Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), known professionally as David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in

Brookhaven, Mississippi Brookhaven is a city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States, south of the state capital of Jackson. The population was 11,674 people at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. It was named after the town of Brook ...

, Banner's family moved to

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, where he was raised. Banner graduated from

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It i ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

, then attended

University of Maryland Eastern Shore University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a public historically black land-grant research university in Princess Anne, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. It is classified among "Research Colleges and Universities" ...

to pursue a

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo

Crooked Lettaz Crooked Lettaz was an American hip hop duo from Jackson, Mississippi, composed of Brad "Kamikaze" Franklin and Lavell David Banner Crump. In 1998, Crooked Lettaz signed to independent label Penalty Recordings. Later that same year, the duo's f ...

, before going solo in 2000 with the release titled '' Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1''. In 2003, Banner signed to

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

, where he released four albums: '' Mississippi: The Album'' (2003), '' MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water'' (2003), ''

Certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

'' (2005), and ''

The Greatest Story Ever Told ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film, epic List of religious films, religious film that retells the Biblical account of Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity of Jesus, Nativity through to the Ascension of J ...

'' (2008). Banner is also a noted producer, having produced music for himself,

Trick Daddy Maurice Samuel Young (born September 27, 1974), better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is an American rapper from Miami, Florida. He is best known for his 2004 single " Let's Go" (featuring Twista and Lil Jon), which peaked at number seven on ...

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

Lil Boosie Torence Ivy Hatch Jr. (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil' Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the Southern hip hop collective Concentr ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

among others.

Early life

Lavell William Crump was born in Brookhaven and raised in

, the elder son of Zeno Crump Jr., Jackson district fire chief, and Carolyn Crump. He graduated from

Provine High School John W. Provine High School is a public high school located in Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi ...

in Jackson in 1992 and then attended

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

, his mother's alma mater. At Southern University, Crump served as president of the Student Government Association and received a

in business. He later attended the

to pursue a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in education but later left the program to pursue his music career full-time.

Music career

1995–2000: Beginnings and ''Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1''

Crump's stage name "David Banner" is taken from the lead character of the television series, ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

''. With several of his friends, Banner sent some demo tapes to Jackson, Mississippi radio station,

WJMI WJMI (99.7 FM) is a radio station licensed to Jackson, Mississippi, United States, with a mainstream urban musical format. The station is owned by Alpha Media through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC. Along with five other sister stations, ...

. Record executive Glenn Toby discovered the group and signed them to

Neil Levine Neil Levine is an American music industry executive. He is best known as the founder of the hip-hop label Penalty Recordings, and is currently the CEO of its successor company, Penalty Entertainment. Levine helped to launch the careers of artis ...

Penalty Records Penalty is an American record label and entertainment company, founded and run by CEO Neil Levine. The company was founded in 1995 as a record label specializing in hip-hop music. The original Penalty label was acquired by its distributor, Tomm ...

. In 1999, Banner and rapper Kamikaze as the duo,

, released ''Grey Skies'' (

Penalty Recordings Penalty is an American record label and entertainment company, founded and run by CEO Neil Levine. The company was founded in 1995 as a record label specializing in hip-hop music. The original Penalty label was acquired by its distributor, Tommy ...

). 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.

2003–2006: ''Mississippi: The Album'', ''MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water'' and ''Certified''

After assessing various offers, Banner and manager, Scott Johnson, decided to sign with

subsidiary,

SRC Records SRC (Street Records Corporation) 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 Motown Records and Republic Records. Company history S ...

, which was founded by

Steve Rifkind Steven Rifkind (born March 2, 1962) is an American music entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of Loud Records and SRC Records. ...

who had previous success as CEO of the heavyweight hip-hop label,

Loud Records Loud Records, LLC. (a backronym for Listeners of Urban Dialect) is a record label founded by Steve Rifkind and Rich Isaacson in 1991. Rifkind served as the chief executive officer while Isaacson served as the president of the label. The label si ...

. In 2003, Banner produced

's single, "

Rubber Band Man "Rubber Band Man" is a song by American rapper T.I., released December 30, 2003 as the third single from his second studio album ''Trap Muzik'' (2003). Production from David Banner was noted by music reviewers, particularly the ascending organ ri ...

", 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 "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 ("Girls get down o ...

", featuring

Lil Flip Wesley Eric Weston Jr. (born 3 March 1981), better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. Raised in Houston, Texas, he began his musical career as a freestyle and battle rapper before signing with the local record label Sucka ...

. "Like a Pimp" peaked at No. 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, No. 15 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, and No. 10 on the

Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

chart. 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 Stephen Ellis Garrett Jr. (November 11, 1974 – February 25, 2008), known professionally as Static Major (and previously as Static), was an American R&B and hip hop producer, singer, rapper, and songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky. He is be ...

. In 2005, Banner released his third major label album, ''

''. The album's first single was "Ain't Got Nothing" which featured Magic &

, followed by the second single, "

Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

", which reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart, No. 5 on the R&B chart, and No. 3 on the Rap chart. 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 ''Saints Row'' is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a fictional street gang originally operating out of the Saints Row district, hence ...

