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."