Club Shay Shay - David Banner part 1

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Club Shay Shay, Shannon Sharpe sits down with Grammy-nominated rapper, producer, actor, and cultural thought leader David Banner for a raw, vulnerable, and wide-ranging conversation. From his roots in Jackson, Mississippi, to his rise as a pioneer of Southern hip-hop and a visionary in media and activism, Banner opens up like never before.

From selling mixtapes at Kroger’s to producing hits for T.I., Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Maroon 5, and more, Banner recounts his rise in the music industry and the painful realization that fame isn’t what it seems.

He reflects on how hip-hop wasn’t just an escape, but an education and empowerment. Inspired by Brand Nubian and The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Banner stopped eating pork in the 8th grade and began a lifelong journey toward purpose and spiritual grounding. “Rap taught me something,” he says, recalling how music, and later, therapy, helped him confront childhood trauma, grief, and the weight of being a voice for the people.

Banner speaks candidly about battling depression, the heartbreak of the music industry, and the painful realization that fame is often a lie. “I loved music, and music broke my heart,” he admits. But instead of folding, he evolved. Now the CEO of Banner Vision, he’s produced campaigns for Gatorade, Disney, Marvel, and acting in films —playing a god in an upcoming superhero movie. His mission? Use his platform to rebuild what the industry won’t.

He opens up about his faith, his genius-level reading skills as a child, and how Samuel L. Jackson gave him life-changing acting lessons on the set of Black Snake Moan. He reflects on his HBCU experience at Southern University, corporate racism, tough conversations, politics, and even why he built his grandmother a house as the first thing he did with his music money.

From deep conversations with Erykah Badu and LL Cool J, to producing "Rubberband Man" and learning from Jay-Z, to giving insight on Nelly’s “Tip Drill” and the truth about how money is made in music, this episode is a masterclass in growth, purpose, and legacy.

He challenges peers to invest in their communities: “I invest in me. I put my money back into what I stand for.” He shares wisdom passed down from his father and lessons from losing friends to gang violence.

The conversation digs deep into spirituality, accountability, masculinity, and systemic racism in both America and corporate culture. Banner pulls no punches: “Hollywood is no different from America. The police just took the hoods off.” He urges honesty in our communities and calls for an end to performative shock when abusers or injustices come to light.

In one of the most moving moments, Banner opens up about being tired, not just physically, but emotionally, from pouring so much into Black culture.

He honors his hero, Ice Cube, and praises Ryan Coogler and the movie Sinners for reconnecting African Americans with lost spirituality, and celebrates Shannon Sharpe for defying the odds and doing it his way. “You’re the only one who did it the way you did. You showed the world what country really means.”

As the episode closes, Banner leaves us with this charge: “Just shoot it. Keep clicking, keep believing. God conspires with those who believe.” Whether he’s talking to LL Cool J, scoring for T.I., or building legacy from the South to the screen, David Banner is proof that faith, fight, and freedom are the true measures of success.

This is an episode that you don’t want to miss!

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
How you doing, Bro, I'm doing good. I woke up
this morning. I was in my right mind.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Love.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
It was running warm in my veins. I had use
of my limbs. I was able to put my feet
on the floor. A lot of people have an appointment.
They couldn't reschedule.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
What they say. From where we're from, We're on this
side of the dirt. Yeah, that was the first thing
I wanted to say before we said anything, Bro is
check in with you.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
All my life, grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle bat
the price, one slice got the brother Geist, the swap
all my life. I'p be grinding all my life, all
my life, grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle bat the price,
one slice got the brother Geist, the squat all my life,
I'd be grinding all my life.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Hello, Welcome to another episode of Club Shade Shay. I
am your host, Shinning Sharp. I'm also the propriud of
Club shap Shay stopping by for conversation or a drink
Today is one of hip hop's most multi dimensional figures.
He's a Gray Grammy nominated rapper, award winning songwriter, and
multi platinum artists versus producer. He's the first rapper inducted
into the Mississippi Musician Hall of Fame. He's evolved from

(01:05):
a rapper into a dynamic force behind the scenes. He's
CEO of Banner Vision, who created campaigns for Gatorade, Disney, Marvel,
Gillette and Pepsi. A multi talented actor, activist, philanthropists, entrepreneur,
entertainer and public speaker. An advocate for humanity, a cultural
thought leader and outspoken commentator on social issues. An industry

(01:26):
veteran for over quarter century, he uses his voice and
influence to push the boundaries and spark meaningful change. One
of the major forces behind the Dirty South rap breakthrough
in mainstream music in the early two thousands. From them
I Croocket Letter, crookeet Letter, I criokt Letter crookd Letter humpback, humpback. Ah.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Here he is yours truly, David Banner Shannon.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yes, how you doing it? I'm doing good? Like now
you know what. I woke up this more. I was
in my right mind, love, it was running warm in
my veins. I had use with my limbs. I was
able to put my feet on the floor. Because a
lot of people have an appointment, they couldn't reschedule what.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
They say from where we're from. We on this side
of the dirt. That was the first thing I wanted
to say before we said anything, BRO, is check in
with you, like I need you to understand something. BRO.
When you decided that you were going to talk like
you talk, be intelligent, make sure that you know everything.
I watched how you researched. I watch how it meant

(02:33):
something to you because I remember as an actor, you know,
one of the first things they told me to do
is to crush my southern accent or I was going
to be typecast.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
I remember that, Bro.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
And for you to decide make a conscious decision that
you want to speak like you Bro, and you brought
them to you that meant a lot. And we have
to be careful, Bro. Sometimes we will allow them to
turn and our blessings into a jail cell like Bro.
As you know, I watched when you talked about Bro