'', as well as contributing to the music for a commercial promoting the video game, '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds''. Banner played the part of Tehronne in '' Black Snake Moan'' (2006).

2007–present: ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' and ''The God Box''

Banner appeared on the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...

and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

pilot ''That Crook'd 'Sipp'', which premiered on May 13, 2007. His single "

" 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 album's first single titled "9mm" featured

Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

, and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

. Banner then produced his next two singles: " Get Like Me" featuring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

and

Yung Joc Jasiel Amon Robinson (born September 20, 1980), better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper known for his 2006 single " It's Goin' Down", which peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Prior to its release, he sign ...

, and "

Shawty Say "Shawty Say" is a song produced and performed by David Banner, released as the third single from his fifth studio album, ''The Greatest Story Ever Told''. The song features Lil Wayne and samples his song "Lollipop". The song has a similar vibe to ...

", 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 Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

R&B duo

Mary Mary Mary Mary is an American urban contemporary gospel duo formed in 1998, consisting of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell. Their name is inspired by two biblical figures: Mary, mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. They ar ...

David Banner at FOB Brassfield-Mora 2009-01-26 1

In 2010, he played Bosch in the film

The Experiment ''The Experiment'' is a 2002 BBC documentary series in which 15 men are randomly selected to be either "prisoner" or guard, contained in a simulated prison over an eight-day period. Produced by Steve Reicher and Alex Haslam, it presents the fi ...

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. 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. The first single off the mixtape is titled "Amazing" featuring

. It was announced that

Universal Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially a ...

was going defunct, all of the artists on the roster moved from the label including (David Banner) was being moved to

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

making the label itself revived. In 2013, Banner appeared in the music video for the song '' Confessions'' by

Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979) is an American Christian rapper, singer-songwriter, actor, and Record producer, recording producer and Music executive, executive. Since having begun his career in 2004, he has released ten studio alb ...

. Banner played Earl Gaines, Cecil Gaines' father, in the 2013 film ''

The Butler ''The Butler'' (full title ''Lee Daniels' The Butler'') is a 2013 American historical drama film directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels and written by Danny Strong. It is inspired by Wil Haygood's ''Washington Post'' article "A Butler Well Ser ...

''. 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 George Ramirez (born July 31, 1994), better known by his stage name Kap G, is a Mexican-American rapper. He is best known for his 2016 single "Girlfriend (Kap G song), Girlfriend", which received RIAA certification, platinum certification by the ...

's single "La Policia", which stirred hype throughout the media and the internet.

Humanitarian and political work

In November 2006, Banner was awarded a Visionary Award by the

National Black Caucus of State Legislators The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to state legislatures in the United States and its territories. Background NBCSL was founded in 1977 after a gro ...

in recognition of his humanitarian work in response to

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. National Black Caucus Honors David Banner For His Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts With Humanitarian Award
November 2006 On September 25, 2007, Banner testified before Congress at a hearing about racism and misogyny in hip hop music titled ''From

Imus Imus (), officially the City of Imus (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and ''de jure'' Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 cens ...

to Industry: The Business of Stereotypes and Degrading Images''.Abrams, Jim
"House Panel Debates Hip-Hop Lyrics"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', September 25, 2011. He defended his use of offensive language and argued: "Change the situation in my neighborhood and maybe I'll get better." 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."

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1'' (2000) * '' Mississippi: The Album'' (2003) * '' MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water'' (2003) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2008) * '' #TheGodBox'' (2017) ;Collaborative albums * ''

Death of a Pop Star ''Death of a Pop Star'' is a 2010 album by Hip hop music, hip hop artists David Banner and 9th Wonder, released on Banner's independent record label, Big Face Entertainment, in conjunction with Entertainment One Music, eOne Music. It is the only ...

'' (2010)

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Video games

Awards

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and was first ...

** 2008, Best Hip-Hop Video ("Get Like Me") with Chris Brown & Yung Joc ominated** 2008, Best Hip-Hop Collabo ("Get Like Me") with Chris Brown & Yung Joc ominated** 2008, Best Producer ominated*

Ozone Awards ''Ozone'' was an American magazine focusing on hip hop music coverage from the Southern United States and operated from 2002 to 2010. It was founded in Orlando, Florida in 2002 by Julia Beverly. In 2006, the magazine relocated its headquarters t ...

** 2008, Best Rap/R&B Collaboration ("Get Like Me"), featuring Chris Brown & Yung Joc ominated

References

External links

DavidBanner.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banner, David 1974 births Living people 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors African-American activists African-American crunk musicians American crunk musicians African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers African-American poets African-American record producers American hip-hop record producers American male film actors American male television actors American activists Rappers from Mississippi Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi Southern hip-hop musicians Southern University alumni SRC Records artists University of Maryland Eastern Shore alumni Businesspeople from Jackson, Mississippi Male actors from Jackson, Mississippi 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American male musicians Universal Motown Records artists 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American musicians