UDC: Tell us what you are working on now and give us some insight on your latest endeavors?

DB: Right now I’m reading a lot of scripts. I’m working on my acting class. I’m working on my album and a Sudan relief fund like a “We are the world” song. It's a genocide situation in the Sudan right now. I’m on Ludacriss’ next album and Busta Rhymes next album. It is so much man...so much.

UDC: We’ve heard about you creating a jersey and clothing line. Tell me what direction that’s going in?

DB: I honestly stepped away from the clothing and the reason why is because sometimes we over step our boundaries as business people. I think the bigger I get as an artist and as a producer the easier it will be for me to start a clothing line because we will want it more. It’s just killing me, I was really doing the same thing that I was doing when I was homeless, over stepping my boundaries. Right now I’m so blessed. I am right in the middle of being that big star. You know, that’s that dude that did “Like a Pimp” and produced a couple of hot beats. I think a lot of artists aren’t honest with their place in the universe, I’m being honest and it is funny because if people ever notice I’m actually hotter now as a celebrity than when “Like a Pimp” was out. That is the craziest sh*t ever. It is a blessing and it is something that can’t be taken lightly. Since people give so much love, I have to come with a jammin’ album. I’m talking about amazing. For God and the fans allowing me to have a chance like I have now, I have an opportunity to move my career to the next level. I’m going to get with Jon and TI and do it right now. It is time for us to step to that next level, I really stepped back from the clothing line stuff and I’m just concentrating on music. If I take care of my old lady, which is music than she will take care of me in every way I could ever imagine.

Photo By Julia Beverly

UDC: How do you think the underground scene changed since the days of you coming up with Crooked Lettaz?

DB: I think it is a two fold problem. It is harder to get music played on the radio since radio has gone corporate but it is more of a chance for a Southern artist to get out there. You have more examples, you have seen my story. You watch TI’s story and you watch Lil’ Flip’s story. When I was coming up I did not have that motivating factor especially coming from Mississippi. Now we have examples that you can make it, you can get out there on the grind and it can happen if you believe in yourself and God first and foremost. I think it is a changing of times. If you look at this time, it is the best time as an artist to come up ever because the artists that step up now will be here for ten to twelve years. We are the next Snoops and LL Cool Js. From Dipset to David Banner to TI to St.Lunatics to The Game, that is that next generation coming up, Slim Thug and Mike Jones. The whole face of music is changing right now. The new cats are coming up and this opportunity as southerner’s period to take our place in history. As a conglomerate not as one company or state just everybody.

UDC: Why have corporate labels placed so much more value on southern artists now than they did when the Geto Boys or MJG and Eightball were coming up?

DB: It is all about money. They spend less money and attention on us. They can spend 700,000 dollars on an artist from another place and then spend 200,000 dollars on a southern artist. I find out one of the reasons I was liked so much because the overhead was not as much. The thing is that southern artists know how to take nothing like we always have and turn it in to everything.

UDC: How do we reverse this way of thinking?

DB: What we have to do is first of all prove ourselves. We have to stop blaming everything on these labels or the rapper that is from our city. We seem to blame everything on everybody. We get out here sell these records then we renegotiate our contracts. Once you sell so many records independently then you can negotiate your contract like I did. People do not want you unless you do not need them, plain and simple.

UDC: Do you feel like the independent hustle is better or being signed to a major label is the way to go?

DB: If you get somebody else to spend their money on you that is always good but I say the independent hustle is always good. I learned how to do everything. I even packaged, pressed and put the plastic on my cds. If stuff goes bad I know how to go back to the independent grind if necessary. Everybody’s so scared of hard work. Hard work trains you. It trains you to be a solider and not need anyone.

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Photo By Julia Beverly

If it comes down to it I know how to feed my family. I know how to press up a hundred cds and make a thousand dollars so my son or daughter can eat. I want other people but I do not need other people. I think with that grind. It teaches and trains you to be a better business person.

UDC: I know you are an accomplished producer. How do you feel about samples? How do you feel about producers taking other artist’s records and remixing them?

DB: Make a hit! I don’t give f*#k. Just don’t steal other people’s ideas. At least allow it to get old. I love sampling. I wouldn’t be here if it were not for sampling. I’m actually going to Congress about the sampling issues because I think they take too much money. People don’t worry about that sh*t until black people start making money. Just the fact that I was a young dude from Mississippi who did not have sh*t. I made my first independent album on my father’s table with MPC and whole bunch of records. I got myself up out the ghetto dawg. Right now as I sit and talk to you, I’m looking at a seven acre lake in my backyard with ducks and geese. I’m not talking dogs and about people shooting and killing one another. My backyard is so beautiful. I was thinking about taking a picture of it and selling it as a postcard. That isn’t anything but God. The fact that we can take scraps of something else, put them together, and make it something that the masses want, that it’s a blessing. They need to stop trippin’ over young cats in the ghetto getting out. People are talking about us breaking into cars, stealing sh*t, and hurting people. We have found a way out. Every time black people find a way to make money, somebody tries to find a way to control it, f*#k them.

UDC: You had a golden ticket contest. You gave away a college scholarship. Other artists gave away cars and chains. Why did you give away a scholarship?

DB: Always remember this, I do not care what the others gave. I think they did that to pit other artists against one another. Maybe they did not know any better. I was blessed enough to be able to go to college so that is something that I experienced. I know how that changed my life. We cannot worry about what other people do. God laid that on my heart and soul. That’s like when people say why didn't some people pick that “Move b*#ch get out the way” beat. There were ten thousand people who had an opportunity to get that beat before Ludacris did, he got it. Hopefully I can be a shining example that will have other artists do the same. What we should be talking about is the fact that two other artists did it after I did it. People really did get their money to go to school.

UDC: Do you have any words for up and coming artists that are struggling everyday to get their music to the masses?

DB: You have to sacrifice. It is not easy. Stop depending on others. Grow the f*#k up. It’s hard. When I was going thru the independent grind, it was some of the hardest s*#t that I’ve been thru in my life. I was miserable. I was thinking how painful that was. I begged God if it wasn’t in his will for me to go back to that, I don’t want to feel that pain anymore. It’s hard and it supposed to be hard. As we talk, I’m looking at the payoff. With that sacrifice in my life, I would not have to worry. If s*#t doesn’t go well from this point on I’m good. I have a place to stay, my cars are paid off, and my school loans are paid off. What I tell artists is that the same way people grind everyday going to work for someone else. You have to grind. I worked eighteen hours a day everyday towards my career. If you work eighteen hours a day everyday going towards any goal, you may not end up being the biggest rapper in the world but something will come out of it. Whether you end up interning, working for a radio station, becoming an A&R, or shooting videos, if you honestly pursue everything that God puts on your mind, you will make it. I never wanted to be a producer but I could not afford to buy other people’s beats and when I could afford it they would shoot me some bulls*#t because I was an independent artist. That is why you hear all these independent beats from David Banner and those b*#ches are better than the majors. The reason for that is that I make people’s beats right in front of them. I can’t lie like people lie so if it is jammin’ then you can say I like it or I don’t. I will keep working to I get something that you like. Shout out to Power Houze Records in Dallas.

DAVID BANNER
www.david-banner.com
www.crookedlettaz.com

Interviewed By Lejend@undevco.com
Photography By Julia Beverly