(03:06):
not having no running water.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
In the crib.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Bro, people don't even understand where we come from, in
the environments that our grandparents.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Live and our mothers lived under. Bro.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
You know, and for you to break generational curses, Bro,
I want you to understand that regardless of what they
decide to try to do. Bro, you own yourself. You're
a made man. So Like, one of the things that
I think that we do is we become so judgmental
of each other and forget that we're human being.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
I talked about recently, people were really interested in this
conversation about how and I'm not talking about whether he
was right or wrong or not. That's not for me
to judge, that's for us for God to judge. But
like how media did Chris Brown when he was a child.
He was a kid. People forgot he wasn't even twenty
one at the time. And we because we're so vested

(04:05):
in these people's fame and their money, we forget what
God say, We forget about being human beings, and we
pray for forgiveness every can. I cuss y'all every day
of our life. But we are the most judgmental people
on this planet, right So, Bro, Like, I really really
wanted to know just how you doing. I think the

(04:27):
thing is a lot of time it happens.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
What happens is is that we ask for forgiveness, but
we're the least forgiving. And I think that's the biggest
issue right there. And we don't forgive ourselves no, you know,
and sometimes we end up putting ourselves in jail for perpetuity,
even though at the smallest mistakes, realizing.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
That at the end of the day, we're human and
we're gonna air and.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, but I think the thing for me is that
is that I do realize how fortune I am. I
do realize how blessed I am, and I do realize
where I came from and how how I how long
it took me to get here.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
And I'm very thankful.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
I'm very appreciative of the people because a lot of
people had the sacrifice in order for Shannon to be
where Shannon is, and I never forgot that.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
You know what, I think that that your followers should
do right now, and I think they should shit back
he and be honored and blessed that this much chocolate
is on their camera right now. Just look to take
this in right now.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
I'm in that gym, not quite as much as I'm
in that junt dog. Yeah, I's that's what Jordan, my
social media guy, I got my period guy.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
He was like, man, okay, I see you've been in
the gym at the shoulders. Let me tell you something,
dog man. I'm so thankful bro. You had al Yeah, yeah, yeah,
that's one of my partners. Yeah. He's amazing, bro. Matter fact,
I saw it shocked you when you asked him a
question and he said, David Banner, Yeah, he was like, oh,

(05:57):
like Ali was one of the one of the people
that taught me, man that if we really about what
we say we are about spiritually, we make some people uncomfortable.
There's certain spaces that are not for us, and sometimes
we have to be careful. I had to learn this, bro.

(06:18):
I just came out like a major depression. Bro. And
I think I can't say what God was trying to
show me, man, but I think God was trying to
tell me that even the things that I think are
good still don't come before Him, her or it. You
understand what I'm saying. So I thought fighting for black people,
I thought being a good person, I thought all of
those things. Even think about David and the Bible, people

(06:41):
don't know that Psalms is a song versus from a song,
and that as much as people talk about it, if
you took away the fact that God said that that
was his man, if you look at David, he was
a gangster rapper. No, really, I'm serious. And the only
reason why Christian and hoop and holler by David, it's

(07:02):
because God said that's my man. But if you took
that away, you would treat him like you used to
treat David Benner and how they trying to treat you,
so just like just as me and Bro like regardless,
it ain't my it ain't my place, Bro, But I
wanted to do a check on you good because most
people don't most people really don't care. Bro.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Yeah, well, Bro, everything that you've accomplished, all that you're doing,
and what you'll continue to accomplish than I appreciate it. Man,
I appreciate it. Thank you, Thank you for having me
in your space. Thanks for coming to me. How have
you been, Bro? Better than I ever been in my life?

Speaker 2 (07:43):
Bro? To be honest with you, man, it's it's so funny, man,
because the kids try to call me O G And
I'm serious, Bro. With the exception of speed, I'm stronger
than I ever been. I'm smarter, wiser, jamming, rapping better

(08:04):
than I ever had. I'm definitely a better actor. And
what people don't understand is my life is just starting. Bro,
look at what you were able to accrue after football. Yes,
and think about this, bro, like sometimes the things that
we thought that we wanted, God didn't give it to
us because he knew it would be a nightmare. Correct, Bro,

(08:25):
You've done so much more after football. Bro, I'm doing
so much more. Like once people once it catches up
what I'm doing right now. Bro, I didn't even dream it.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
Bro right, No, I definitely didn't see this aspect. Yeah, Bro,
Like I'm about to be a superhero.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
Bro. I play a god in a movie that's about
to come out.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
And that's the reason why. Now, Man, I've stopped asking
why and I ask what, Like what is it for? Like,
what is it for? It's the reason because I know
I'm chosen. So if I'm chosen, bro, Like, we got
to stop doubting, Like there's a reason for everything that

(09:07):
we're ever gone through.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
You know when you get in that gym, Bro, that
rep don't start until you feel the pain. So when
you feel the pain, Okay, now it's time to really
get to work. So now you got to get back
to work because it was getting easy for you. I
know how it is. We get spoiled. We spoiled children. Bro,
So it started getting easy. Now, Okay, I'm back where
I'm comfortable. You feel what I'm saying. I'm comfortable. I'm

(09:31):
built for this, bro, and so man like, I'm so
fortunate man, because Bro, the stuff that I'm doing now,
man like it. I won't say it scares me because
I knew it. I saw it. But it's like, Bro,
I'm from Mississippi. Yeah, and God placed me in that

(09:54):
place for a reason to be able to rep in
a way. Bro. That fairy cond once told me one time. Bro,
it shook me.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
Man.

Speaker 2 (10:01):
He said that if you can put any type of
depth dent in racism being from Mississippi, you can be
a beacon of hope for people in places. And I'm paraphrasing.
It's you know, it's hard to speak for a man
at power, but everything is starting to make sense to me,
and I think it'll started making sense to you in
a minute.

Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, you mentioned you're from Jackson, Mississippi. Yes, Now, Jackson,
Mississippi is not New York. It's not Chicago, it's not
LA it's not one of those big cities. So it's interesting.
I would like to hear what was your upbringing where
you like, I mean, I know, Jackson is the capital,
and so where you on a farm, where you're in
the rural area, what was growing what was David Banner's childhood?

Speaker 2 (10:44):
Like, So this is the craziest thing.

Speaker 1 (10:46):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
I always wanted to be a city boy my whole
life and then I'm move from Jackson, Missippi. Then I
moved to the city and was like, no, we had
it already, Okay, dog, that love, that good food. That's
but I realized, man, that I had already been blessed.
And that's the reason why it's important for you to
have purpose in life, because sometimes God has already blessed you.

(11:11):
I spoke at the Waymaker's conference and I was telling
the young kid like we had walked by, and I
can tell he didn't know who we were because he
was so young. I said, come in, bro, I said, Bro,
you don't know who You don't never know who you're
talking to. Be kind to everyone, absolutely, And I think
that's what us being from the country, Georgia and Mississippi
taught us. Bro. Like, the real truth is before conventional religion.

(11:37):
We believe that God is in everything. Even if you're
gonna hunt you gotta pray over that body before you
kill it, before you eat it. And I think money
has blinded us to those things that our grandparents taught us. Bro,
Like I remember seeing that in you, Bro. When you
first start, Bro, it was a of course, there was

(11:58):
competitiveness because that was your job. Bro. They build these
almost mechanical machines and try to act like that doesn't
bleed over into real life and they know better than that.
That's why so many football players have problems after the
game because they don't know where to put that because
you're warriors, right. So like for me being from Mississippi, man,

(12:21):
I I grew up man rap actually changed my life,
like Jackson was real lied and murder capital of the
United States.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (12:34):
When stuff was hard for me, Bro, that was why
my friends didn't understand. I didn't listen to the same
kind of music other people listen to. Imagine being in Mississippi,
I would roll up to the club playing the Price
is right up above. But that was like that and
the grow crazy. Yeah, but I always wanted to escape.

(12:54):
And so what football did for you like music did
for me. But the problem with me is like once
I made it, I realized it wasn't what we thought.
It was like, all that shit is a lie. It's
a business, bro. And it hit me hard because I
really really loved music. My little homeboys would always say, man,

(13:18):
like you like rap a girl like it broke your
heart or something. Bro. And what I think that we
can do shining us different is that if we really
want it to be true, and this is the power
that God gave to us, all you have to do
to make the music industry fair is we can sign

(13:38):
kids and give them what they deserve. We talk about
d all the time, Bro. Apparently them people don't like us,
Apparently they don't want us around. Then why don't we
employ our own people? Because one thing. One, I don't
have many problem with my peers, but the problem that
I do have with my peers is we accrue all
of this money and we'll buy fancy clothes and drew

(14:00):
and stuff, but we won't invest in ourselves. We talk
about investing in all these corporations, Bro. I invest in me, right, BRO.
I made enough money shining in my life to live
three generations. BRO. But the reason why I don't have
the money that I probably deserve and my family probably deserved,
because I've always put my money back into me, back

(14:21):
into my community, things that I stand for, And people
say I'm crazy for that, bro, But like I real, real,
real life love Black people in all forms of us. Bro.
Because I study history, I know why we act the
way that we act. I'm not surprised, but I am grateful, bro,
that we come from where we come and to be

(14:42):
able to sit here, no matter how much pain we've
been through and find a way to look at each
other and smile and I'm drinking YO shit and enjoying it.
That's a blessing.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
Though.

Speaker 2 (14:56):
You said something very interesting.

Speaker 1 (14:58):
You said you always wanted to be a rapper, and
when you got there, it wasn't what you thought it was.
I've always wanted to be a professional football player and
I'm not necessarily and it wasn't because I thought it
was this glamorous from position, I mean a glamorous job,
because it was. I wanted to be it because I
thought what it would do help me do for my family.

(15:22):
That's all I've ever wanted to do.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
That I paused for a second. Yes, and brother, I
love the reverence that you have for your brother. Appreciate
that people need to see that that is so important,
and like, Bruh, I know sometimes man, like we sometimes
we get disillusioned and we forget that most of the
stuff that we shoot for now we didn't even know
that it was possible. Absolutely. But the reverence that you

(15:44):
give for you, like I've studied you, that's the thing
about you, is because Bro, all the rest of that
stuff and all the other people that I see in
your position, I don't know them. I know where you from, Bro,
I know the pain that you've been through, right a wrong.
I don't agree with everything and you say everything that
you do, but I do know you're country, dark skinned

(16:04):
man from very similar situations that I come from. So
the other shit to mother talking about, I don't know
about that. I know about what you come from.

Speaker 3 (16:14):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (16:14):
So your reverence for your brother, Brod always respected that
and he needed too. Yeah, because of injuries, Bro, he
wasn't able. Bro, he was a maniac dog and so
he may not tell you this, Bro, but but Bro,
when you feed back into him, Bro, that gives him
life and he's actually able to live through your ability

(16:36):
to continue. Bro.

Speaker 1 (16:37):
Well, that was our whole thing growing up. And I
don't know him. I can't speak for him, but I'm
just no. But when we're growing up, after my grandfather died,
he was the dominant male figure in my life, even
though he was only three years older. And so the
relationship that we have is that it's more of a
father figure than a brother figure.

Speaker 2 (16:55):
My sister, she's eight years older.

Speaker 1 (16:56):
It's more of a mother because she taught me all
the things that mother probably would would would have done.
And so, you know, help me with my homework, sign
my report card, you know, get me, help me get
take a bath, and get me dressed for school when
I was when I was at that at an age
that I couldn't really do it for myself. And so
we've always we've always been close. I remember my grandfather.

