile on his background and current net worth:

• Grew up with Meech and Southwest T in Detroit, was in their inner circle
• Helped found BMF along with Terry Flenory in the 1980s
• Served as a top lieutenant in the organization under Meech
• Arrested in 2005 during the big BMF bust, sentenced to 15 years
• Released from prison in 2016, now living back home in Detroit
• Net worth estimated between $100K-$300K as of 2022

So while once a high-flying millionaire drug kingpin with BMF, Simon‘s net worth has diminished significantly since doing hard time in federal prison. But he is now trying to turn his life around after paying his debt to society.

Summary

In the end, Lamar Silas provides just one angle into the larger-than-life stories of hustlers, kingpins and street legends like Meech and Terry who made BMF a underworld powerhouse in 1980s and 90s Detroit. While dramatized for television, the show is directly inspired by the real streets, giving insight into a turbulent, violent era in Detroit‘s drug history brought down by the law and betrayals from within.