DAVID BANNER  (September 2007) | Interview By: Nima

As ever, you can read and listen to this exclusive interview and we urge you to leave feedback on our forums or email them to nima@dubcnn.com.

..........................................................................................

Interview was done in August 2007

Questions Asked By: Nima

David Banner Gave Dubcnn A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Audio Interview Here

..........................................................................................

Dubcnn: Dubcnn hooked up with David Banner for an exclusive interview. How you doing man?

I'm doing good, man!


Dubcnn: When is "Greatest Story Ever Told" dropping?

October 9th hopefully! We're gonna see how the people act who cut the checks and drop the album!


Dubcnn: What made you go with that title?

You know what, it was actually a friend girl of mine. I went through a lot in '06 man, that just tested me as a man, and God allowed me to pull through it. I look at all the stuff that I went through from '06, to coming from Mississippi, and being homeless, to rising to where I was able to rise to now man, and I just think that that's the greatest story ever told man! I ain't had no backing, I ain't had no big city behind me, or no big state behind me! So it's like, once you put that all together, it's a story, it's a tragedy, accomplishment, let downs, crimes, happiness, the whole nine!


Dubcnn: The first single is "9mm". What made you get Snoop, Lil Wayne and Akon on a track together for your first single?

Man it was really to show off! I'm always a pretty humble cat, but I just wanted to show these bustas bro, I got more money than you got, I got more influence, I got more friendships. I never really just came out hard, you know? So I was like fuck it, let's smash!


Dubcnn: Tell us about the track Suicide Doorz and how that came together.

Ah man, me and UGK we've been friends for a while, and I just wanted to do that Banner that I know everybody wanna hear. As an artist, we try to move on to different things, and sometimes we walk off and leave our core fans. One thing I learned from UGK is how not to do that. So like, I felt on my other album I had sort of strayed away from what people wanted from me. So "Suicide Doorz" is like the introduction back, on a hard ass David Banner beat.


Dubcnn: What kind of an experience was filming the "International Players Anthem" video with UGK and Outkast?

Man, it was just a blessing that so many people from the South were in L.A., in a different city. But most people were there anyway, like they wasn't just there for the video, they was there in town cause they was doing work. It was a blessing to see so many people from the South who were able to just transition and move past all of the chains that had been placed on us Southerners and move past that, and all of us could be in L.A. at the same time for one day and help our people, and reintroduce UGK back to the world.


Dubcnn: So how would you compare your new album to the last one?

Day and night homie! Day and night! This is a whole other level right here!


Dubcnn: What kind of sound did you go for on this one?

Hit record sound! I wasn't really emotional about this shit, hit records, that's it! Hit records.


Dubcnn: By hit records, do you mean that you adjusted to what's hot right now to make a hit record, or what do you mean?

I think a hit record is a hit record. That's one thing that I like about Prince. If you listen to Prince's albums, his albums are still jamming right now. So like, I think part of the problem we as people that's in urban situations have, is that we always find a way to degrade something, or to make something less than another thing. Just because something is simple and straight to the point and people like it, it's still dope! I don't give a fuck whether it's snap music or classical music, a hit record is a hit record.


Dubcnn: You've always been an artist with a strong message. Do you feel like that's something that's lacking in the game right now?

Well, my thing is, regardless what the people talk all that shit about messages... but don't nobody listen to that shit! Even the same people who be talking all that shit, they don't buy records! My thing is, there was a time when there were too many messages in rap! It's like we go through phases, bra, and you have to allow a phase to play out, because everything is meaningful. The truth is, if we wouldn't have kept hit records, rap wouldn't be here now! So it's the hit record part of the game that gives us the opportunity to eat! If not, we'd be like Jazz. Jazz is the only form of music that kept it real, and when you go to a Jazz concert you see 3 people in the crowd.


Dubcnn: Which artists are you currently listening to that's out in the game?

Who am I listen to... I'm listening to Lil Boosie, I'm listening to T.I., Snoop, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, Shop Boys, you know! I listen to everything homie, I'm a producer! You better open your ears up and try to listen to everybody, you know?


Dubcnn: Which guest appearances can we expect on the album besides the ones on the single?

Chris Brown, Chamillionaire, UGK, Kandy from Xscape, T.I., I think that's about it.


Dubcnn: Which up and coming artists should we be watching out for?

Right now I'm just really concentrating on me. We'll see about all that once it's time. Now it's the "Greatest Story Ever Told".


Dubcnn: You had a dedication to the West Coast called "West Side". What made you do that song?

Cause it bothered me the way that Hip-Hop was treating the West Coast. West Coast is the reason why rap is making money. Before Dr. Dre and all them, records wasn't selling like that! Before Snoop and Ice Cube and N.W.A., it wasn't nobody really gangsta rapping and smoking weed like that out in public and being proud of it! Before E-40 and the independent game, the Bay Area, people wasn't really up on the independent game like that! We learned that from the Bay Area! So if we don't start paying homage to what came before us, then they gone do the same thang to the South! And hopefully by me paying respect to the West Coast, cause the South is gone fall off one day too, and maybe when my kids grow up, somebody from the West Coast will help us get back on!


Dubcnn: How do you feel about the West Coast right now? You are you feeling?

I met a little young guy named Topic. That little dude is so cold to me, dude. I love Topic. Then there's a little homie named Damani. I really like Damani. I'm a fan of good music, but one thing that I will make a comment on, is something I really liked about Topic and Damani too. It ain't no "sound". I think people are looking for the new West Coast sound, I think what people should do is just make hit records, and that sound will develop itself, you know what I'm saying? It takes time, but just concentrate on making hit records, and give yourself an opportunity?


Dubcnn: How do you feel about Crooked I?

I haven't really heard a whole lot of Crooked I. I heard he's really lyrical, but I haven't heard a lot of Crooked I.


Dubcnn: Can we expect any collaborations in near future? I think you did something with Topic.

Yeah, I did something with Damani too. Me and E-40 gonna always do something, and I'ma probably have three tracks on Snoop's new album. I spend a quarter of my life in L.A., I'm on the West Coast most of the time now.


Dubcnn: You hooked up with Snoop Dogg for his "Big Squeeze" compilation, how was it to see Snoop behind the boards?

It's cool, man! Snoop has been an inspiration to me, Snoop was one of the few people that helped me out when times got rough. And for Snoop to ask me, like "Banner what you think about this beat" or "Banner how you do this", like for an icon to be asking you for assistance, it was just beautiful to see him learn.


Dubcnn: You were one of the first producers to advertise your name at the beginning of your songs. Did you feel that producers weren't getting the right look?

I felt like Southern producers weren't getting the right look. Everywhere else people promote they producers and let them go out and make money, and the South for some reason always tried to hide their producers and not let them make no money. I wasn't letting nobody do that shit to me. Jay-Z would holla at Just Blaze's name or Kanye's name in a track, but we don't do that for our producers, so I started doing it myself.


Dubcnn: Before we go, go ahead and promote the album one more time.

Aight it's your boy David Banner, check me out on my new album "The Greatest Story Ever Told", you can hit me up on MySpace.