David Banner nex Dx interview

[Elano]

HipHopDX: At the South Carolina University symposium you were quoted as saying "Most problems that you have in Hip Hop can be directly connected with something that is actually going on in society." How do we begin to recognize, and then stop that cycle of destruction? A lot of people are still in denial that there’s even a problem to begin with.
David Banner: Exactly. We have to figure out that there’s a problem in society, period. But in Hip Hop, many people aren’t brave enough to talk about what’s really causing our problems. The social system [of America] has been set-up way before Hip Hop.

DX: You were also criticized heavily for the things you said pertaining to African American women straightening their hair being a form of "black on black crime." Some even labeled you hypocrite because the women in many of your videos seem to have permed hair. How do you respond to that?
David Banner: When black people first started their integration after slavery, some black women would perm their hair to have more opportunities. The closer you were to being white --whether it was perming your hair, or bleaching your skin, or changing your name to Jane-- the better. And that’s the same way it is today. So although we have progressed, the basis of those problems have stayed the same whether we want to admit it or not.
What we need to understand is what these gossip sites are looking for. Those websites don’t talk about the charity work I've done, or how every Christmas I’m out fighting for kids to get something to eat. Those websites don’t print that because America feeds off of negativity.
The media takes one aspect of a person’s career and talks about it. You can ask anybody that works with me—my biggest fight is just to get dark-skinned women in videos, period. I'm one of the few artists that try to make that one of my demands; you have to give me at least one dark-skinned woman in the video. So I can’t sit there and say, "I want only dark-skinned women, and only women with natural hair, etc., etc."

DX: Why not? As an artist, how much creative control do you actually have over your videos?
David Banner: I have a lot of control, but we’re fighting so many battles. We’re fighting budget battles, we’re fighting to get our videos aired, and we’re fighting to get artists in the videos. There are so many battles to fight that we can’t always focus on them all. Plus, how many women with dreads or natural hair show up to video shoots anyway? I love women with dreadlocks; I got a thing for women with dreadlocks! But if they don’t show up to the casting call; I can’t pick them! People will find anything to complain about. I like women with natural hair; that’s my personal opinion. That has nothing to do with my business as an artist.

DX: But as an artist shouldn’t your business reflect who you really are? Isn’t that the true definition of “keeping it real”—staying true to who you really are?
David Banner: I don’t believe in keeping it real. That’s just me personally.

DX: You don’t think artists should stay true to themselves? If you’re not staying true to who you are through your music; you’re not a musician, you’re an actor.
David Banner: Not necessarily. The artistry just reflects certain aspects of your personality. I personally say, I like women with natural hair. I also like dark-skinned women. I also like women with big ol’ asses. [Laughs]  Just because I make that statement doesn’t mean that’s what I want to focus on the most in my music. People only focus on one thing—that’s not the focus of my life. What you have to understand is that there’s a difference between Lavell Crump and David Banner. There are parts of my personality that I don’t want revealed in my music. That’s when people run themselves crazy—when they try to make the two into the same person. That’s what’s wrong with Rap music; we try to "keep it real" when we’re supposed to be making stuff up, and telling stories, and give people whatever they need at the time.  If you don’t separate the person from the artist, you’ll get ate up by it.
We have been brought up in a system that crucifies our leaders for doing wrong, and now we’re doing the same thing to our own people. Back in the day Ebony magazine and Jet magazine knew that certain leaders had [personal vices] but some things we kept in our community. We loved our community so much that we kept certain things to ourselves.

DX: Isn’t that a dangerous slope though? Obviously, no one is perfect, but when we start sweeping issues under the table, doesn’t that do a terrible injustice to society?
David Banner: How?

DX: This is women’s history month so I’ll use us as an example right now: According to statistics, 96% of teen prostitutes were sex abuse victims. 66% of teens who get pregnant in America were molested as girls, and 75% of rapists were once sex abuse victims. So if there’s someone who has committed a sex crime and that fact comes to light; it needs to be talked about. Not by crucifying that individual, but by using it as a teaching moment to talk about the bigger picture -- preventing future occurrences across the globe.
David Banner: If somebody has broken the law, then yes maybe it needs to be talked about. But anything that people want to put on me as an entertainer should be put on everyone else too. People shouldn’t judge us every minute of the day, looking for a reason to talk or try to find something to use against us—

