Maslab
David Banner recently caught up with the folks at Boombox to discuss his new album as well as some of his new bussiness deals. Now a days a lot of rappers front like they are big business moguls, but it seems like David Banner is actually successful with his ventures outside of music, and knows how to develop his brand. So props to him for getting his inner entrepreneur on. This goes #DeeperThanRap. Check out some of the interview below…
Your portfolio now includes work for Gatorade, Mercedes-Benz and Marvel vs. Capcom. Are you reaching an audience that you couldn’t tap into with your rap career?
The truth is that some people might not like David Banner as a rapper, but people may love David Banner as an actor, or David Banner as a producer. If you can find a way to attract people, maybe you can hold their attention long enough until they like other aspects of your career. I’m very honest with myself, as a composer I was able to shock people — that Gatorade commercial shocked a lot of people, I’m getting opportunities now that I have never gotten as a rapper — but being David Banner, the rapper, opened that door for me. I really hope to show artists that just because music isn’t selling like it was before, that doesn’t mean they need to give up their dream. There’s so many different aspects of the business, and again, I’m doing better than I’ve ever done in my whole entire life, quietly. Without the stress, without being on the road for three or four years, without being unhealthy, I’m happier. I’m able to see my nieces and nephews while making more money than I ever have.
Have you inked any new commercial contracts for the upcoming year?
I’ve got campaigns coming up with Gillette, Motorola and a big commercial for ConAgra Food Group. Mercedes is eventually going to do something bigger with the ‘Benz’ song, so that’s going to move to another level. And this year we’re going to launch an advertising company, called ABV. I’ve got all of these opportunities from people just finding me and calling, so we’re actually going to push the company out there and make it public this year.
‘Benz’ is a remake of the 1971 protest song by Janis Joplin. Were you concerned about staying true to that topic when you remade the song for Mercedes?
I don’t consider it a remake because we used the line “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?” but didn’t take chords or anything else. There was so much of a new and young twist on it that essentially it was a new composition. It was a play on the record and for financial reasons they called it a remake, but I think the song is about being able to make it to another level in life and for a lot of people, Mercedes-Benz is that sign. It isn’t about a car as much as it is a social statement. No matter what you do — because we’re all from different backgrounds and different situations — we’re all trying to make it on different levels and Mercedes-Benz is that sign or brand that a lot of people feel associate with making it to another level.
You’re scoring the upcoming remake of ‘Footloose.’ Is that a career milestone?
It’s one of the biggest opportunities I’ve had in my life, especially since a lot of artists and rappers don’t have the opportunity to do anything past what they originally began doing. There’s no union for rappers, there’s nothing set up for artists once they move past whatever the world already knows them for. You have a few exceptions like Will Smith,Queen Latifah, Ice Cube, etc., but for the most part, during this stage of music, it’s just hard for artists, period. So for me to find that next level of life and work with brands like Mercedes-Benz and Gatorade, it’s a blessing. I’m honored. Being able to score the remake of such a classic movie, what else could you ask? I’m doing better this year than I’ve ever done in my whole entire career, quietly.
With ‘Death of a Pop Star,’ you left production to 9th Wonder. Are you doing the same on the upcoming album ‘MTA3: The Trinity Movement?’
I’ll be producing and rapping on the album. Working on ‘Death of a Popstar’ really helped me to fragment the way I do things, so I can concentrate on being the best at what I’m doing at each point. I’ve learned to focus on production and once I have enough beats, then I’ll focus on rapping [and] writing. This time, I decided to work on a whole lot of beats and then work on the lyrical side of it.
You’ve been very active in politics in the past. Do you get political on the new album?
All of my music is political or spiritual to a certain degree. I don’t specifically try to focus on political situations, but politics is something that’s very important to me. It’s something that’s missing in music right now. When America was fighting in Vietnam, for example, artists were making songs like ‘What’s Going On?’ There was a direct correlation between what was going on in the environment and in music and I think that has been lost because music was taken over by a corporate structure. A lot of people are scared to tackle social issues because now the commercial success of music is so important and that’s caused it to lose a human quality. If you really think about it, music used to be the only true form of news and communication between people all over the world, and it’s not like that anymore.