(17:17):
My grandmother used to always say, boy, she say, son,
teeth and tongue may fall out, but you and your
brother and your sister y'all should never fall out.

Speaker 2 (17:24):
Yea and I and hold on.

Speaker 1 (17:27):
That's a bar Let that sit down for a minute.
That's that's the ship we need, right.

Speaker 2 (17:33):
And it wasn't.

Speaker 1 (17:34):
And as I at the time that she said it,
I didn't understand. And what she meant, she say, son,
if your teeth bite your tongue, your tongue, get mad
at your teeth, won it and he's like she said,
they might fall out with each other, she say, but
y'all don't and we're not perfect. My brother says, some
things done, some things out of life. I've done some things.

(17:55):
I promise you. My sister's the same way. But through
everything good, bad, up, down, indifferent. I can always pick
up the phone and call Buck. I can always pick
up the phone and call my brother SPIKEE.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
And no matter what, no matter what, honestly, man, like,
whatever this is, this, whatever I may disagree with you
about or may not like, like, we can talk about
that as men later on, but like for us to
have some type of united front, Bro, that's important. Bro.
And I'm doing this on purpose in front of the

(18:29):
camera because we don't brot Honestly, Bro, I didn't learn
to talk, man. My mentor just taught me.

Speaker 3 (18:36):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (18:36):
Like where I'm from, you don't don't talk to nobody. Bro,
I didn't know. I didn't talk to my friends about
shit where I was. I was taught in the streets.

Speaker 1 (18:45):
Bro. You don't showing the weakness to nobody.

Speaker 2 (18:47):
Bro. And so my mentor, my mentor David Moodie. He
asked me. He was like, Bro, do you talk to
your friends like you talk to me? And I was like, no, sir,
and Bro, I've been holding this ship my whole life.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
You and I think the thing is, David, that we
gotta be careful because I'm a firm believer. My grandfather
used to say, boy, you gotta be careful what you
tell people. He said, well, once people find out what
makes you tick, they'll wind you up and make you
tick when you they want you to instead of when
you need to.

Speaker 2 (19:15):
But that's only that's only because the environment that our
grandparents were built. Yes, but the real truth is if
we can't talk to our friends, then they're not our friends. True.
It shouldn't be around us, Bro. We make enough money
to have, yes, people around us, we don't, but real
friends you need to be able to and I mean this,
and I know how media is, so I have to

(19:37):
watch what I say. You got you should be able
to get necking in front of your people. My mentor
taught me something, Brother, I'm serious, Bro, I never thought
about this in my life, Bro, he said, I don't.
He said, I don't do business with men that cheat
on their wives, and I say, huh. He said, if
the person that you slip with can't trust I, damn

(20:01):
sure can't. And I never thought about that. If I
can't talk to my best friends like this is the
first thing I ever asked my friend coming from the streets.
And it's funny, Bro, I just talked to Matt Barnes
about this, Bro, because I'm so proud of that boy, man,
or that young man and that man you probably about

(20:23):
the same age. I'm so proud of him, man, and
I can tell that we deal with the same struggles.
So I talked to him. I was like, bro, man,
I'm so proud of him. I watch I don't even
know you like that, but I watched you grow up,
and I told him, Man, I was like, man, like,
I didn't saw so much violent stuff. I didn't understand.

(20:47):
Why am I having anxiety about this weak shit that
I'm going through?

Speaker 1 (20:52):
Now you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
But my therapist taught me that the human brain and
God built us and loved us so much that the
human brain hides you from certain stuff until you get
comfortable enough or old enough. And now that we got
some bread, okay, deal with that shit. That happened to
you when you were nine. Oh oh shit, that's why
I'm freaking out. Oh okay, I get it now. And

(21:20):
when you were playing football, you a different type of animal.
When I was really in rapping the middle of that shit,
I was a different type of animal. Now I actually care,
and enough therapy has taught me that I really do
care about people. I thought I was the hardest walking
on the streets. I did. I was not the David Banner. Now,

(21:44):
as trained as I am, excuse my French, I will
the young maniac loud talking person that I was. Because
people that run their mouth and talk loud down no shit,
you ain't never in your life so an angry kung
fu master have you. All they gotta do is cut
you and literally cut your throat. It's all you gotta do.

(22:05):
You ain't gotta get mad about it. Mad is a
lack of information. If you are the greatest, you ain't
ever got to get mad at nobody. I'll knock you
out food, you know what I'm saying. So for me,
man like the older that I get, bro, I think
that we can use these mediums bro as a way
to release each other.

Speaker 1 (22:25):
BRO.

Speaker 2 (22:26):
Like I really want you to know that it's okay. However,
this shit go Bro, you already won, right Like we
are the underdogs, bro, the continent underdogs. If we don't
get another dollar. Another view, it's a blessing that God
made us, gave us the vision to see further and

(22:46):
to want more. But Bruce Lee said something that was
so powerful. He said, the goals are only your north
star to keep you moving. They're not always things that
you are supposed to accomplish, but we gotta keep moving
or you die. Right. Yeah?

Speaker 1 (23:05):
So growing up so was rap? Did you play sports
in high school? Did you play sports growing up? Did
you ever want to be an athlete?

Speaker 2 (23:12):
Did you?

Speaker 1 (23:12):
Always was wrapped with the only thing that was on
your mind? So what were you going to do to
get out? Because I know Jackson, Mississippi, grew up, born
in Jackson, grew up in Jackson. That wasn't gonna be
your final rest in place.

Speaker 2 (23:23):
I never I never said this before, but people used
to laugh at me because I was a rapper. Some
of the same people that asks for record deals now
I remember them laughing at me. Yeah, but it's like,
why are you trying to do that New York shit?
With for us, laughed at me, Bro and uh I.

