David Banner: Straight From Mississippi

[STILLDRE IS THE GODFATHER]

David Banner: Straight From Mississippi
Monday - May 19, 2003
ill Will
You might of peeped David Banner lookin’ just like a pimp on BET, or heard him rapping with the least likely candidate to lead a revolution of anything of importance, Lil’ Flip, there’s much more to the ambassador of the crooked letter, than bitches and Cadillac’s on 22’s. Not to far beneath the surface of David Banner’s crunk tales of southern street life, is a man dedicated to something greater than music–his heritage, his respect, his people and most importantly–Mississippi.

The fire breathing emcee (literally) made his debut with the group Crooked Lettaz in 1999 on Penalty Recordings. The groups debut was critically hailed and with no Soundscan to match. Hip-Hopper loved it, Southerners and the streets couldn’t feel. Disenchanted with the direction of the group the member MUTUALLY split and Banner retreated to his Southern roots, takin’ to streets like a madman and selling a stupid amount of units while generating huge buzz at radio.

By the time David was ready to drop his sophomore album, “Like A Pimp” was taking off a radio regionally. Steve Rifkind, who had just launched his new company, SRC, caught wind of the David Banners numbers and made Mississippi: The Album their first release and Banner a possible 10 million dollar man. How you luv that?

Besides the scenery and the accents, the Bay and the South have a lot in common like independence and being hated on by the rest of the rap world that is New York. So I feel you on this whole Mississippi: The Album concept.
Per capita Mississippi sells more records than other place in the United States. A lot of times when Record companies do research, they do research here. I just found that out. And even deeper than, this where our, well-African Americans- f*ckin’ roots are. In the cartoon The Lion, Witch, and The Wardrobe, there was something in that movie that was so dope and I’m gonna make that parallel in this interview. The Lion was the “good guy” and the Witch said that she went back to the beginning of time and knew everything and thought she could kill the Lion. The Lion said ‘you didn’t do enough research; I come from when there was nothing. Before there were trees, before she was around, when everything was black. The parallel between music and that is we’re (Mississippi and the greater South) from the place where they dropped us off
of the boat. We started Hip-Hop, contemporary American Black music. So let’s go past the independent thing, let’s talk about a respect factor. You know how they say kids don’t respect their elders? It’s time to spank they little asses and say ‘if you don’t respect us, then we’re not buying your music, punk’ If you wanna take it even deeper, they didn’t even respect the West Coast ‘til Westside Connection came out and said ‘bow down.’ And then all you was ‘East and West’ and still subliminally they puttin’ East before West.

Let’s go back to the contemporary Black music thing. You’ve said you don’t do Hip-Hop, you do Black music. Universal gave you a large sum of money that they plan on recouping and to do that white people kinda, sorat gotta buy the album too. Do you think that statement is gonna turn people off?
If white kids wanted something cute, they’d go and listen to they music. White kids love NWA, do your history. White kids love Public Enemy. They can travel vicariously through our CD. I am really what they want. They we never have an understanding of our pain. I have a very huge white fan base; fifty percent of my sales are from white males age 14-24.

That’s real. Your on-stage persona is so f*ckin’ crazy, and yet in person you’re so down to Earth, intelligent and business savvy. Wasn’t that who David Banner was in real life?
Yeah, I guess so. You’re Crooked Lettaz material was very East Coast Hip-Hop based and your solo stuff is the signature crunk southern sound.

What made you come back to your ‘roots’?
I’ve always been that way. Bone Crusher told me one time that I had the crunkest show that he’d ever seen, but that my music doesn’t match that. He told me I had to make my music match my persona.

How’d your deal with Steve Rifkind come about?
He saw my Soundscan (a database that tracks record sales). He said that he didn’t have to hear my song or like my music. He said he hasn’t seen anything like my work ethic in his life. I’ve only slept in my bed one time in the last four months. That’s how I’ma kill this rappers.

