Tag: david banner

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Calling the Bluff Music

David Banner Talks Superhero-Themed Web Series

David-Banner-Walking-With-Gods-1-593x409.jpg

The fascination that artist, producer and actor David Banner holds for superheroes has spilled over into his new mini web series, “Walking with Gods.”

Time travel, African mythology, spirituality, and supernatural abilities are all incorporated into the web series, which is centered on the character, Aket Heru (played by Banner). The son of a celestial king, Aket is betrayed by his envious brother, Liel, and subsequently cursed by an evil spirit known as Setus. The curse erases Aket’s memory and he becomes oblivious to his God-like abilities. Setus also destroys Aket’s family in the process, but spares his life merely for amusement and torment.

Due to his amnesia, Aket embraces a new name: Alex Light. Throughout the series, he’s plagued with the burden of breaking the curse put on him by Setus and restoring his true identity and supernatural powers.

“Walking with Gods” is funded through Banner’s 2m1 (two million people with one purpose) Movement, a fundraising initiative that gives back to local communities and artists around the country.

David Banner talked about what inspired “Walking with Gods,” his future plans for the web series, recently starring in the multi-million-dollar grossing film “The Butler,” and his 2m1 movement.

Follow David Banner on Twitter: @THEREALBANNER
Visit his website: davidbanner.com
To read the full version of the interview click here

What inspired you to start this mini web series?

I’ve always been enthralled with superheroes and the ability to be something else. And through this journey, I realized that we actually are something else. We have the ability, but we don’t study or we don’t eat right or we don’t place our bodies or our minds in the right situation to be able to capitalize off that. So, all of that stuff came together and I decided that I was going to make my own [superhero].

How long has “Walking with Gods” been in the making?

It’s been about four years actually. This started off with me and 9th Wonder’s album, Death of a Popstar. I created the character. 9th wonder also had a character. We were going to do a graphic novel cartoon. Things didn’t go the way that we thought they were going to go as far as with the major label. [We were] depending on somebody else to believe in the vision and they never did. I ended up continuing it.

Out of all the approaches you could have taken with this series, why did you choose to theme it around a superhero?

One, because that’s what I like. You have to go with things that you’re passionate about. If nothing else, even though I know this is going to be amazingly big, I always wanted to be a superhero. I go to casting calls and all this kind of stuff, and hope that people see. I workout every day hoping that somebody will believe that I’m a superhero, or that I can be that in their movies. And then I realized, ‘no,’ I have to believe first.

I’ve always been passionate about space and time and traveling. It hurts me that every time you see a black man on TV for the most part, you see him doing the same things over and over. They keep us on earth. They keep us in the hood. Why stay in people’s boxes? Why continue being somebody’s jester, when you can be the king of the universe? Why kill a whole bunch of folks when you can heal?

Will “Walking with Gods” continue to be an online series, or do you have plans of expanding it?

It’s not specifically for anything. It’s whatever God allows it to be. I have plans of it being a full-fledge movie. A full-fledge television show. I plan on going all the way with it. And the thing that I want people to understand is this is so much bigger than just one person or one character. That’s why I called it “Walking with Gods” with an “s”.

The main character’s kryptonite, as some would say, would be him not believing in himself—him having the full potential. If you take away from it from a religious aspect, think about how many people limit themselves. God has blessed us with everything we need internally, we just have to go and find. We search so much for answers outside of ourselves [but] God has equipped us with everything that we need.

You recently starred in “The Butler,” which has been a blockbuster in theaters, grossing more than $100 million. How was that experience for you?

That’s one of the biggest five minutes of my life. It has really been changing the scope of my life. The people that have been calling. The things that people have been saying. And it’s fun, because I’m starting to get noticed for that more than anything right now. I mean people of all races and all colors all over the world are like, ‘hey, that’s the dude from The Butler.’ And that’s really cool. I don’t have a problem with that.

Could you briefly touch on the 2m1 movement?

The purpose of the whole movement is really to just show people that we need to control our own images—both good and bad. If we want better TV, we have to make better TV shows. If we want better music, we have to provide for ourselves and create opportunities and situations for ourselves. 2m1 is about us controlling ourselves and our money, images, and music. If people want to do it, they can hit me up at davidbanner.com and be a part of the movement.

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Calling the Bluff Music

Successful Rapper, Producer David Banner Speaks at Rhodes College

David Banner speaking at Rhodes

  • David Banner speaking at Rhodes

On the last night of Black History Month, more than 100 students and city residents gathered in the Hardie Auditorium at Rhodes College to hear world-renowned artist, producer, and actor David Banner share his thoughts on the state of hip-hop.