(23:45):
My uncle came from the North, Bro, and for some
reason he wanted to be a He wanted to be
a blues DJ. I didn't even know that was a thing. Bro.
He gave me all of his rap records.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
I remember.

Speaker 2 (24:00):
The first record was a rockless Step from stet Sosani.
What you know about step?

Speaker 1 (24:06):
I just told you, Yeah, I just told you, just
say step yeah Tela rock. Oh Man, now you're going
back men tronics. I'm telling you.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
And I was a little little kid. Yeah, imagine getting
this type of information. Bro. But what people don't know, Bro,
is that we were battle rapping in Mississippi. That's how
powerful uh hip hop was at the time. Man, And
he gave me all these records, Bro, and it helped

(24:38):
me to escape. Hip hop had always been like Bro,
I I listened to. I related more to you know,
groups like Hieroglyphics, Bro and Soul's a mischief because the
dope dealing the violence. My friend Chucky was the first

(24:58):
person to die from gang violence in Jackson, Mississippi. He
was older than me. We used to go to what
y'all call Circle K. It used to be stopping go
back in the day. Okay, So it's this game that
was the ripoff of pac Man was Ladybug Like I
would go down and we would play Ladybug Man and

(25:19):
as old as he was. Because what people don't know
is that the people who were affected the most by
gangs was dance groups because they were already in a group.
No different in fraternities. I think that's what Jim Jones
was trying to explain to people. Bro football is a fraternity, absolutely,
like bro basketball is. Rap is a fraternity. We're just

(25:41):
not as organized, correct, you know what I'm saying, Like,
that's what we might as well just go ahead and
say it and get organized and made it move. And
Chucky was Chucky was the first dude to ever die
brou So it affected.

Speaker 1 (25:53):
Me in a way.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
And what happened was bro is that I loved rap
so much because it was always my escape from my reality.
But what it also did is, think about this, Bro,
this is gonna freak you out.

Speaker 1 (26:09):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
I stopped eating pork in Mississippi, and you know how
we feel. How would you start to eat poked? Eleventh grade?
Eleventh grade in Mississippi. So I hadn't been eating pork
long in. No pigtails, no nothing, no bacon, nothing, no sausage. See,
that's the reason why people listen to me, shining killers,
because I tell people I never eat chillers. Oh okay,

(26:31):
ha mo, No, But let me tell you this. Listen.
This is this, This is the reason why I think
kids listen to me. Bro, I would swim in pork
if I could. This shit tastes good. Act like this
shit don't taste good for real. But what I tell
people this, and be honest with you, Listen to me
when I say this, y'all, would you eat rad if

(26:51):
it tastes good? You probably would? Shut it?

Speaker 1 (26:55):
Look a shiney, y'all take a drink first, shaty you
probably your big ass, Your big ass probably wild her
home Grandma. You decide that. The only reason why.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
I'm saying that is because the rats died is better
than the pigs.

Speaker 1 (27:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (27:13):
The pig will literally eat your ass. Yes, it ain't
nothing the chicken I grew up on the phone. That's
what I'm saying. And you hold on, but let me
tell you, But let me there's a difference. The thing
that I realized, though, Bro, is that is that as
I got older. Bro, that hip hop actually taught me something. Bro,

(27:37):
Like I stopped eating because of Brand Nubian, you know,
I tell at the time his name was X Derek
X at the time, like Bro, it was the reason
why I stopped eating pork. And then Bro from that,
I read Malcolm X's Auto Bar It changed my whole
entire life. And and then from the Broader Files, I

(27:58):
actually stole that book for my cousin. This is the
story that I'm actually and I'm not gonna go too
far into it, but the lead singer from House to Payne,
he ended up buying two of my God Boxes I
put out my last project that I put out. Some

(28:18):
people said it was the greatest marketing so calls. They
call it marketing schemes. But he ended up buying two
of those God Boxes because his sister got pregnant by
a black dude. So his children, I mean, his nephews
are black and he bought them God Boxes because he said,

(28:39):
I don't know nothing about being black, but I do
trust David Banner. What's funny is how I became conscious
because my cousin stole the remix, the Pete Rock remix
of Jump Around from me, and since he stole my
CD at the time I stole that book, I read

(29:00):
that book from Chicago to Mississippi, and it changed the
whole course of my life. And that's why I'm David. Now,
how did you so.

Speaker 1 (29:07):
When you tell your mom, you tell your dad or
your grandparents that I ain't even port no more cause
you like bacon and all that stuff.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
Food is hard to get in the South. Let's be clear,
I know where you're going. Go ahead and said, they
ain't bringing no shoulder. You know you ain't getting no
the best. First of all, you're not getting the best
cups of meat on the pig anyway. So you getting
the scrap and a cop have merch. I don't think
I had hamburger. You get ground hamburger. But you're not
getting no no, no surlar, or you ain't getting no

(29:35):
real body, no none of that. So how did you
make that?

Speaker 1 (29:37):
How did you like your great your parents and your
grandparents like, I ain't even pork no more.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
Me let me show you something powerful. And I didn't
realize this, bro until three years ago. Okay, watch this.
My parents actually stopped eating pork because of me. Huh,
they they they were on my ass at first because
they thought it was just a fab but I think
they knew what I was saying was true. You know

(30:03):
what I'm saying. And I didn't notice that. My parents
didn't start back eating poork until a year after I
left school. But sometimes man our parents in the South,
and I was just telling a young man this today,
that our parents worked their asshole so we could be
smarter than them. Sometimes we get frustrated at our parents

(30:23):
because they don't understand what we understand. But there's no
way for them to understand. All they could do is
work right so we could be smarter, so we can
be the best football player in the world.

