How did the record “Get Like Me” with Chris Brown come about? I was in my basement in Atlanta making the beat, and honestly, I think this was the first time in my life that I made [a beat] and knew it was a hit. If you listen to that beat, it’s not like anything you’re hearing on the radio. It’s fresh, it feels good, but it’s got a slice of hood in it. Originally the track was me, Yung Joc, and Jim Jones. I already had Jim Jones on another track on the album, and one of the criticisms I had been getting from my fans was that I always have songs with other people and they want to hear more David Banner. I really believe that with the way records are selling, if you’re going to get it you need to get it now because it’s only going to get worse before it gets better. I’ve got a lot of strong relationships, and Chris Brown is really like my little brother. So I called Chris up and was like, “Dude, it’s time for that favor.” He was like, “The only way I can do it is if you don’t put me on an R&B song. I wanna be on a straight hood song. I want you to put me in there like I’m rapping.” And that’s what he’s doing [on “Get Like Me”]. He has 12 bars just like any other rapper. This song is going to be bigger than “Play.” It’s just such a blessing. I have a new look and new songs. It’s almost like I’m a rapper with a brand new career. Why did you decide to come with a new look? I got sick. I was 21 points from diabetes. I had high blood pressure, it was 191 over 141. I was literally about to die. I had sleep apnea. The doctor plainly told me that if I didn’t do anything about it, I was going to die. It’s so funny when people talk shit and they really don’t know what’s going on. I know I look good, damn it, but people never really know what’s going on in your life. I don’t like that America has reduced us to believing everything we see on TV. You make assumptions on people’s real lives based on what they say on a record or do on TV. Then, on top of that, why does our generation always have to look at the negative? Why can’t people just say, “Damn, that boy is getting his life together; getting healthy.” Have you been focusing more on production than being an artist lately? First of all, July 15th, everybody go pick up The Greatest Story Ever Told. If you love David Banner stop talking about it and go buy the album. As far as me as a producer, I’ve always had hot
beats. But it’s funny, Pharrell told me, “Banner, man, you are possibly one of the best producers I have ever heard in my life, but you don’t put out the kind of music you produce yourself.” And what I’ve noticed is that a lot of rappers are uncomfortable with anything outside of what they feel the streets want. Back in the day, the streets didn’t tell Curtis Mayfield or Prince what to do. They were leaders; they were visionaries. My music has always been two years ahead of people, but it takes people who are visionaries to really latch onto it. If you look at [T.I.’s] “Rubberband Man,” which I produced, at the time were scared to do that kind of music. It was hood, but the beat was so bright. But T.I. was a visionary, so that’s the kind of person who’s going to gravitate to David Banner. If you look at this new “LaLa” I produced for Lil Wayne [on The Carter 3], that’s the craziest beat you have ever heard. No one would ever expect that, but Wayne is a visionary. So with me and my production, one of the reasons it’s taken me so long to blossom is because I have to work with artists that aren’t scared. The producers that are really big, like Timbaland and Pharrell, had artists who really believed in them, like Aaliyah and The Clipse. Those artists really believed in their vision and listened to them. So it’s going to take a minute to find the artists that are like, “Banner, I’m going to ride with you every time, because I believe in your vision.” How are you able to produce so many styles for so many different artists? When I grew up I listened to a diverse set of music. My uncle was a DJ from the north, and he got a job at a Blue’s Station and couldn’t use all his records, so he gave them to me. I was listening to music that people around me weren’t listening to. I was listening to Outkast and the old Cash Money, but I was also listening to the BeatNuts, Souls of Mystery, and The Boo-Yaa Tribe. I was listening to The Police and Culture Club. I was a big cartoon-head, and I love scores and movie soundtracks. I think that’s the reason why my music sounds so diverse. You’ve always been able to teeter on the line between commercial Hip Hop and conscious Hip Hop. How have you managed to do so and not alienate any of your fans, or have you? Well, actually, I have alienated a lot of my fans, but I’ve also gained a lot of new ones. Anytime you make a change, some people are not going
to understand it. A wise man once said, “If you’re not making a lot of mistakes, you’re not making enough decisions. If you make a lot of decisions and you’re a leader, then of course you’re going to make some mistakes.” I haven’t always made the best decisions musically, but I’ve always stood by people and have remained tangible no matter how big or my small my record is. If you look at how we’re doing our interview now, we’re outside, walking around, sitting down, and having a conversation. That’s how I’ve always tried to be with my fans. Just travel with me. Why is our music the only form of music where we don’t allow our artists to grow? We gotta learn how to let our artists grow. Because the only way we’re going to stay the same is if we die. But what I do think that people like is that I just continue to be me. David Banner is going to be David Banner. If you disrespect him he’s going to whoop your ass, and if you show him a compliment, he’s going to give you a hug. When Hurricane Katrina came through everybody focused on New Orleans, while other states were devastated as well. How are things in Mississippi almost three years after Katrina hit? Mississippi is still hurting. My brothers and sisters in New Orleans were affected [by Katrina] mostly because the local government didn’t rebuild the levees like they were supposed to. Millions of dollars were allocated to help rebuild the levees, and the local government only spent half of it. If you look at New Orleans, they caught the residuals of Katrina, whether it be the flood, the rain, etc. The actual eye of Hurricane Katrina hit Colston, Mississippi and Southern Alabama. It’s just strange that people would talk about Katrina and not talk about the places where the storm actually hit. The reason is that Alabama and Mississippi are not tourist attractions. If you don’t have cameras, you don’t get any attention. People only care about what America is shoving down their throat. And that’s the reason America is in the position it’s in now. If America was a city, the South is the ghetto, and Mississippi would be considered the most ghetto. We’re the poorest state in the United States. So, logically, it would make sense that we should’ve gotten the financial aid and attention we needed after Katrina. But you and I both know that’s not the case. Musically, what’s the state of Mississippi right now? People are still grinding. People are still doing what they need to do to come up. One young rapper that I like is named Savvy. Lyrically, that boy’s spitting on the level of a Nas, but he’s still from Mississippi, so he has the Mississippi slang. I’m really watching what this cat is going to do. But Mississippi is still grinding, the sound is developing, and it’s really coming. I really think Mississippi is going to shock a lot of people when the time comes. What is the overall state of Hip Hop right now in
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