As I stepped into the room, I noticed a variety of ages and races in attendance. We all waited patiently for Banner to arrive. I’ve seen several videos of him lecturing online, so I was excited to hear what he had to say.

Banner received a standing ovation when he walked into the room clad in dark slacks, a button-up shirt, scarf, and dress shoes — a contrast to the apparel he wore during the days he released such hits as “Like a Pimp” featuring Lil’ Flip, “Play,” and “Get like Me” featuring Chris Brown and Yung Joc.

“Don’t believe anything that I say. Just don’t dispute it,” Banner said after introducing himself to the audience. “Go research it first.”

For nearly an hour, Banner touched on hip-hop, its correlation to slavery, and how it has and continues to affect society — primarily the African-American community. He alluded to how blacks have gone “from whips and chains” during slavery to “chains and whips” (slang for necklaces and cars) being one of the primary messages that the race conveys in hip-hop music.

I thought about the statement for a second and concurred. Today’s rap music is largely infested with materialism.

Banner said hip-hop in its current form could be compared to an American plantation. He broke it down to three sections: the house slave, yard slave, and field slave. In other words, the house slave is the artist who has obtained super-stardom. The yard slave is someone that has achieved some commercial success, but is pushing for the same prosperity as the house slave. And the field slave is more so the independent artist that’s working to maintain relevance and their own form of success.

“The plantation owner is the record label,” Banner explained. “When you get a record deal, [a lot of people] think that’s the biggest thing in the world. If you get $200,000, and you’re not used to making $100 a week, that’s the world. … I had ‘Stuntin is a habit,’ [the chorus for hit song ‘Get Like Me’]. I was number one in the world. I had millions. But I didn’t feel right. I couldn’t sleep right. My friends were saying, ‘You got a Bentley. All these movie star girls want to be with you. What’s wrong?’”

During the lecture, Banner also opened up about his recent absence from releasing music, which he attributed to him thinking he was part of the reason why so many African Americans fell victim to the street life, materialism, avoided receiving a decent education, among other issues.

“Hip-hop was supposed to be a reflection of the streets, [but] hip-hop [today] doesn’t touch on real situations… things that are really taking place in the streets,” he expressed passionately. “The one thing that I do like about hip-Hop is it brings every race of people together.”

Other things Banner touched during the lecture was how many Caucasians have become more comfortable with using the “N-word” in today’s society versus a decade ago, how youth know more than their parents suspect, the idolization of entertainers versus successful people in other professions, and how it’s become cool to encourage drug usage.

He also expressed his thoughts on how people such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Pimp C (who allegedly died from respiratory depression due to an overdose of promethazine and codeine, but is rumored to have possibly been poisoned), and Medgar Evers, lost their lives because they were trying to improve the conditions and knowledge of not just African-Americans, but the oppressed and underprivileged population as a whole (he mentioned famous electrical inventor Nikola Tesla as well).

Shortly before ending his lecture and taking questions from the audience, Banner asked everyone to close their eyes before inquiring, “How do you really feel about black people?”

“The way that we change the world is by changing ourselves,” he said. “If we change ourselves, we inherently change the world.”

After hearing him speak, I felt so enlightened and encouraged. It’s amazing how one person can have a positive impact on so many people. I hope to have the opportunity to hear him speak again in the near future. Maybe even have a personal chat with him and receive some helpful advice on life. Only time will tell.

For readers who aren’t too familiar with David Banner, here’s a little history:

Banner has released six solo albums, as well as a collaborative effort with producer 9th Wonder titled Death of a Pop Star. Outside of rap, he scored the lead dance sequence of the 2011 remake of Footloose. He wrote, produced and arranged the song for Gatorade’s 2010 “Gatorade Has Evolved” TV ad campaign, the 2011 Mercedes tribute single, “Benz” which also featured U.K. singers Estelle and Daley, and much more.

He’s also starred in movies such as Black Snake Moan, Stomp the Yard 2, Days of Wrath, and The Experiment.

In November 2006, Banner was awarded a Visionary Award by the National Black Caucus of the State Legislature in recognition of his charity work following Hurricane Katrina. In September 2007, he testified before Congress at a hearing about racism and misogyny in hip-hop music titled “From Imus to Industry: The Business of Stereotypes and Degrading Images.” He defended his use of offensive language.

