David Banner: The Establishment, Political Pimpin’ & The Struggles of Southern Rappers

 

*Daring, deep and insightful as all get-out: get yours David Banner, he’s another favorite, read and learn….*

 

Mississippi-born rapper, actor and activist David Banner didn’t assume the name for nothing. Just as the fictitious scientist from the late 1970s TV show The Incredible Hulk used his knowledge for the betterment of mankind, Levell Crump has used his platform to inform as well as entertain. And since 2003’s Mississippi: The Album, the hits have kept coming. Hitting the road to promote his fourth CD, The Greatest Story Ever Told (on sale July 15), and appearing in his third film this year (Days of Wrath with Laurence Fishburne), the 35-year-old spoke from his home base of Los Angeles.

 

What has changed between 2005’s Certified and The Greatest Story Ever Told?I accomplished some goals, but in the last year and a half, I’ve had six people I care about to die – my father, my grandmother, Pimp C; I went through Katrina … it’s just been a lot. On the positive side, I’ve become much more of a businessman that’s been able to stand the test of time. … God’s really been building a soldier, and I’ve been going through boot camp.

I’ve also definitely grown as a lyricist. My being from the Deep South, people don’t expect me to say the things that I say, but if you go back to my first album, I had a song that posed the question ‘Did Osama bin Laden really even exist, and if he existed, how dare we start a war over a man that we don’t even talk about anymore?’ Of course I’ll always make similar singles, because that’s what sells. As much as people say they go into McDonald’s to get a healthy salad, they know they’re going in there to get a Big Mac and fries. People say one thing, but they really know what they want – sex, drugs and money – so quit it. Even Oprah Winfrey talked all that on her special show about rap music, and then she had a birthday party that same week and she’s shaking it to 50 Cent.

Why have you so aggressively targeted the establishment about views on hip-hop?
I’m not aggressive, I’m reacting. They attacked us first. Remember when Don Imus made those comments? How did it turn from old, white, racist talk-show host to rappers? Don Imus was the one who called our women out, and then he turned it on rappers, and the media went and jumped on us instead of him. Wow! That was amazing to me. If I slap you in your face and then you turn around and scratch me, could I call you aggressive? Am I not speaking facts? I said this on Hip-Hop vs. America [on BET]; you may not like what I say, but it’s the truth, and I’m not gonna say nothing I can’t back up. So, aggressive is not the word. Brutally honest, unlike the rest of America is, yes. But life is brutal and don’t pull no punches, why should I? And if you think about it, most people that stand up against rap music usually have something to benefit by doing it. I was on the phone with this dude today who’s trying to get BET to stop playing music videos, and I come to find out that he just got fired by BET. And the same lady that criticized the video Tip Drill is selling a book. So right after she gets through talking about how bad the video was for women’s self-esteem, she turns around and says, ‘You can get my self-esteem-building book for $19.95.’ Come on, you don’t give a … about women, you’re just trying to sell a book. See, I don’t benefit from being political. I actually think I lose from being political, but it’s in my soul. I truly want to help people.

Some people say that you do a lot to help the community with your philanthropy and fundraising but that your lyrics and videos still objectify women and promote stereotypes.
I’m a walking contradiction – I talk about God and go to strip clubs the next night, I do. But I’m honest enough to know that unless you show kids that side, too, they’ll never listen to you. Good or bad, the way that I got on was because people liked that song ‘Like a Pimp.’ So I’m actually turning my back on people who’ve made me a millionaire by being political, if you think about it.

Do you think that the South will continue to rise in hip-hop?
Until Southern rappers are able to extract a Will Smith, Ice Cube, Eve, Queen Latifah, and own our own labels, make our own movies and control our destinies, we’re just making other people in other places money and selling other people’s records. I don’t think the South is controlling nothing.

What closing words do you have for your supporters?
I want to tell my fans that I really thank them for allowing me to grow, because I’ve made a lot of mistakes in music and they’ve allowed me to get through it and I really appreciate that.

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