David Banner | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Lavell William Crump |
Born | Brookhaven, Mississippi, U.S. | April 11, 1974
Origin | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
Alma mater | Southern University (BS) |
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1994–present |
Labels | |
Member of | |
Website | davidbanner |
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. [1]
Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Banner graduated from Southern University with a bachelor's degree, then attended University of Maryland Eastern Shore to pursue a master's. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo, Crooked Lettaz, before going solo in 2000 with the release titled Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1 . In 2003, Banner signed to Universal Records, where he released four albums: Mississippi: The Album (2003), MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water (2003), Certified (2005), and The Greatest Story Ever Told (2008).
Banner is also a noted producer, having produced music for himself, Trick Daddy, T.I., Lil Boosie and Lil Wayne among others.
Lavell William Crump was born in Brookhaven and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, the elder son of Zeno Crump Jr., Jackson district fire chief, [2] [3] and Carolyn Crump. He graduated from Provine High School in Jackson in 1992 and then attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, his mother's alma mater. [4] [5] At Southern University, Crump served as president of the Student Government Association and received a bachelor's degree in business. [6] He later attended the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to pursue a master's degree in education but later left the program to pursue his music career full-time. [7] [8] [9]
Crump's stage name "David Banner" is taken from the lead character of the television series, The Incredible Hulk . [10] With several of his friends, Banner sent some demo tapes to Jackson, Mississippi radio station, WJMI. Record executive Glenn Toby discovered the group and signed them to Neil Levine at Penalty Records. In 1999, Banner and rapper Kamikaze as the duo, Crooked Lettaz, released Grey Skies (Penalty Recordings). [11] In 2000, Banner released his solo debut album, Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1. Released on the independent label, Big Face Records, the album sold around 7,000 copies. [3]
After assessing various offers, Banner and manager, Scott Johnson, decided to sign with Universal Records subsidiary, SRC Records, which was founded by Steve Rifkind who had previous success as CEO of the heavyweight hip-hop label, Loud Records. [12] In 2003, Banner produced T.I.'s single, "Rubber Band Man", which reached No. 30 on the Hot 100, No. 15 on the R&B chart, and No. 11 on the Rap chart. In 2003, Banner released his first major label album, Mississippi: The Album . Mississippi included the hit single, "Like a Pimp", featuring Lil Flip. "Like a Pimp" peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and No. 10 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. [13] He released the follow-up album the same year titled MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water which yielded the hit, "Crank It Up", featuring Static Major.
In 2005, Banner released his third major label album, Certified . The album's first single was "Ain't Got Nothing" which featured Magic & Lil Boosie, followed by the second single, "Play", which reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart, No. 5 on the R&B chart, and No. 3 on the Rap chart. [13] The third single, "Touching", featured Jazze Pha and reached No. 54 on the R&B chart. In 2006, Banner appeared on "Seein' Thangs", a song about Hurricane Katrina featured on DJ Shadow's album "The Outsider". A remix featuring Bay Area hyphy rappers Nump and Gold also was made. Outside projects for Banner have included writing the theme song to the video game, Saints Row , as well as contributing to the music for a commercial promoting the video game, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds . [14] Banner played the part of Tehronne in Black Snake Moan (2006).
Banner appeared on the Adult Swim pilot That Crook'd 'Sipp, which premiered on May 13, 2007. His single "Play" was used as the background music in the pilot's first television promo. That same year, he played the character of Mo, in the film This Christmas . On July 15, 2008, Banner released his fourth major label album, The Greatest Story Ever Told . [15] The album's first single titled "9mm" featured Akon, Lil Wayne, and Snoop Dogg. Banner then produced his next two singles: "Get Like Me" featuring Chris Brown and Yung Joc, [13] and "Shawty Say", featuring Lil Wayne. "Get Like Me" reached No. 16 on the Hot 100, No. 7 on the R&B chart, and No. 2 on the Rap chart. In 2008, Banner was featured on the track Superfriend, from the 2008 album, The Sound , by gospel R&B duo Mary Mary.
In 2010, he played Bosch in the film The Experiment and as Jay, a gang leader from the hood in Stomp the Yard: Homecoming . He has also worked with international artists such as Seeda, a Japanese Rap Artist where he was featured in the song, Life Song in 2010 on Seeda's Breathe Album. Banner released his debut mixtape titled Sex, Drugs and Video Games on May 22, 2012, as a free download. [16] It is also available on his website, davidbanner.com, where fans are encouraged to make a donation of at least $1 for the sixteen song mixtape. [17] The first single off the mixtape is titled "Amazing" featuring Chris Brown. It was announced that Universal Republic Records was going defunct, all of the artists on the roster moved from the label including (David Banner) was being moved to Republic Records making the label itself revived.