Rikind has been receiving a lot bad press from his former artists like dead prez, how does that make you feel about your situation with Steve?
I don’t care. I love him to death. I’ma hold him down–period. I’m his first artist since the Loud situation-where he sold 87 million records. He believed in me and my state–I’ma hold him down until I die.

Do ever wear anything other than a Mississippi t-shirt? Does the state of Mississippi sponsor you?
I sponsor them whether they sponsor me or not, because subliminally our kids wanna be like everyone else but themselves. Look on TV, nobody talk like us, but most of the United States is where we from. That’s subliminally tellin’ us we not good enough.

[OpTiCaL]

Props on posting that up bro...


...good read


i'd already posted the album rip info a while back...not many people took notice i dont think...but maybe after this n after they hear more of his tracks on mixtapes etc he may be appreciated more

Thanks for posting that!

pZ

[King Tech Quadafi]

Like A Pimp is a banger

[Skindiana bon3z]

David Banner: Straight From Mississippi
Monday - May 19, 2003
ill Will
You might of peeped David Banner lookin’ just like a pimp on BET, or heard him rapping with the least likely candidate to lead a revolution of anything of importance, Lil’ Flip, there’s much more to the ambassador of the crooked letter, than bitches and Cadillac’s on 22’s. Not to far beneath the surface of David Banner’s crunk tales of southern street life, is a man dedicated to something greater than music–his heritage, his respect, his people and most importantly–Mississippi.

The fire breathing emcee (literally) made his debut with the group Crooked Lettaz in 1999 on Penalty Recordings. The groups debut was critically hailed and with no Soundscan to match. Hip-Hopper loved it, Southerners and the streets couldn’t feel. Disenchanted with the direction of the group the member MUTUALLY split and Banner retreated to his Southern roots, takin’ to streets like a madman and selling a stupid amount of units while generating huge buzz at radio.

By the time David was ready to drop his sophomore album, “Like A Pimp” was taking off a radio regionally. Steve Rifkind, who had just launched his new company, SRC, caught wind of the David Banners numbers and made Mississippi: The Album their first release and Banner a possible 10 million dollar man. How you luv that?

Besides the scenery and the accents, the Bay and the South have a lot in common like independence and being hated on by the rest of the rap world that is New York. So I feel you on this whole Mississippi: The Album concept.
Per capita Mississippi sells more records than other place in the United States. A lot of times when Record companies do research, they do research here. I just found that out. And even deeper than, this where our, well-African Americans- f*ckin’ roots are. In the cartoon The Lion, Witch, and The Wardrobe, there was something in that movie that was so dope and I’m gonna make that parallel in this interview. The Lion was the “good guy” and the Witch said that she went back to the beginning of time and knew everything and thought she could kill the Lion. The Lion said ‘you didn’t do enough research; I come from when there was nothing. Before there were trees, before she was around, when everything was black. The parallel between music and that is we’re (Mississippi and the greater South) from the place where they dropped us off
of the boat. We started Hip-Hop, contemporary American Black music. So let’s go past the independent thing, let’s talk about a respect factor. You know how they say kids don’t respect their elders? It’s time to spank they little asses and say ‘if you don’t respect us, then we’re not buying your music, punk’ If you wanna take it even deeper, they didn’t even respect the West Coast ‘til Westside Connection came out and said ‘bow down.’ And then all you was ‘East and West’ and still subliminally they puttin’ East before West.

Let’s go back to the contemporary Black music thing. You’ve said you don’t do Hip-Hop, you do Black music. Universal gave you a large sum of money that they plan on recouping and to do that white people kinda, sorat gotta buy the album too. Do you think that statement is gonna turn people off?
If white kids wanted something cute, they’d go and listen to they music. White kids love NWA, do your history. White kids love Public Enemy. They can travel vicariously through our CD. I am really what they want. They we never have an understanding of our pain. I have a very huge white fan base; fifty percent of my sales are from white males age 14-24.