DX: That’s not what I’m saying at all. I agree that gossip sites shouldn’t be digging into people’s personal lives and airing their private business. But I also think that we, as a society, need to have more open dialogue, period. Not just when a celebrity does it. But as public figures, of course more people will talk when a celebrity is involved.
David Banner: But the thing that really pisses me off is that [the media] usually waits until a young, Black man does something, and then turns him into an example. There’s been a problem of violence against women and sexual abuse against women across America since the inception of the United States! But the media will wait until a black star does it. I can name 10 white stars who have hit their wives, and it’s never made [Oprah]! Look at Michael Vick! Dogs have been abused for years! White folks have been fighting dogs for hundreds of years! But they’ll wait until a young black man is involved in the situation to make a big deal of it. We all have vices. We shouldn’t be crucified just because we choose to be entertainers.
Speaking as candidly as I do does nothing but hurt my business. That’s what hurts me the most. For example, some American’s will criticize [Barack] Obama’s stimulus plan all day, but won’t talk about the fact that [George W.] Bush put us in this situation in the first place. We have to identify the root of the problem. When I talk to young people about the struggle of America or even about black women perming their hair, we blot out slavery, and we blot out racism. Some people believe that just because a Black man is president means oppression has stopped or racism has stopped.

DX: I understand where you’re coming from—but you also have to understand that entertainers become the people the public wants to relate to, whether they signed up for that or not. We need to recognize that people do wrong things and that we need to have positive discussions about how we can prevent that—
David Banner: Yes, "people," but not just entertainers. That’s where the conflict comes from. The media doesn’t want to help solve problems—they just want ratings! These TV shows want high ratings; they don’t want to help the kids!

DX: How do you feel about how the media has handled the situation between Chris Brown and Rihanna?
David Banner: All I wanna say is that both Rihanna and Chris are children. And the way everyone is acting towards two kids who may have made a mistake is pitiful. I know they sell millions of records, but it doesn’t stop the fact that they’re young. We get on our knees every day and pray for forgiveness, and this is how we act? What if God judged us the same way we judge celebrities?

DX: I have an idea about negativity in music right now called “American Apple Pie Theory”.  The negative music in Hip Hop is a lot like apple pie: It tastes good to some people, and in moderation its fine, because all of that exists in life. It’s reality. But if you consume too much of it, you might end up sick. And if you’re diabetic (meaning the at-risk youth or otherwise impressionable people) you just may end up in a coma. So, the problem isn’t that detrimental music exists—everyone has a right to freedom of expression—but there needs to be a better balance of media coverage in terms of the messages being sent by rap music. The problem is essentially in the mass mainstream media not providing the public with enough healthy choices. What’s your take on that theory?
David Banner: Hip Hop is exactly how it’s always been; the only difference was that years ago there were more options. You had a choice. The problem is that once big businesses got involved in music, they began to focus mostly on what’s commercially hot. And most record labels don’t know how to break new artists. They only throw money at what they perceive as being [commercially] hot artists. I don’t think there should only be positive rap either. Life isn’t all positive. But life isn’t all negative either. And none of these artists are all positive or all negative.
I'd say 60%- 70% of my albums have always been positive. I call my albums "Bibles with Playboy covers on them." [Laughs] But the problem is that the media only talks about [commercial hit] singles. I said on “Cadillac on 22s” : “God, I know that we pimp/ God, I know that we wrong / God, I know I should talk about more in all of my songs / I know these kids are listening/ I know I'm here for a mission/ But it's so hard to get them when 22’ rims are glistening” –when artists that are perceived as gangster rappers speak on politics or spirituality it usually falls upon deaf ears. I remember hearing Too Short [click to read] say, "I've made records about the ghetto, politics, and other positive subjects. But people seem to only remember biiitch!” Our appetites need to be better. As much as people talk about the content of some of our music; when rappers make more conscious music, people don’t buy it.
It’s no different than McDonald's. They’ve tried to switch up their menu and have tacos and all that other stuff, but most people still just order a number one.  So they go back to the original menu. All we need to do is start purchasing better things. There are opportunities when artists try to do better things and we get burned in most cases. You can get a million hits on your MySpace, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll sell records. We have to show people that different types of [rap] music have buying power. People are so emotional, but it really all comes down to money. If we purchase more positive music, record companies and artists would generate more positive music.

DX: Well, that leads us to another possible part of the problem--In 2006, according to Forbes magazine, 12- to 19-year-old Americans possessed $192 billion in purchasing power and have substantially more control over buying decisions than they used to. Many feel that we, as a society, are now catering to the wants of children because of their purchasing power. People say, "Well, this is what the kids want," but would you give your child apple pie until he or she vomits if that’s what they want?
David Banner: We have children running the household! Who’s controlling the ability of these kids to get the money to buy whatever they want? It really amazes me that a lot of kids are running the households these days. When I was a child, I had requests, not demands. My daddy didn’t play that.