Speaker 1 (30:32):
They were never exposed to what we're being expected to
and so I think, like this is something personal. Bro,
Like my mother start going to church because of me.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
Wow. She's like, there's no way that my child is
going to church and I'm not going to church. Wow.
And so I ended up telling my mom later on,
like you trusted me when I was sixteen, Just consider
what I'm telling you now, because if you followed me,
then I'm not asking you to believe in what I
believe in now, but just consider it. And then I

(31:04):
had to learn that they worked hard so they wouldn't
have to consider us, Bro, And so like back in
Mississippi as far as eating pork and all of that
kind of stuff. Man, like the fact that they gave
me the opportunity because they had to eat what they
had to eat and what your choices. Yeah, so for
me to even have that is a blessing and I'm
grateful for Yeah.

Speaker 1 (31:25):
I don't know if it's the fifties and sixties being
vegans an option for a black person. But but but
but on the other side, we were no, we were
green or that's hilarious. Oh I'm greasy.

Speaker 2 (31:40):
Just say it, dog, It's okay right now. We already
got the rains and stuff. Just say I'm greasy. Bro.
I actually usually need lotion.

Speaker 1 (31:49):
What come on, do it now?

Speaker 2 (31:51):
We done broke the third walls. Let's do it. One
thing I want you all to take us take into
consideration though, is we cut tree greasy?

Speaker 1 (32:02):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (32:03):
That used to be the thing you wanted to be greasy.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
I don't think that's ever happened on them now.

Speaker 2 (32:12):
But what I was saying was, Bro, is that for
us to be in a position, Bro, to even be
able to do it, Shannon, and I want you to
think about this off camera.

Speaker 1 (32:21):
Bro. It ain't no, it ain't no losing for us.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
Bro. My my parents couldn't consider not eating pork. And
one thing that people don't talk about. It was a
little bit different because the pig was actually a part
of the family. We went and got our pig from
the backyard. I'm dead serious, so we know what that
pig was eating. Yeah. I don't eat fish, bro, But

(32:48):
I had a catfish farm. When MTV cribs that, everybody
says one of the like, dude, I had catfish and
I fed them. So my catfish you can literally see
through their skin because I didn't eat my catfish. Bullshit.
I fed him like I fed the dog. So when
we ate, when you ate the pig in Mississippi and Georgia,

(33:09):
it was almost like eating your fourth or fifth cousin.
Because I know how I know how media is. Yeah,
cut that up and said that I was eating Yeah.

Speaker 1 (33:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:20):
It was like they're like pat Yeah, because you found
them out your hands.

Speaker 1 (33:23):
I mean you saw him great, Like okay, yeah, that's
the one that's gonna be you know, come Christmas time.
That's the one that's gonna be you know. But let
me ask you this day, what do you think the
number one thing that you learned from your parents? What's
the what's the number one teaching that Like when you
going through something or you somewhere and you sit back
and think and you're like my mom my dad said.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
I'm gonna give you a great one, shutter. It's when
I was one of the top producers in the world.
I was out in Vegas producing for arguably one of
the biggest artists on this planet, and the artist came
in and Bro, this is w before I was the conscious,

(34:04):
super conscious David Banner. This is before I was polished.
I was straight off the streets and I would jump
in your ass quick right. This is when a lot
of people don't notice. I was on the terrorists list
before it was a thing because Universal didn't pay me
my money and I kicked open twelve doors and they
have money behind none of 'em. Hark. Yeah, it didn't,

(34:27):
but but I played into the game. My anger played
into they game because they owed me that money. And
what people didn't know, Bro, I didn't sign the Universal
until way after like a pample that came out cause
I had told them folks, and I don't think white
folks was used to this cause they were so used
to black people being money hungry. I said, y'all already
put my record out. I ain't got a sign shit

(34:48):
you ow me? Cause I knew I could sue them.
I've always been smart. So I said, what you do
is get my contract right, I'll go on this tour
on trip would have my money. So I had become
this ten million dollar David Banner and my mother was
in Mississippi bro struggling, dunk you know the way, and

(35:09):
I'm making millions for you and my mama can't out
hurt you. Okay, let me get back to the story.
So what I learned from my dad, I'm trying to
be more upbeat. My dad told me this, Shannon, and
I live by this to this day. Man, it changed
my life. The artist walked in said I just came

(35:32):
from gambling and I was playing a beat that was
for somebody else, and this artist was like, who is that?
Who that fuck? And I was like, it's not for sale.
It's not for sale, right, And the person flipped me
a ten thousand dollars chip. Now number one, I'm missisp

(35:53):
I ain't never seen no ten thousand dollars chip. I'll
be dambling havelf my life right, But Nigro, you don't
throw nothing in me. We're not used to that shit.
I almost lost it and I called my dad. I
let I walked outside the studio and called my dad.

(36:15):
I said, Dad, I didn't even tell him the story.
He said, what's wrong? I said, I said Dad, I
was shaking. I was so mad.

Speaker 1 (36:27):
I was like Dad.

Speaker 2 (36:28):
He said, stop, how do you feel? I said, Dad,
I don't feel good at all. He said, pack it
shouldn't leave. I said, Dad, I'm about to make six figures.
He said, I don't give a pack your shit. He said,
I'd rather you work in the post office and be

(36:49):
a seventy dollars man, then be a million dollars woman
with an invisible skirt on. Hem never never, never forgot that, bro,
you can walk around looking like a man having an
invisible skirt on. He said, pack of shit. I'd rather

(37:09):
you be back in Mississippi in the mirrorand and be
a man that I can look at.

Speaker 1 (37:14):
So the guy thought he could flip you that ten
thousand dollars chip and get the beat. I mean so
what was, what the thing was.

