The certified hip hop mogul named David Banner, from the state of the crooked letters, is a man with an imagination that is as vast as the Cumberland Mountains. Banner is one southern rap pioneer who is not shy when it comes to dropping jewels on the younger hip hop generation and he doesn’t believe the hype of the music industry. His catalog includes four successful rap albums and a fifth one one the way, a producer who will make a beat right in front of you to make sure it’s yours and now he’s branched off into acting and his very own cartoon show.

This is one man who you wouldn’t want to make angry, you won’t like him when he’s angry. Everything that he has been through in the past few years has caused him to hulk out into the beast that he is today from sour rappers to the death of his father, Mr. Zeno Crump Jr. to the piracy craze. HipHopClub sits with David Banner for some serious dialog in one of the most in-depth interviews that can be dug into.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So what’s new with David Banner?

David Banner: What’s new with David Banner? What’s new is I got this cartoon coming out called “Crook’d Sipp” and that’s wonderful. Got a brand new album, “Greatest Story Ever Told” I got 3 new movies, of course “Black Snake Moan” that’s out on DVD now. I’m doing beats for Snoop, TI’s new album, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana album, Jim Jones, Chamillionare. Oh man! It’s just a lot man, it’s just a blessing. On the bad side this year I think I didn’t really keep it one hundred fifteen with my fans and these kids because I think that people get the wrong interpretation about us and think that life is great. A few weeks ago my father just died and it’s been really crazy for me because most men don’t have that they can go to talk to and I think that’s one of the problems with the hip hop generation and with young people in general.

We don’t have mentors that can guide us in the right direction and if we do our mentor is broke. So how can they tell us about making money? My father was one of the best firemen in the United States. He had came up with some of the material that people use on attacking big fires. He commanded a lot of people and he knew about leadership, knew about directing peoples lives. That was a really big pro to me because we wasn’t really tight like 2 years ago. So to be out here just totally by yourself making million dollar decisions was just crazy for me.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So you had your father to lean back on when it came to advice and you could count on him sometimes?

David Banner: Yeah, I could count on him a lot man. My father was an old school country boy. He wasn’t on all that bullshit. He always came at you in a nice way. My father always gave you the direct reality of things. I think he’s a major reason why I’m the man that I am today. You know, well people ask me, “Well, David Banner, well how can you do this? How can you do that?” It’s because of my father.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So you have your fifth album coming in the near future called, “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. What will fans expect from the album?

David Banner: People can expect a classic album. I’m putting it out on this one. I think that it’s the best rap album out in history hands down. That’s what I can say about it. I’m putting money on that! I’m telling people to take all the albums that people think are classics and put them in front of me and I bet you I’m able to mow one of them albums down! And if I’m able to prove hands down that my album is better than any one of the albums that people considered a classic album, then dammit my albums one too!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So you’re definitely going to make your niche in hip hop with this one?

David Banner: Awe! A legend! And I really feel like you gotta speak what it is. I’m the shit! You know? I’ve been too nice and too laid back and too humble about this shit. These niggaz is not fading me. It may be somebody that can rap better than me, it may be somebody who can make beats better than me, and maybe 1 or 2 people who got a better performance. I doubt that, but it may be. But if you wanna tally it all up together, then there ain’t no nigga that’s fading me. And you can quote me and put asterisks all around that shit!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Shit, you got every right to say that in my opinion. With everything that you’ve done! All the movies! You had the opening song on the 2 Fast 2 Furious movie. How many people can say they did something like that?

David Banner: Yeah, man! It’s a blessing man. You know, for me man too many times a lot of people allow their greats go on without feeling like that they’re anything. It’s like Bob Marley died not knowing who he was. John Coltrain… it’s like we always let our people die without really giving them their props man. I’m not going to let that happen to me. A mutha fucka is going to respect what I do. And it’s crazy because people say that they want artists to act this way and act that way and the artists that do shit that they’re supposed to do never get treated right. So, fuck em, let’s go!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So what’s your opinion on the current state of Southern hip hop?