In 2013, Banner appeared in the music video for the song Confessions by Lecrae. Banner played Earl Gaines, Cecil Gaines' father, in the 2013 film The Butler . Banner plays Jay, a criminal who is interrogated, in the 2014 film Ride Along. David Banner was featured on a remix of Mexican American rapper Kap G's single "La Policia", which stirred hype throughout the media and the internet. [18]
In November 2006, Banner was awarded a Visionary Award by the National Black Caucus of State Legislators in Jackson, Mississippi in recognition of his humanitarian work in response to Hurricane Katrina. [19] [20] On September 25, 2007, Banner 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. [21] He defended his use of offensive language and argued: "Change the situation in my neighborhood and maybe I'll get better." [21] In his opening statement, Banner stated: "I can admit there are some problems in hip hop but it is only a reflection of what's taking place in our society. Hip hop is sick because America is sick." [22]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Def Jam: Fight for NY | Himself | Video game |
2005 | Twisted Transistor by Korn | David Silveria | Music Video |
2006 | Def Jam: Fight for NY – The Takeover | Himself | Video game |
Black Snake Moan | Tehronne | Film | |
2007 | This Christmas | Mo | Film |
Monk | Snake the Assassin | (TV) Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Rapper" | |
2008 | Days of Wrath | Kryme | Film |
Vapors | Biz Markie | Direct-to-DVD | |
2010 | The Experiment | Bosch | Direct-to-DVD |
The Confidant | Daniel Jackson | Direct-to-DVD | |
Stomp the Yard: Homecoming | Jay | Direct-to-DVD | |
2013 | The Butler | Earl Gaines | Film |
2014 | Ride Along | Pawnshop Jay | Film |
Where's The Love | Sidney | Film | |
Flight 7500 | Tom Anders | Film | |
2015 | Carter High School | Royce West | Film |
2016–2022 | Saints & Sinners | Darryl Greene | (TV)- Season 1-6 Series Regular |
2018 | Never Heard | Aaron Davis | Netflix Film |
Babes With Blades | Supporting Artist | Film | |
2019 | India Arie-Steady Love | Himself | Music Video |
First Wives Club | Kenny | (TV)-Season 2 Episode: "Not Gon' Cry" | |
Empire | Philly Street | (TV)-Season 6 Episode (8) | |
2021 | Saints & Sinners Judgement Day | Darryl Greene | Film |
2022 | Bid For Love 2 | Aadam Baraka | Film |
2024 | Finding Tony | Terrace Daniel | Film |
The Family Business: New Orleans | Jean LeBlanc | (TV)-Season 1 Series Regular | |
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist | Missouri Slim | (TV)-Season 1 Episode: (7) |
John David Jackson, better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition for his ability upon performing live on DJ Clue's Hot 97 radio show. Jackson then signed to Clue's record label Desert Storm Records, in a joint venture with Elektra Records. He rose to further prominence with his debut studio album Ghetto Fabolous (2001), which spawned the hit singles "Can't Deny It" and "Young'n ." Adopting a further commercially-oriented approach, his second album, Street Dreams (2003), was supported by the singles "Can't Let You Go" and "Into You" —both of which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Mississippi is best known as the home of the blues which developed among the freed African Americans in the latter half of the 19th century and beginning 20th century. The Delta blues is the style most closely associated with the state, and includes performers like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, Ishmon Bracey, Bo Carter, Sam Chatmon, Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, Son House, Skip James, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Pinetop Perkins, Albert King and B.B. King.
Faheem Rashad Najm, known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electronic-styled vocal performances. Blending its use with R&B and hip hop sensibilities, T-Pain became a prominent figure in both genres throughout the 2000s. Other music industry artists, such as Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Future, and Travis Scott, have since utilized Auto-Tune to a similar effect.
Jasiel Amon Robinson, better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his 2006 single "It's Goin' Down", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to its release, he signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy South, an imprint of Atlantic Records in a joint venture with Block Entertainment; the song served as lead single for his debut studio album, New Joc City (2006). Both the album and its sequel, Hustlenomics (2007), peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical responses. He is also known for his guest appearance on T-Pain's 2007 single "Buy U a Drank ", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.
SRC was an American record label created by former Loud Records CEO Steve Rifkind. It was a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and was distributed through Republic Records.
Snap music is a subgenre of hip hop music derived from crunk that originated in southern United States in the 2000s, in Bankhead, West Atlanta, United States. It achieved mainstream popularity throughout the mid-late 2000s, but declined shortly thereafter. Popular snap artists include D4L, Ramage, Dem Franchize Boys and K-Rab.