Speaker 2 (37:21):
It's regardless, Man. I think sometimes that we get into
this industry and forget that we're still human beings. And
that's something that I don't want to lose. Shannon, I'm
going to tell you somebody never told nobody look at
my hands. Yeah, I don't wear gloves in the gym.
Yeah you do hard. Yeah, I can see the calysies
already built up for our were gloves that ain't. But
we got different we got different things. But literally, Bro,

(37:41):
like I said, I as much money as I make,
I never want to lose the fact that I come
from a working man's back background. Okay. I honestly though, Shannon,
Man that my dad taught me that is like, there's
certain things that we never want to lose. And Bro, like,
I don't know what you're going through. Again, I really
felt like, Bro, it's part of my my purpose as

(38:03):
a person. But you come from the South, you come
from certain things that they gotta be born into. You
always remember those things. But that's the reason why you
hear it ain't nothing like that shit, Bro, Ain't nothing
like our grandparents and our grandparents are dead now, Oh yeah,
for sure. That's one thing that I wanted to start

(38:24):
a business where we go and get all of our
aunties and cousins, all of those quilts. Bro. You know
what I'm saying, those homemade biscuits. Bro, like the stuff
that white people are making millions, White folks making millions
of dollars off chicklings. Bro. We weren't supposed to be
eating no Chicklin's, but we didn't have no We had
to turn it into a delicacy. The new Chiland now

(38:44):
is oxtail. Well, I tell you they're killing them folks
in New York.

Speaker 1 (38:49):
Bro, I'm telling you did Jamaican's mad As it was like,
damn that ship down the Yeah, you feel me, But.

Speaker 2 (38:57):
Like that's what I'm saying, like shaying it, bro, Like
it's it's in us, Bro. And I know for a fact,
man with a AI and all of this technology, the
one thing you can't fake, it's authenticity. That was the
reason why no folks jumped on you. It's more country
folks than it is city folks. Don't always remember that,
like it's more of us, it's more struggling people. That's

(39:18):
the reason why the blues and black music resonates so well.
The only thing that makes us relatable is all of
us are gonna die. So pain is the only common
denominator with all human beings on this earth. Bro, That's
what makes us special.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
Wow. I saw the viral video where you told you
the dad told you, say, son, do what you know?
You smiling and your dad called you and said, what
are you smiling for? I stop smiling? Did you understand?
Did you understand at the time why he didn't want
you to smile? I didn't.

Speaker 2 (39:52):
But what I do I don't hate. What I do
hate is I don't like people talking about my dad,
like I wish I would have explained it a a
little bit better. And this gives me the opportunity. Yeah,
what happened was was my dad knew that he had
to raise a certain type of man, especially in the South. Correct,
Like my dad told me the story once. Do you

(40:12):
know one of the reasons why Southern people beat their
children so violently because in the South, at one time,
by law, if you raised up to a white person,
they could kill you, absolutely. So what they did was
break you so that when they beat if somebody beat
you while you was in town with them white folks,
they wouldn't kill you, so they got you used to

(40:33):
being beat Do you know how much that would hurt
a parent to have to beat their child up? And
the child doesn't deserve that. That's what I'm saying, man, Like,
when people judge black people, there's a reason. It's a story.
That's why movies and our music we got to get
out of commercialism, bro, and we got to get back

(40:53):
to telling these stories of why when they see black
people and they see us, man, and they see us,
do certain things been conditioned to be this way? Brouh.
I'm on this really big tour and yeah, I'm talking
about it. People. A lot of people get scared of me, bro,
because I tell the truth. Man, Like, I'm on this
big tour and the sponsors are coming at me because

(41:17):
I told them white folks, I said, I said, your
grandparents taught you how to be racist, you know, And
I said, I don't need you. I don't need no
white savior. What I need you to do is for
you to check your racist uncle. The people who you
know that're saying the word nigga, the people that make

(41:38):
you feel uncomfortable because you love my music, so I
know you know better, go back and check your grandfather,
your mother, your cousins, your sisters, your uncles. That's the
reason why, like when we become judgment or some black
black people. You know your uncle so dope. Why you
treating somebody else kid like that because they selling dope.

(41:58):
You know your uncle so dope. Out your grandmama house,
nigga stopped that. We become other people because we're trying
to impress folks. Bro, I don't ever want to do that, Shannon.
I don't ever. I want to give the message. I
want to give God's message. It's God's responsibility to judge you. Now,
if you do something to me, I'm gonna have to
get your ass off.

Speaker 1 (42:19):
You're funny that you said that. You said that people judge.
My grandfather said that very same thing. He said, boy,
if you're not careful, you'll become the very thing you
despise the most of the merson. If you hate a lie,
if you're not careful, you'll become one. If you hate
a thief, you'll become one. Write a book, Doug, you
know what I'm serious?

Speaker 2 (42:36):
That shit that's simple?

Speaker 1 (42:37):
Ship?

Speaker 2 (42:38):
Is that not bombs?

Speaker 3 (42:39):
Though?

Speaker 2 (42:39):
Look at everybody every time you say some shit.

Speaker 1 (42:44):
My sister like Shaun it out, but I swore to
my sister, I would never because everybody's always said that.

Speaker 2 (42:50):
But you know at the time, no, but no, no
finish that though you tell your sisters.

Speaker 1 (42:53):
I told my sister because everybody tell my sister to
say Shannon always saying things that your grandfather, your grandmother,
like you know, miss Mayor and mister Barney would tell him.
I was a kid, I was eight years old my
grandfather passed. But I can tell you everything you never
said to my friends. I was forty three when my
grandmother passed, and I can tell you every time she've
been upset at me. And I hung on everything that

(43:14):
they said. They didn't know it at the time, but
I worshiped, I idolized. I didn't know the idolatry. You know,
you weren' supposed to do that, but for them to
take raise their nine kid and then takes my mom's
three and loved them more than they did their own.
So I hung on everything they said. But I always
told my sister, and she said, Shay, I'm please, don't.

