David Banner is far from your average rapper. The Mississippi native (both a former hustler and a former teacher at different points of his life) has made it a point to never forget where he comes from. But more so, instead of simply remembering but never consciously helping (as many rappers are guilty of), Banner has donated his time, money, and voice to the betterment of his community as well as for the future of the Hip Hop generation as a whole.

This week, HipHopDX sat down with this self proclaimed revolutionary to talk about the upcoming election, the plight of black men, the media’s detrimental influence on rap, and how Banner’s career was almost ruined by his generosity.

HipHopDX: Rappers like Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco are always quick to say that they aren’t political even though they discuss issues that could be labeled as such. Do you consider yourself to be political?
David Banner: Um…I wouldn’t consider myself political because I think a person who labels themselves as political is always trying to get into the political spotlight. I think with me, I stand for what’s right, and when I feel like no one else is; I do. You know what I’m sayin'? Political people, in common terms…always have ulterior motives. And when you have ulterior motives that’s not right. When you have a predetermined thought about things, I don’t care if it’s Democrat, Republican, Independent; it doesn’t matter. If you right, you right. This presidential race has shown you how hypocritical people are because you basically got white, black, male, female…and people are picking their gangs and throwin' up their gang signs.

DX: Right…so who are you voting for?
DB: That’s supposed to be a private process…but at this point I’m supporting Barack because we already know what the Republicans are about. I think they showed their card with Bush, and I think they even burned bridges with even some of they own supporters. But as far as Clinton, [the Clinton family] is really not much different [from the Bush family] besides the ability to play the saxophone. [Laughs]

DX: True. [Laughs]
DB: Their families are almost one now. If you look at Daddy Bush and Clinton the husband- they’re running partners now. They got situations together. Organizations together. So if you look at the history it was Bush the daddy, then Clinton, then Bush the son, now they tryin' to make it Hillary. They’re trying to keep the regime going on.

DX: This past fall you participated in the National Congressional hearing on Hip Hop. I saw your speech; I thought it was fantastic. It was well thought out, and you could really tell that a lot of the audience understood where you were coming from and even if they didn’t completely agree they were still understanding and respecting your point because your points were valid. At the end of the day, do you feel like it was worth it? Do you think speaking at the hearings helped the cause at all?
DB: I definitely think it was worth it, and yes I do think it helped the cause. I knew what I was up against, but I didn’t actually think people was gonna be in there really listening. But there were a few people in there actually listening. Whether we prove that our generation does have thinkers and that not all rappers are just ignorant and running around smoking weed and whatever the case may be. We do have articulate, well-spoken artists who are still relevant and young and who are in the streets to see what people want and need, but then they’re also able to articulate it in a way that people can understand whether you from the streets or in congress.

DX: But at the same time, you gave this stirring speech to congress about the value of even the most offensive of rap lyrics…and right after you Master P came in and basically groveled for forgiveness apologizing for his lyrics. What do you make of that?
DB: I mean, everyone has their own opinion. One of my biggest gripes about Hip Hop is that everyone is always worrying about what someone else says. What I said was the truth; nothing that Master P says can tarnish that. I don’t agree with what he said, but it’s not my place [to talk about what he said]. I really don’t care about what he said to be honest with you. I feel bad that our people chose to allow him to be there, but that’s cool. That’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it and I respect that. I will always respect any man’s opinion. But we have to see what people’s motives are and understand why they do it and then understand the people that put them there. The most amazing thing is that black people were the ones who were really attacking rap. That was the craziest thing- the Democrats were attacking rap, not the Republicans! And [Master P] was there for Oprah and Jesse [Jackson]…you know, the "billboard clique." [Laughs]

DX: [Laughs] Speaking of Jesse and Oprah and Sharpton and all of them…I find it comical how Al Sharpton somehow over the years became the national spokesperson for all black people. Like anytime anyone offends a black person, they gotta go run and meet with Al and the rest of them as if they can speak on behalf of all of us…
DB: That’s mostly our fault. I really think we allowed it to happen. We haven’t established our own voice for our generation. We don’t have any leaders in our generation. People don’t wanna be leaders. Colin Powell actually said this and it was so powerful, he said, "You know why we don’t have any leaders or why I won’t even run for president? It’s because we don’t pay people enough or support people enough that do right." David Banner went and defended Hip Hop in front of congress and he said and did the right thing…do you think that’s gonna help me as an artist? Hell no! All them people talkin' about ‘positive rap’ on the internet chat lines, you think they’re gonna fuckin support David Banner? No. [The public] loves assholes. It’s the truth. [The public] supports assholes. We support everything that’s negative. America is the most hypocritical—wait-before I start going off on my tangent, who is this interview for again? Continued on page 2 »