Layton Simon: The Man Who Reportedly Ran Big Meech Out of Detroit

Before BMF became a household name, before the flashy cars and nationwide expansion, the streets of Detroit were controlled by men who laid the foundation for the city’s underworld. One of those men was Layton Simon, a name that still carries weight in Detroit’s street history.

Known in the Starz series BMF by his fictionalized counterpart “Lamar,” played by actor Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Layton Simon was a real-life figure who stood toe-to-toe with Big Meech and Southwest T in the early 1980s — when BMF was still known as the 50 Boyz. Alongside his brother, Layton was a dominant force in the Ecorse and Southwest Detroit areas, coming from the generation before the Flenory brothers began to rise.

Layton earned his reputation the hard way — through ruthlessness, aggression, and an unshakable presence in the streets. He was known to move on impulse and made sure his enemies felt his wrath. As Meech and Terry’s influence began to grow, tensions between the two camps intensified. According to street accounts, after the tragic death of Layton’s brother, the feud escalated. Layton reportedly nearly killed Big Meech outside a Coney Island restaurant, an event that became part of Detroit street legend.

In the BMF TV series, the character “Lamar” is portrayed as an unstable and violent figure — a man driven by obsession and rage. While the show dramatizes certain aspects for entertainment, it does draw inspiration from the real power and fear that Layton commanded during his time. The series’ exaggerated depiction of mental instability speaks more to the larger struggles of street life — where trauma and untreated mental health often go hand in hand — rather than Layton’s true character.

Today, Layton Simon is alive and free, occasionally sharing his perspective and stories through interviews available on YouTube. Though the show has immortalized him in pop culture, those who know Detroit’s history understand that Layton was far more than the villain the screen portrays — he was a street general whose presence once made even Big Meech think twice.