My response to David Banners Breakfast Club Interview
BACKGROUND
David Banner was born on April 11th and grew up in Mississippi. Banner started his music career as a part of a duo with Crooked Lettaz. He then went solo and released four albums. Not only is he a rapper but he is also a producer, actor and activist.
INTERVIEW
David Banner starts the interview my explaining how in order to be successful, he had to learn how to make great music without compromising his spirituality. Banner also spoke on his period of depression. Although he had it all in theory, he was not happy with himself on the inside and he was not aligned with his spiritual self. I was not surprised to hear this as this is a common theme of celebrities. While you may be financially well, the constant pressures of fitting into society’s image and acting like a person you are not can drive you insane.
David Banner's Mini Transformation.
Hip Hop has given in to white supremacy. The main factors in determining success of music slowly shifted from relatability to marketability. It’s no longer about whether or not people feel the songs produced. What matters now is whether or not it can be widely sold. “If you do great things, as descendants of an African everything will come to you”. David Banner explains how the music industry consists of an ongoing cycle of making sure that there is white support because that is what generations have defined as success. He also explains that if black people learn to love themselves, they would no longer have to look to white for approval. I completely agree with these ideas. I think black people have internalized the hate that is projected towards them through racism. Although teaching black people to love themselves can help this issue, I do not think that black people will truly love themselves until racism is diminished. It is extremely difficult to yell “I’m black and I’m proud” if this same blackness can cause you your life. Although the black community may not need white approval to be successful, they may need it to feel safe.