That’s real. Your on-stage persona is so f*ckin’ crazy, and yet in person you’re so down to Earth, intelligent and business savvy. Wasn’t that who David Banner was in real life?
Yeah, I guess so. You’re Crooked Lettaz material was very East Coast Hip-Hop based and your solo stuff is the signature crunk southern sound.

What made you come back to your ‘roots’?
I’ve always been that way. Bone Crusher told me one time that I had the crunkest show that he’d ever seen, but that my music doesn’t match that. He told me I had to make my music match my persona.

How’d your deal with Steve Rifkind come about?
He saw my Soundscan (a database that tracks record sales). He said that he didn’t have to hear my song or like my music. He said he hasn’t seen anything like my work ethic in his life. I’ve only slept in my bed one time in the last four months. That’s how I’ma kill this rappers.

Rikind has been receiving a lot bad press from his former artists like dead prez, how does that make you feel about your situation with Steve?
I don’t care. I love him to death. I’ma hold him down–period. I’m his first artist since the Loud situation-where he sold 87 million records. He believed in me and my state–I’ma hold him down until I die.

Do ever wear anything other than a Mississippi t-shirt? Does the state of Mississippi sponsor you?
I sponsor them whether they sponsor me or not, because subliminally our kids wanna be like everyone else but themselves. Look on TV, nobody talk like us, but most of the United States is where we from. That’s subliminally tellin’ us we not good enough.

Yeah i ain't feelin him much...but thanks for the article anyway...interesting...

[soufside]

david banner das a soufside legend rite dere wen i wuz in duh souf after i got in2 trouble ova herre i wuz bumpin alot of his music frum his undagroun albumz to duh classik crooked lettaz albumz propz

[PLANT]

I aint really a fan of this type of music....I think that song w him and lil flip is annoying as fuck....Dont get me wrong, I got mad love for the south but Im not into those crazy muthafuckas screaming nonsense into the mic just trying to get someone hyped up...

[Skindiana bon3z]

I aint really a fan of this type of music....I think that song w him and lil flip is annoying as fuck....Dont get me wrong, I got mad love for the south but Im not into those crazy muthafuckas screaming nonsense into the mic just trying to get someone hyped up...

Ya lol....i saw that video today and i was like WTF is this shit....it was really dam stupid...

[PLANT]

I aint really a fan of this type of music....I think that song w him and lil flip is annoying as fuck....Dont get me wrong, I got mad love for the south but Im not into those crazy muthafuckas screaming nonsense into the mic just trying to get someone hyped up...

Ya lol....i saw that video today and i was like WTF is this shit....it was really dam stupid...

for real......I know what you mean.

[soufside]

stupid? i dun get u doods duh david banner single wif flip aint no crunk song itz a club banger u gettin some other david banner songz confused wit dat 1 but if u aint crunk enouf den u wun b able 2 get duh music i doubt u 2 iz crunk enouf

[OpTiCaL]

I aint really a fan of this type of music....I think that song w him and lil flip is annoying as fuck....Dont get me wrong, I got mad love for the south but Im not into those crazy muthafuckas screaming nonsense into the mic just trying to get someone hyped up...

Ya lol....i saw that video today and i was like WTF is this shit....it was really dam stupid...

for real......I know what you mean.

I do know what you mean...theres like 2 tracks on his albu where hes just screaming fuc this and fuc that thru the whole track...but he does have some really good tunes...

[soufside]

I aint really a fan of this type of music....I think that song w him and lil flip is annoying as fuck....Dont get me wrong, I got mad love for the south but Im not into those crazy muthafuckas screaming nonsense into the mic just trying to get someone hyped up...

Ya lol....i saw that video today and i was like WTF is this shit....it was really dam stupid...

for real......I know what you mean.

I do know what you mean...theres like 2 tracks on his albu where hes just screaming fuc this and fuc that thru the whole track...but he does have some really good tunes...

may b iz cuz i used 2 live in duh souf but dos iz crunk trackz made 4 peeple 2 get buck an crunk 2