Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

, where he was raised. Banner graduated from

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

with a

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

, then attended University of Maryland Eastern Shore to pursue a

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an 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 practice.

. 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 Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

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

Certified Certification is 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 attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

'' (2005), and ''

The Greatest Story Ever Told ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Along with the ensemble cast ...

'' (2008). Banner is also a noted producer, having produced music for himself, Trick Daddy, T.I., Lil Boosie and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

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 school in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Jackson Public School District. Nicknamed "Ram City", the school serves students in grades 9–12 in the West Jackson area. Students from th ...

in Jackson in 1992 and then attended

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the county seat, parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, E ...

, 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 University of Maryland Eastern Shore to pursue a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an 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 practice.

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''. With several of his friends, Banner sent some demo tapes to Jackson, Mississippi radio station, WJMI. Celebrity Manage
Glenn Sweety G Toby
discovered the group and signed them to Neil Levine at

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, Crooked Lettaz, 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, Tom ...

). 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, which was founded by Steve Rifkind who had previous success as CEO of the heavyweight hip-hop label, Loud Records. 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 Wesley Eric Weston Jr. (born March 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. He embarked on his musical career as a freestyle and battle rapper before earning a record deal with Suckafree Records in 1999. Lil' Fl ...

. "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 stati ...

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

''. 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. 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''. 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 (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

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 album's first single titled "9mm" featured

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...

, and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

. 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. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

and Yung Joc, "Get Like Me" reached No. 16 on the Hot 100, No. 7 on the R&B chart, and No. 2 on the Rap chart. 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. In 2008, Banner was featured on the track, ''Superfriend'', from the 2008 album, '' The Sound'', by

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

R&B duo,

Mary Mary Mary Mary is a female American urban contemporary gospel duo composed of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell (born April 29, 1972) and Trecina Atkins-Campbell (born May 1, 1974). Formed in 1998, Mary Mary was launched into mainstream recognition f ...

. 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. 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 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 a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). 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 an ...

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

Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ...

. 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 with a screenplay by Danny Strong. It is inspired by Wil Haygood's '' Washington Post'' article "A B ...

''. Banner plays Jay, a criminal who is interrogated, in the 2014 film ''

Ride Along A ride-along is an arrangement for a civilian to spend a shift in the passenger seat of an emergency vehicle, observing the work day of a police officer, firefighter, or paramedic. Ride-alongs are offered by many police departments around the wor ...

.'' 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.

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 destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

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

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', 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'' (2010)

Filmography

Awards

* BET Hip Hop Awards ** 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 who was inspired by local rap artist & team member ...

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

References

External links

David Banner: "In Mississippi, poverty has become a way life."
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banner, David 1974 births Living people 21st-century American male actors African-American activists African-American crunk musicians African-American male actors African-American male rappers African-American poets African-American record producers American hip hop record producers American male film actors American male television actors American political activists American social activists Male actors from Mississippi 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 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 people