David Banner: Agh! I don’t care!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: (laughs)

David Banner: People always ask that question. I care about the current state of David Banner. That’s it! And if David Banner does what he’s supposed to do then David Banner will be alright. Fuck hip hop! I could give a shit less.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: That is your answer on the current state of hip hop. So how are you feeling?

David Banner: I feel wonderful my dude! I feel great. Everything that I’ve been through and all the stuff that I’ve had to overcome only made me stronger as a man. I’m gonna be honest with you dude. I’ve been through hell in the last year but that was only God making me stronger and allowing me to realize who my real friends are. Most of these rap niggaz is bitches. They’re not me… they’re not me. You know what I’m saying? I don’t trust them, they’re liars. They don’t stand for what’s right. I just care about me. I don’t care about what nobody else does, what nobody else is saying. As long as they don’t touch me or my money I don’t give a fuck. I really, really, really don’t. I use to be about unity and getting together. Fuck all that! Pay me! Pay fucking me! And then I’mma go back to the hood and take care of my people. Why all the rest of these mutha fuckaz talking about what they’re do? Come see me and see what I do.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So this is David Banner bringing prominence back to Mississippi, huh?

David Banner: And this is David Banner coming back to him. You know what I’m saying? Like, I am - - I am where I’m from. You know what I’m saying? All of that is cool. We done did that. We done did Katrina. It’s about me now. It’s about me taking care of me and if I’m able to take care of me then I’m able to do for everybody else. If I don’t do for me, it’s over! I ain’t gonna be able to do shit for nobody if I ain’t hot. You know what I’m saying? So if everybody wanna see the good guy win, go buy his record… play his record. Support him in your magazine, support him in your whatsaname. Do the same thing for the good guys that you do for the asshole. People seem to break their necks for assholes!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: (laughs)

David Banner: And you know it’s true!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Since your acting debut in Black Snake Moan you worked on your own cartoon show. What was that like playing your own cartoon character as opposed to acting in a movie?

David Banner: Aw, man! First of all I’d like to say I’m a big cartoon fan. Like as gangsta as people think I am and know I am and seen me do the shit that I’ve done in the past I’ve always loved cartoons. I’m talking about from Voltron to Powerpuff Girls, all the way through. (laughs) You know what I’m saying how most people loud acting like they don’t be acting The Justice League knowing they love The Teen Titans. Nigga c’mon! I’m a cartoon fanatic homie! Straight up! So for me I just try to stay true to what I love. You know what I’m saying? And it’s easy for me. We performed, we done acting. Actually, doing a cartoon is ten times easier because all you do is get in the booth… it’s talking. You know what I’m saying? So you don’t have the pressure of the cameras, all that kind of stuff. You can be whoever the fuck you wanna be.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Are there any similarities between a cartoon and a movie. Especially playing the main character of a cartoon as opposed to being in a movie, you’re sitting there reading from a page.

David Banner: I think when you’re doing cartoons you’re a little bit more free to be who you want to be because can’t nobody see you. Like, people are so into their image and what people are going to think if they see them play this part or that part. When you play cartoons and when you’re in a cartoon you just do whatever the fuck you want to. Act as silly as you want to, just be you. Whatever it is. You ain’t a gangsta all the time. You ain’t a killer all the time. The softest nigga ain’t soft all the time. You know what I’m saying? So, when you have the opportunity to really touch on all of the stuff that you’ve got inside of you, I think that helps you become a more well rounded person.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: David Banner dropping jewels man!

David Banner: (laughs) Quit it!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: (laughs) You also hooked up with Steven Rifkind for the Loud.com project. Could you tell us more about that and what your involvement was with the website?

David Banner: It’s like… really I wouldn’t. To be honest with you, I’m tired of making other people money and that’s just what I say. I’mma leave it at that.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: You recently received a Visionary Award from the National Black Caucus…

David Banner: Hey! You did yo research, huh son! Gone then! (laughs)

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Man! I’m a hip hop head man. I’m into everything. About the award you got for Hurricane Katrina, what’s the current status of Mississippi since then because I’m sure a lot of people don’t know?