Banner recently received a key to his native city Jackson, Mississippi. He’s currently planning the release of his first film.

Follow David Banner on Twitter: @THEREALBANNER
Visit his website: davidbanner.com
Download his digital album, Sex, Drugs, & Video Games here.

Follow me on Twitter: @Lou4President
Facebook: Louis Goggans

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Music Music Features

Vehicular Violations

The Redemption of Ike: Area legend Ike Turner made the news last week when he was arrested on May 15th on a drug warrant. MemphisRap.com reported that the 75-year-old Turner spent a night in jail after a computer error — pulled up during ticketing for a speeding violation (he was clocked at 80 mph on a California highway) — listed a 1989 narcotics warrant, which was later found to be invalid.

“That was a mistake, but I’m doing fine. They were gonna take me in for a warrant from ’89, and they put me in jail without bail. If you go to the penitentiary, they should know you’ve fulfilled your obligations,” said Turner, who missed his ’91 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because he was serving time on drug charges.

By the time I caught up with the indomitable Turner, he’d already put the incident behind him.

“I paid a visit to Johnny Cochran‘s law firm this morning,” he said. “Now I’m back in the studio, making a record with the Black Keys. We’re at Brian’s place,” he explained, referring to Stadium House, the recording studio belonging to Gnarls Barkley‘s Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton.

Meanwhile, Secret Service frontman Justice Naczycz tried to take the law into his own hands on the afternoon of May 12th, when he heard his 30-year-old Mercedes roll down his Cooper-Young driveway.

“I was loading my car up for a session the band was doing at Rocket Science Audio,” says Naczycz, who returned inside for a bag of cords after starting the car. “It’s diesel and really slow to start, so it’s popped into my mind once or twice before that something like this could happen.”

When he returned to his car, Naczycz’s vigilante instincts took over, and he jumped into the passenger seat, pummeling the thief in the head until Naczycz was thrown out of the vehicle. “The car was recovered by 9 p.m. that night, but because of a mix-up at the impound lot, I didn’t find out ’til Monday. Of course, the trunk was empty — I lost two guitars, an Epiphone SG and a Flying V, and a Fender Hotrod Deluxe Amp.”

Sans his trademark Flying V, he’s prepared to hit the stage with the Secret Service when they play with Oxford, Mississippi, group The Black and Whites at the Hi-Tone Café this Saturday, June 2nd.

“I’ve done the rounds of the pawn shops and music stores, but nothing’s turned up,” Naczycz says. “I’ve got these two Guild guitars which aren’t in show shape, but hopefully I can get ’em there by the weekend. We’ve got the sessions at Rocket Science Audio rescheduled for the day after the show.”

Left of the Dial: Community radio station WEVL-FM 89.9 brought in $71,000 during a recent on-air pledge drive, and station manager Judy Dorsey says that tax-deductible memberships continue to pour in. Mark your calendars for the station’s annual two-part Blues on the Bluff celebrations, which kick off with The Bo-Keys, Kenny Brown, and Robert “Wolfman” Belfour on July 28th. For more information, go to WEVL.org.

Beginning Thursday, May 31st, WMFS-93X is sponsoring Traveling Twisted Thursdays at the Pink Palace Museum. The $8 weekly concert series, which runs through August 16th, includes admission to the museum’s current exhibit, Access All Areas: Your Backstage Pass to the Music Industry. Thursday night, Inner 61, Saving Abel, and Further Down are rocking the Pink Palace. On deck: panel discussions with music-industry vets from local institutions such as Ardent Studios, a co-sponsor of the exhibit. To learn more, go to MemphisMuseums.org.

Move Over, Three 6: Jackson, Mississippi, rapper David Banner, who leapt to the silver screen via Craig Brewer’s Black Snake Moan, joins Memphis group Three 6 Mafia as a hot commodity in Hollyhood.

Earlier this month, Banner launched a cartoon series, That Crook’d ‘Sipp, on the Cartoon Network‘s Adult Swim. He’ll appear opposite Nia Long and Chris Brown in This Christmas, slated for release in November, and he’s currently wrapping up filming on the Laurence Fishburne vehicle Days of Wrath. Now Banner’s auditioning for the role of Gamble, a Joker-affiliated villain in the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight.

And earlier this month, former Three 6 affiliate Crunchy Black and Larry Nix Mastering‘s Kevin Nix finished mastering From Me to You, which is slated for release on Sony’s Hypnotize Minds imprint on June 12th.