DX: The lack of balance created by media-monopolies definitely creates a bitter divide between the mainstream and underground Hip Hop worlds. What do you think it will take to bridge that gap? The Internet has helped greatly, but there’s still been little to no change on TV and radio.
David Banner: Hip Hop in general is mainstream now. And you’re underground until a lot of people start liking you, and then you’re pop. Pop music just means "popular music." Hardcore gangster rap was underground music at first, until lots of people started liking it. Let me ask you a question…what song did I get popular off of?

DX: “Like a Pimp”.
David Banner: Right. So when people ask me to change my music, they're actually asking me to turn my back on the people that fed my family when none of the rest of ya’ll would pay attention to me. I put out “Cadillac on 22s,” and I got no label support. I put out “Play” [click to read] and what happened?

DX: People loved it.
David Banner: Right. I went back and tried to be more positive. Nothing. I did “Get Like Me.” I flossed, and what happened to my career?

DX: Back up again.
David Banner: Boom. Went right back up. If you want music to change, then buy that type of music. As much as we would like to change the world—this is still a business. If I don’t sell records, I won’t have a deal. If I lose my deal, I lose the ability to speak about any topic to the masses.

DX: Do you feel that people in the public eye should try to have some degree of social responsibility? Like you said, you’ve visited troops in Iraq, and done charity work. But there are other people in the public eye who choose to do nothing, or even become a part of the problem.
David Banner: Just because you’re an artist doesn’t mean that you should do charity work. I do what I do because that’s the type of man that I am. I don’t want anybody to do anything that’s not in their spirit.
When I was in the streets I was doing the same type of [community service], when I was a teacher I was doing the same type of work, when I was SGA President at Southern University, I was doing the same things- standing up for black people, women, etc. I set up walk programs for women so that they didn’t have to walk alone across campus at night. That’s the type of man that I am- that ain't got a damn thing to do with me being a rapper! That’s the problem—we put too much pressure and responsibility on entertainers. Most of these artists that are asked to be in a debate on CNN haven’t experienced enough in life to debate about anything. They are rappers and their job is to sell records—not to be political. Put me on TV! Put me in front of Rush Limbaugh! Put KRS-One in front of him! Put Bun B ! They don’t put the most qualified people in front of the cameras to speak on the topics at hand!

DX: How has your time as a hustler shaped the way you view the Hip Hop community today?
David Banner: I’m able to look at it from all sides; that’s been my blessing. I have a pretty well rounded view. Right now I’m right in between the kids and the older generation. I'm right at the cusp of all the things that people talk about. I understand the other side, so I’m better able to articulate both sides of the argument.

DX: You recently spent some time with the troops over in Iraq, what was that experience like?
David Banner: That experience changed my life. As much as we may think we have problems; there are troops who are experiencing situations we couldn’t imagine. Going over there really humbled me and put life in perspective.

DX: I’m not sure if you talked to any of them about this, but how do they feel about being at war while the media focuses on insignificant ‘headlines’?
David Banner: Well, some troops really feel like people have forgotten about them. When I went over there, a lot of troops were happy to see me. A lot of Rock and Pop acts have visited, but not too many people that the young troops were interested in—only because that’s not what they listen to. It really excited them to see somebody from their generation. Things are really hard over there and the Bush Administration really tried to hide the real number of suicides in the Iraq War. There have been multiple thousands of suicides.

DX: Wow, I had no idea about that…
David Banner: And I don’t personally agree with the war, but that has nothing to do with supporting the people who are putting their life on the line, or dying over there, or fighting that war. They feel like people have forgotten about them.

DX: Will those types of visits become a regular thing for you? Will you continue to travel and speak even after how people recently reacted after SCU?
David Banner: Oh yeah. I’m going to continue to do what’s right. As long as I continue to do right, I’ll be just fine. I’ll continue fighting—so many things are happening that people aren’t talking about, so I have to keep saying it. I feel that it’s my job to articulate the plight of those who don’t have the ability of being heard. It’s a shame…They’ve really duped us.

[DJ SUGAFREE QUIK]

+1 for bringing this out.  Banner spoke a lot of truth on the interview.  Tommy Lee beat down Pamela Anderson while she was holding their son.  That was news.  I swear man, Vick got more heat than Timothy mc Veigh did in 1995.  [it seems like it.]  And he blew up a building with kids in it.  And people, mainly repubs criticizing Obama & stuff.  What's their bright idea then?  At least he's tryna do something for the people right away.  He's caring, unlike BUSHIT who took his sweet slow happy time when 9/11 happened & didn't do jack aobut the stranded people in Hurricane Katrina until Kanye spoke the truth.  He did more relief for other countries faster than relief for a city in his own country.