David Banner: I mean, it’s still rough man but you know the one thing that we can all say that was predicted everybody knew that it wasn’t going to be too much different. You know what I’m saying? People don’t give a fuck about poor people man. As much as people preach all that we want a better hip hop, we want a better the earth, mutha fuckaz wanna make money. Until young people realize that it ain’t about hip hop, it ain’t about your talent, it’s about money and everything. It’s all business! That was my problem. I use to believe that the world really wanted to be a better place and people were inheritably good. That is a fucking lie! You have a small amount of people who truly want to do good, but most of them broke. So how in the fuck are you really going to effect change if you broke. So Katrina, all that shit, that’s never going to change until somebody with passion gets in the position of power. It’s never going to change and we need to start realizing that. Fuck hip hop fuck gangsta rap. Fuck singing and rap and everything else dude. If you wanna change stuff, stop begging other people and stop saying what other people should do. You do it! You get off yo ass, make some money and you go do it! Stop talking about David Banner ain’t doing this, Nelly ain’t doing this, T.I. ain’t doing this… you do it!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Damn!

David Banner: That’s what I’d do! I don’t ask nobody else for shit. I go raise money and do it myself.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: I don’t know what else to say.

David Banner: Just say that “The Greatest Story Ever Told” will be one of the greatest rap albums ever. That’s what you say!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Okay.

David Banner: And then if you say that now, you will go down in history saying that you predicted it. That’s what you do!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Yeah! (laughs) So is there anything else that you want the people reading to know?

David Banner: Those people that hate me, I appreciate the hate and I think they should be more vocal about it. And the people that love me do the same. And to those who have loved me and supported me throughout the years that I really, really appreciate it and I also want to say that those people who are out here bootleggin, all this bullshit. Those saying that they love hip hop and downloading and limewiring, don’t be surprised when hip hop is gone because it’s coming. Because of technology, people are having more of an opportunity to become artists? That is not true. What they’re doing is watering down and pissing on the people who are actually having power. The music industry and the world is trying to make it to where there won’t be no more Chris Brown’s, there won’t be no more Nelly’s, there won’t be no more Usher’s. You know what I’m saying? It’s going to be too many people that are going to go buy this little bitty artist and that’s not going to be one concentration of money no where. You understand what I’m saying? So people better watch what the fuck they doing and buy these mutha fuckin records and I don’t have to say that shit because I don’t worry about the other shit. I’m cool. I’m worrying about the next generation of rappers and singers.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: They don’t realize how much it hurts. I’ve heard people say that they buy the bootleg and if they like it then they go buy the album. I think that’s a bunch of bullshit too.

David Banner: You know what I think? I think that we don’t give a fuck. Like we say that people don’t realize it? I think that most people don’t care. America has taught us to be so fucking about us, us, us, now, now, now, now, greedy, greedy, greedy, greedy! You know what I’m saying? We’ll go spend some money on some bullshit, not on something that we really love or something that inadvertently gonna help us. The more of us that get artists in our city, the more attention will be brought to our city.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So what these people gotta do again, David Banner?

David Banner: (laughs) They gotta go and get “The Greatest Story Ever Told” is what they need to do. They need to support your dude David Banner. And then for real dawg, just spread the word my nigga. If people want the right people to do the right things we gotta support them and build them up. We got to build them up, we have to build them up. If we don’t build good people up we can’t expect them to continue to do good things. I’m not going broke trying to help nobody else no more. I’m not. If I’m not rich, I’m not doing it. If I’m not in a good situation and my life ain’t good, fuck it! And I’m just being honest with you, you can print that. Fuck it! I mean it. And ain’t nobody else gonna say it they just gonna do it. I mean it. I ain’t bullshittin. So if you want to see people do good things support good people. And that’s everybody.

--By Marrio (St. Louis Ben Grimm) Gardner