Words by DeWayne Rogers
Images by Michael Melendy for Steed Media Service

“Why don’t you give us one of your patented mean mugs in this first shot,” the photographer prompted. 

“They told me not to mug anymore,” Banner flatly replied, as the bystanders softly laughed, unsure of the sincerity of his response. But there was no punch line. “Someone told me that for real. He said they already look at young black males as being criminals. So he said, ‘Every time you take a picture, as much as you possibly can, smile.’ You know, just like at the O.J. [Simpson] trial, they try to go and find a picture that makes it look like you’re an animal or a beast. If they can’t find one, and if when most of the time they see you, you look halfway pleasant, then you’re cool.”

That response, and the many others that followed, provided a more complete picture of not just David Banner the entertainer, but David Banner the man. Our time together would be well spent as Banner shared his insightful views on the state of both his country and his people.

Journalists often describe you as a “rapper-activist.” How do you feel about this label?

I think being labeled an activist is rooted in your actions, and comes as a result of what you do. I’m definitely active … I’m going to be honest with you, though. What a lot of people don’t know is that I try to wait and see if someone else is going to say something first. But one thing that I thank God for is that people in the ‘hood trust me. People in the ‘hood want me to speak out. They come to me, and they tell me what’s going on, and they want me to make sure that the world knows about it. It’s because of that, that I always try to make sure my music is bumping. That way, the ‘hood will always love me first for my talent. And then I can allow the rest of that stuff to fall into place … The one thing that I don’t like about politicians is that they allowed politics to become professional. And anytime someone becomes a professional at something, they cease to be motivated by the welfare of the people. They’re being motivated by what’s best for their pockets. So I never want to just say things for the sake of saying it; or say something just because I need to be in the news. I think the day that I do that is the day that God is going to tap me on my a**. As long as I’m right, then I can say whatever the hell I want to. And the blessing of it all is that I’m a gansta rapper. So if I want to tell Al Sharpton to kiss my a**, then I’m going to tell him to kiss my a**.”

So speaking of Rev. Al Sharpton, do you think that he and others who speak out on behalf of black America are motivated by a self-serving agenda?

I don’t know other people’s hearts, and I try not to judge other people, so I don’t know.

Is it disheartening when you try to wait for others to speak out, and they never do?

No, because I don’t know other people’s background. I was built for this. Flavor Flav is my homie, and we get along very well. But I don’t want Flavor Flav speaking on behalf of my people. He’s my homie, but I wouldn’t want to put him in front of Congress. He’s not built for that. I’m built for this. I come from the streets, but at the same time I’ve debated against the vice president of the United States. Yeah I hustled, but I was also the student body president at my college. I also have a 3.99 GPA at the University of Maryland. So it’s not as emotional as people think it is. See that’s the problem with America. They make our kids feel like everything is so easy. Like they see 2Pac, and think, ‘oh I can just be a rapper, and then an actor.’ They don’t know that 2Pac went to a performing arts school. They see Mos Def, and think, ‘man, he just jumped up there and started acting.’ No, Mos Def has been acting since he was 6. Then they see me on the big screen, and they don’t know that I’ve been going to acting classes since ‘Like A Pimp’ came out. That’s the reason why you didn’t see me with jewelry and all of that because I was flying to L.A. every week going to acting school. People don’t see that I’ve been doing this for a while. Even before I was on, people were still calling me an activist. I was in the community and doing those things, even when I was hustling. That may have been an oxymoron at the time, but that was always the type of person that I was. Outside of that, I honestly feel like it’s no rapper’s responsibility to do anything for anybody. I only feel like it’s your responsibility if you’re already that type of man. I’m that type of man. It has nothing to do with me being David Banner. A rapper’s only responsibility is to make hit records. But I feel like this is something that I should do because that is the type of man that I am.

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