Q&A: David Banner defends rappers' rights as artists
By Mariel Concepcion
NEW YORK (Billboard) - On September 26, David Banner joined fellow MC Master P, music industry executives and scholars to discuss offensive language in hip-hop music before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Reading from a statement, the 33-year-old Mississippi rapper/producer tenaciously defended hip-hop from its detractors. "Drugs, violence and the criminal element were around long before hip-hop existed," testified the rapper, born Level Crump.
It wasn't the first time Banner articulated his stance on the issue. A few weeks before the congressional hearing, he sat in on a panel discussion hosted by hip-hop Web site AllHipHop.com, on which he debated panelist Master P, once known as a gangster rapper, for denouncing the use of profane lyrics. In recent months, Banner has taken the Rev. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Oprah Winfrey to task for their roles in the war against rap.
Through his own nonprofit, Heal the Hood, Banner has been at the forefront of a number of philanthropic activities -- including, in 2005, the largest urban benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims. He also recently created his own Adult Swim cartoon, "That Crook'd Sipp," and is slated to release his fourth album, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (Universal Motown/SRC Records), October 9. In coming months, Banner is scheduled to work with Lil Wayne, Chris Brown and Quincy Jones, among others.
"Rap music is the voice of the underbelly of America," Banner said in the conclusion to his testimony. "How dare America not give us the opportunity to be heard."
Q: During your testimony to Congress, you said, "If you fix our communities, we'll fix our lyrics." What does society need to do to change inner cities? How will that affect rap lyrics?
A: "In Jackson, Miss., there are no boys clubs, no recreational programs. But, they don't want you to be a gang banger. I have friends who are college graduates that have to resort to other things 'cause it's so hard to find a job. You can imagine how hard it is for someone who doesn't have an education. In the Katrina hearing, one congressman asked, 'Haven't we done enough for Katrina?' They live in a world that we don't live in, and it's hard to speak for a majority when you don't live under the same conditions. People don't sing happy songs if they're broke."
Q: You also mentioned that rap music kept you out of trouble growing up.
A: "Rap music does for us the same thing gospel did for the slaves. We communicate our anger through our music."
Q: Why would Congress focus on hip-hop music as opposed to some of society's other ills?
A: "Because we've taken ownership. Back (during) slavery I didn't hear them trying to ban words. They called us n****** and we just had to take it. Now that we've taken ownership of the word, they want to ban it. They said in Congress that the stuff you see on TV is more powerful than what you hear. But you don't see anyone criticizing Martin Scorsese or the governor of California, who's killed more people onscreen than anybody I know. We don't put these standards on actors the way we do on rappers."
Q: You've denounced the Rev. Al Sharpton for his efforts to censor hip-hop music. Is your stance still the same?
A: "All he's got to do to make me go away is stop attacking the kids. Out of all the atrocities and stuff going on in the world like the Jena 6 (the black high school students in Mississippi who were arrested for beating a white student after an anti-black incident on campus), why is rap so important? Come on, dude -- we're making money, and it's not against the law."
Q: At the AllHipHop.com panel, you and Master P engaged in a dispute over the use of profanity in hip-hop and his choice to clean up music. What are your thoughts now?
A: "I don't want to strike out against Master P. He has the right to feel how he wants about things. But if he does feel so bad about the fact that he denounced black people in his music, then he should give some money back to the people. If you're a true leader, you have to sacrifice."
Q: You mentioned that horror movies and their directors aren't as targeted as hip-hop music and rappers are. Do you think it's a race thing?
A: "I try to use facts instead of using the black card. They didn't expect me to state all those facts at Congress. I went to the library, I spoke to lawyers, I asked questions. Black people are too emotional, and we must stick to the facts. That's why I stopped saying 'black people.' Now I say 'poor people."'
"Rap is an art, and I can say whatever the hell I want to. I use the words I use because they are graphic and they hurt. It's supposed to get people's attention. Where we come from we speak that way."
Q: How about the use of words like "bitches" and "ho's?"
A: "But aren't there bitches out there? Don't they exist? Those types of women exist, and if they didn't it'd be different. When someone yells in a room full of women the word 'dyke,' my mother isn't insulted because she isn't one."
Q: Why has it taken you two years to drop a follow-up album?
A: "I was tired of rap. I was tired of music. So I had to leave and get myself right again with God and get right with myself. My little brother is a grown-ass man and the truth is I don't know him 'cause I've been running around trying to be a rapper. So, I took time to spend with my grandmother, to spend with my father before he died. That's one of the reasons I got a better album -- cause I got stories to tell."
Q: You've been socially active in your community. Is this reflected in this album at all?
A: "It used to, but I think it doesn't anymore and it shouldn't. One of the problems we have coming from poor situations is we let our personal life bleed way too much into our business. The truth is I'm a rapper, so my duty first and foremost is to make hits and to satisfy my audience. That's my day job. The better I do that, the more I can do for my people."
Q: What should be the next move as far as the debate about hip-hop lyrics goes?
A: "People need to stop being hypocrites and clean up the communities. I'll tell you a story. I drink a little bit. But now that I'm training, I don't drink 'cause I don't have time for negativity in my body. The rest of my body is great. I'm healthy. I look in the mirror now and I love what I see. With that I say: If you change our environment, we'll be happy to talk about something else."
Reuters/Billboard
