Interview Time: David Banner

David Banner

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David Banner isn't afraid to please his women; you only have to listen to his recent single "Play" to understand that. Apart from that, not a lot is known about the heavy weight producer/ rapper from the depths of America's Dirty South. On his recent pass through of London, fresh from supporting Sway on his tour, David Banner took some time out to talk to Musicrooms.net for a conversation about life, sex (of course), Hurricane Katrina and the possibility of some more UK collaborations.

So what more lies beneath the surface of this 6” 2 Mississippi giant?

He tells Davina O’Garro more…

Davina: Hi David, I just want to start off by saying that you’re looking well.

David Banner: Thank you, thank you.

Davina: So you’re here promoting your album ‘Certified’ and your single ‘Play’.

David Banner: I think I’m more or less here to promote me, and the fact that I’m very interested in being part of the growth in the UK’s Hip Hop scene and I want to invest in them as well as have them invest in me.

Davina: Play is quite a dirty song.

David Banner: I don’t think it’s dirty.

Davina: No? It’s about making women cum?

David Banner: Well not so much that as making them happy. When I listen to it I guess it is dirty in some people’s eyes but to me it’s just a grown up song.

It’s so funny how people label urban music. It’s an art. People complain so much about how misogynistic that rap can be at times but when a man makes a song that’s specifically catering to a woman’s wants it’s different.

I don’t think there’s ever been a song, with a masculine man saying they want to please a woman. You always hear the rap songs, where men say to women, “you gonna do this for me and you gonna do that for me.” I just want to make you happy.

Davina: We don’t know that much about you here? Can you give me a brief background about you?

David Banner: I been grinding for a long time. I started independently and did well independently. I produced Thug Holiday for Trick Daddy, Rubber Band Man for TI. I rapped on Bone Crusher ‘Never Scared’ and I did Tip Drill for Nelly and a host of other ish and just got it popping in the South. God blessed me with success and it’s been popping ever since.

Davina: Did you have any mentors in the industry when you were coming up?

David Banner: I been helped by a lot of people you know. Lil Jon, Bone Crusher, Trick Daddy, TI, Nelly. Everybody who I done business with has helped me. I thought about it, you know, and it’s been so many people that have helped me along the way but it’s hard to just single out one person.

Davina: You said you wanted to get a reputation over here, but you think that you can only do that by supporting the best UK talent. Is that true?

David Banner: Well I wouldn’t just say the best, I’d say any. It would speed up the process to be associated with people who are known as the best but with me I like being a part of something new and I think the international market is the next level to the game. I like being a part of something from the ground up. I would also like to expand my musical horizons. When you’re able to start fresh and start from the ground up you’re able to re-establish yourself as a new entity and I think with me, being a part of the growing UK scene early it’s almost like a breath of fresh air.

Davina: So who do you admire from over here?

David Banner: I mean I admire any of the rappers from the UK because until it becomes commercially viable to the world it means people are risking their lives just to do something that they love. I admire any artist that pursues their dream.

Davina: You were performing over here with Kano and Sway. What do you think of them?

David Banner: I like them both and I think they are both very talented and it’s great because they’re both so different from each other. They both have a certain level of commercial appeal and I think that’s important. They’re blazing the way for young underground cats to come through and I think that’s important.

Davina: Will there be any collaborations with UK artists?

David Banner: Me and Sway were in the studio not long ago working, so you never know what might come out of it. I don’t know whether the song is coming out or not but we definitely were in the studio. My goal is to get me, Sway and Kano on a track together, I think that would be big- but we’ll see.

Davina: Twista did a song with Lethal B and The Kray Twins and that went down well.

David Banner: I did a song with Rodney P and Dizee Rascal. Part of it was recorded here in the UK. You can check out on Certified, my album.

Davina: From what I know about you, you’ve got a big heart. You helped out a lot of people during Hurricane Katrina.

David Banner: I’m a naughty boy who likes spankings!

Davina: What? I mean that you’ve got a very big heart, very socially aware, very conscious. Is there a reason? What’s the reason, you do what you do? Is it to do with your background?

David Banner: Everyone has level of responsibility and it’s up to you if you want to face the calling or not. I just choose to face it.

Davina: On your album there’s a song called My Life. Is there a standout lyric on that song?

David Banner: I wouldn’t so much say standout lyric. That song was more or less about people wanting to take my life more than anything else. I think I’m trying to do right. You know, good or bad, no matter how it may be interpreted. It always seems that for the most part people want to interpret what young black males do as negative. I just want people to interpret what I do as positive, no matter how it may seem.

Davina: You were very instrumental during Hurricane Katrina. What were you feeling at the time?

David Banner: A sense of urgency. Same sense of urgency that I feel now because aint too much changed.

Davina: Have you continued to help?

David Banner: As much as I possibly can.

Davina: What’s happening now?

David Banner: Not much like I said before. If you go to Mississippi or Louisiana aint too much changed.

Davina: I’ve always known you to be a producer before an artist? Which way do you see your career going?

David Banner: Whatever they pay me to do.

Davina: Do you love one more than the other?

David Banner: It’s a business

Davina: So you’re in it for the business not for the love?

David Banner: I don’t have any kids so I’m making a foundation for my kids when the come along. If it wasn’t a business you wouldn’t be sitting here right now at Universal, multi million dollar corporation that make billions of dollars off of us. And until we start taking over our culture and the things that we do that God has given us to do naturally, if we don’t take it as a business, then we going to continue to get raped.

David Banner: The love is why we started doing it when we were children, but we grown as hell now.

Davina: How grown are you?

David Banner: Grown enough to make you smile, young enough to keep it there.

Davina: Oh my goodness!

Davina: If you weren’t rapping what would you be doing?

David Banner: I don’t know because I am. I mean God has blessed me to do what I love to do. So why would I think about anything else.

Davina: The future, where do you think its going to go?

David Banner: I am the future. I feel like all of it. The movies, the rap, the production, but I’m going to take them one at a time. I think I’m going to focus for a minute and which one I’m going to focus on is yet to be seen. I’m going to take a few months off.

Davina: Well thank you for your time David.