Undaground Legend is the second solo studio album by American rapper Lil' Flip. It was released on August 27, 2002, through Sucka Free/Loud/Columbia Records. Recording sessions took place at Sucka Free Records Studio and SouthSide Studio in Houston. Production was handled by Young Sears, Ke'Noe, Bigg Tyme, Tommy Granville Jr, Chop Shop Productions, David Banner, Joe Traxx, Kojak, Mr. Mixx, Slugger, and Lil' Flip himself, who also served as executive producer together with Hump. It features guest appearances from Lil' Ron, Big T, Bizzy Bone, David Banner, Seville, Yung Redd, Big Shasta, Chamillionaire, C-Note, Juvenile and Skip.
"Snap Yo Fingers" is a song by American rapper Lil Jon. It was originally intended to be the first single from Lil Jon's solo debut album, Crunk Rock. However, the release date of Crunk Rock was subsequently delayed. In August 2006, Lil Jon's label TVT Records released the second volume of its Crunk Hits compilation, and "Snap Yo Fingers" was the opening track. When Crunk Rock was finally released four years later, the song was left out of the album.
"It's Goin' Down" is the debut single by American hip hop artist Yung Joc, released in April 15, 2006. It is from his debut album New Joc City. The song was written by Yung Joc and Chadron Moore, the song features and was produced by Nitti.
Mississippi: The Album is the second studio album by American rapper and record producer David Banner. It was released on May 20, 2003, by SRC Records and Universal Records, serving as his major-label debut studio release with SRC and Universal. The album spawned the popular club track "Like a Pimp" featuring Lil Flip, and the single "Cadillac on 22s".
The Greatest Story Ever Told is the fifth studio album by American rapper and record producer David Banner. The album was released on July 15, 2008, by Universal Motown and SRC Records. The first single from the album is called "Speaker", better known by its explicit title "9mm". It features Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and Akon. The track was produced by Akon. The second single is "Get Like Me", which features Chris Brown and Yung Joc. The third single is "Shawty Say", which features Lil Wayne and samples Lollipop. The music video premiered on FNMTV on August 1, 2008.
Hustlenomics is the second studio album by American rapper Yung Joc. It was released, by Bad Boy Records on August 28, 2007. The album contains the singles "Coffee Shop" and "Bottle Poppin," both featuring rapper Gorilla Zoe.
"Coffee Shop" is the first single from Yung Joc's second album Hustlenomics. It was officially released on May 5, 2007, but had been leaked onto the Internet beforehand. The track features Gorilla Zoe and uncredited chorus vocals by The-Dream. Joc and T-Pain performed the song at the season finale of Making the Band.
"Get Like Me" is the second single from David Banner's sixth album, The Greatest Story Ever Told. The song features Chris Brown and samples several lines from "It's Goin' Down" by fellow rapper Yung Joc, who, while not officially credited or featured, appears in the song's music video. There was an alternate version of the song featuring Jim Jones, but label troubles prevented his version from being released.
Crooked Lettaz was an American hip hop duo from Jackson, Mississippi, composed of Brad "Kamikaze" Franklin and Lavell David Banner Crump.
"Girls Around the World" is a song by American recording artist Lloyd. The song features rapper Lil Wayne and was written by Lloyd and Lil Wayne, along with Eric Barrier and William Griffin. The song was produced by his production team, Big Reese and Jasper Cameron, who also produced his breakthrough hit, "You", which also featured Lil Wayne. The song served as the lead single for Lloyd's third studio album Lessons in Love. "Girls Around the World" received positive to mixed reviews from critics, some of whom noted it as generic, and others named it as a top track from the album. It reached No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song samples the drum break from "Ashley's Roachclip" by the Soul Searchers, as well as interpolating Rakim's verse in "Paid in Full" by hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim.
"Lookin' Boy" is a song by American hip hop group Hotstylz, released on May 13, 2008, as their lone single. The song, which was produced by Southern hip hop producer Nitti, features vocals from fellow American rapper Yung Joc.
Darryl Raynard Richardson III, better known by his stage name Lil Scrappy, is an American rapper.
Grey Skies is the title for the first and only album released by Crooked Lettaz, the Jackson, Mississippi duo composed of Kamikaze and David Banner. The album was released on April 20, 1999, by independent label, Penalty Recordings, with manufacturing and distribution handled by Tommy Boy Music.
"Like a Pimp" is a song by David Banner, released in 2003 from Mississippi: The Album. The song features fellow rapper Lil Flip and its accompanying music video was directed by Bernard Gourley. A portion of the song's chorus is interpolated from the UGK song "Take It Off" from their 2001 album Dirty Money as well as The Showboy's "Drag Rap (Triggerman)". It is recognized as one of Banner's signature songs along with "Play" and "Get Like Me". A remix of the song featuring Busta Rhymes and Twista appears on Banner's follow-up album MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water. The song also appeared in the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious during the opening credits.