Sixshot.com: What are some of your biggest musical influences? What brought David Banner to where he is today?
David Banner:I think watching what happened to my people historically. You know like I was really influenced by the pain that my ancestors have gone through, and it really inspired me to get through and talk about it and speak up.

Sixshot.com: You came up when the southern rap movement began. What inspires and drives the energy that comes forth in your music?
David Banner: It comes from a desire to be free. That pain and that eagerness to be free and represent -  to wanna be as good as anyone else. That has always been my push – to really be there and speak it and represent the South. That pain of being burned and tired of being spoken about in a negative way or a negative light. I want to change people’s perceptions and represent my folks as hard as I can.

You can often tell the stylistic differences between hip hop from the East and West coast just as it differs from the South where you are from. Being from that region, how do you think that your style will evolve and adapt?
I think you can tell where anybody is from just from their dialect and the way that they speak and the words that they use. I mean 9 times out of 10 if you hear someone say they’re about to get it “crackin,” it means they are from the West Coast. If you hear someone say “dirty” you might think they are from th e Midwest. If you hear someone say “Yo” you will think they are from the East Coast or New York. So it’s like there are so many ways to figure out where somebody is from. I think it’s good because you wanna find out the origin of these new words and you adapt that and you wanna know what people think about. I think that is one of the things that keeps rap so fresh and new is that people can really tell where you are from.

Sixshot.com: Some artists you can tell where they are from just by the way their records are produced and the style and presentation of the beats. The South has a distinct style too.
David Banner: Yeah, if you think about it the South has influenced so many different forms of music. And a lot of people who have been able to capitalize off our music. That’s why I called this album Certified because we are gonna certify our place in the game.

Sixshot.com: When does your record drop?
David Banne: September 20

Sixshot.com: Any featured guests you might name?
David Banner: Twista, Jadakiss, Jagged Edge, 8 Bomb, MJG, Tree Six Mafia, my artist Marcus. (with a period behind his name), UGK, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli.

Sixshot.com: What song on the new album lyrically has the most meaning to you?
David Banner: Lyrically it’s probably a song called “Lost Souls.” When people look at ones from the ghetto they have premeditated ideas about what type of people they are, when in most cases we do certain things because, although they are violent, we do them because of the situations that we grew up around. That’s what “Lost Souls” is speaking about, that hopefully God will forgive us for our wrongs and that these are some of the reasons why we do what we do.

Sixshot.com: What do you think of the state of hip hop right now?
David Banner:I think that the state of hip hop is fine. I don’t think that hip hop is any more out of line than our government is. The biggest gansta rapper in the world right now is George Bush.

Many times, rappers use the public stage to diss others or send out a message that is often negative. What do you think about people using the stage to send a negative or inflammatory message?

You know I have less of a tendency to speak about other people’s situations. What I DO think is that when it comes to people of culture – especially African Americans – the media seems to perpetuate that a bit more than anything else. It’s no different than the 10 o’clock news. I noticed that when I was in Canada or when I travel abroad that no other news is like America’s news. It’s like they want to turn rap and everything else into the WWF. It’s like all the reality TV shows. There is always something sloppy or something negative. If you listen to our morning talk shows there is always conflict and confrontation. You know America will sell its soul for ratings.

Sixshot.com: Hip hop has come a long way. It’s still evolving but don’t you think it still needs to grow up?
David Banner: What I believe is this… People say that they want different things, but they really don’t. One of my best friends works in the rap industry and said to me, “You know what David Banner? Good or bad, you done so many positive songs, but what type of songs usually sell? Good or bad?” The people at these radio stations or at these TV shows, they know what they are getting into.

I think it’s placing a responsibility where it’s due.

It’s true, but what you have to understand is that it’s a business. And you look at rappers - what gets every rapper hyped? What gets every actor hyped? It’s like my friend said to me, she said, “You know what David Banner, you gonna have to go punch somebody. That the only way you gonna get on TV. That’s the only way anybody gonna notice you. You do all this stuff in our community for our kids, but nobody talks about that. You give away scholarship programs but nobody talks about that.” But what I am trying to get you to see is that this isn’t what America wants.

Sixshot.com: Do you think that will ever change?
David Banner: Everything changes. Everything evolves and there is a time and a place for everything. America is violent. The person who runs this country is violent. Our music is just a reflection. Who is the most violent and aggressive country in the world right now? What are we doing right now? We are bullying smaller countries. We are doing what the leader of our country is doing right now. The state of America right now is aggressive and full of conflict.

A big problem is that people look out for themselves, be it the president or the hip hop artist who wants to make a lot of money for him or herself.

But what you have to understand is that for every one of these rappers there is a white guy sitting behind a desk who makes 45 times more money than he is. And it’s always been that way. That didn’t start recently. Nobody ever focuses on the real problems that are at hand. I’m glad that these rappers and these football players and these basketball players are more about their money now because we’ve always been used. We still get crumbs compared to the money that we yield as a whole. You know it’s comin’ out when you look at oil companies folding and major communication companies folding and their people are stealing millions of dollars. It’s no different but it’s just that rappers are more honest about it.

Sixshot.com: Do you use the internet? What kinds of sites interest you?
David Banner: Well you can go online and go to www.david-banner.com. I use the internet, but I don’t have as much time as I used to. Mostly I use it for e-mails and Google and stuff like that. 

Sixshot.com: Were you impacted by Hurricane Katrina?
David Banner: I don’t know yet because all of the communication is down but I’m hoping everyone there is ok.

Sixshot.com: What are your plans for the future?
David Banner: Movies – I just inked a deal to be in the next movie that Samuel Jackson is in. It’s called Black State. It’s Craig Brewers’ next film, the same guy who did Hustle and Flow.

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