Speaker 2 (43:34):
I told my.

Speaker 1 (43:34):
Sister I wouldn't because I part of me. I wouldn't
write a book.

Speaker 2 (43:39):
Why not? I wouldn't write a book, but why not.
But listen, listen, listen, listen, listen. There are some things
that she probably she's still alive, yeah, but so talk
to her. I'm only telling you to give the wisdom, yeah,
because I know I know from where we're from. Oh yeah,
we got oh bro. But I will tell you this though, Bro,

(44:00):
there certain things that happen in the South that I
don't think that we should talk about on camera. But
we definitely got to get in a room and talk
about because that's the reason why we keep malfunctioning, because
we won't talk about those things. And I say that
with white folks, we got to have those young white
people who really want to make this a better place,

(44:22):
this America that y'all say that y'all want. We gotta
have some uncomfortable conversations. And that's what I didn't finish
the last statement. That's the thing that people don't understand
about our music is people want our music. They want
the blues, they want the rap, but they don't want
the pain and the responsibility that comes along with it.

Speaker 1 (44:40):
That's what the blues is that the people was talking
about the pain and the hurt that they had experienced.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
But I read this, and.

Speaker 1 (44:50):
This brought back so many memories because my grandfather had
one the bullwhip. Actually, see had that beat with a
bull whip. My grandfather called it a full pat whip
or coach whip. And people don't understand. I mean, you
see the cowboys in there, that shit look funny. Yeah, yeah,

(45:13):
it a It's not much on this earth that hurts
worse than the bull Yeah, And that was one.

Speaker 2 (45:19):
Of the things that made me and my dad closer once.
Agin Like, I thought my dad was the meanest person
on this planet.

Speaker 1 (45:25):
I really did.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
I didn't like my dad bro until I was twenty three.
I didn't like them, and I thought he was so
hard on me. But in comparison to what he went through, yeah,
he was soft on me. So in his head he thought,
yeah he was, and he actually was. But see, people
can't register like all the slave movies that you think

(45:47):
you saw, slavery wasn't nothing like that. It was thirty
times worse than any movie that you've ever seen. Yeah,
and we've never had therapy shunning, No, and that trauma
just got paid through generations and so man for us
to even be here to and you know, that from
an epigenetic standpoint, Bro, we still suffer from what our

(46:11):
great great grandparents, the stuff that Jewish people have gone through,
Native Americans have gone through, Black people have gone through, Bro,
that stuff. We're still clicking, Bro, We're still tripping. It's funny.
My mom said that. My mom said that she don't
want me to drink. She said that I was a
drunk when you were born. She says, so much alcohol
in my blood from my family. I don't need to

(46:31):
take one drink. Sorry, Mom, good and everything else. But
were you a good student? Were you good in school?
That's that's a strange question. I'll tell you why. Honestly,

(46:52):
I was near a genius growing up. Really, you're gonna
laugh at this, Shannon, but it's the truth. People talk
about how smart I am now just catching up to
where I was when I was in kindergarten. I ain't
really never had to work hard like this. Ain't shit
shit easy to.

Speaker 1 (47:12):
Me, Bro.

Speaker 2 (47:13):
I talk about this all the time. I read on
a junior in college level. When I was in the
third grade, I could count to a million. When I
was in kindergarten. The only reason we had a counting contest,
I counted all day. The only reason why I messed
up is because everybody else was outside playing and I

(47:33):
wanted to go outside. So I was like a million
in one, a million in two, a million in twelve
because I wanted to go outside. Everybody else had already
been outside for three four five hours, Right, Shannon, this
is very personal to me.

Speaker 1 (47:48):
I think I've only said this in maybe one or
two interviews.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
But when I was young, I used to have anxiety
attacks about existing forever. I wasn't scared of the devil.
I wasn't scared of good or bad or Dracula, the
things other kids were scared of. I was scared of,
like existing and never cutting off. That's still think about.

(48:14):
I don't want to put that on y'all. Maybe that
was too heavy for this medium, but like Bro, my
mind has always been and that's why I understand do
you sleep well? I just started not well because if
you don't turn if you can't turn your mind off.

Speaker 1 (48:28):
Look as you know that.

Speaker 2 (48:30):
That's the reason why I understand Wayne. I understand part
needing to smoke cigarettes. Bro. I understand that, like Bro,
like it's impossible not to be angry. It's not a possible.
It's impossible to not be afraid. Like, Bro, I'm just

(48:50):
I'm gonna say something, and I don't want to put
this on your show, like brod know what they got
out for us. I just got back from Columbia from
doing themselves shout out the bio X rampage, the UFC
fighter hit me to it, Bro. To know what they're
doing to our bodies, Bro, to understand that man, and

(49:14):
to be able to read and spiritually really know God
in a way that most Black people. I can't even
talk to him about it. Bro. That's a lonely place
to be. That was the reason why I decided when
I came on here, Bro, I wanted to come. I
was a man of comfort, not judging. Again, Like I

(49:36):
told you, I don't agree with everything, Bro.

Speaker 1 (49:38):
That ain't my place.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
But what I do know is, Bro, some of the
things that you've done, Bro, it's gonna take generations for
people to catch up. But we can't lose you, good
or bad. The shit other shit we can fix off camera. Bro.
We got to figure out a way, man to be
loving to each other. And we can't ask these kids
to stop and loving each other. We can't find a

(50:02):
common ground to agree see one of the things. And
I know a lot of Christians is gonna get mad
at me, but I'm gonna tell you this, just like
Santa Claus exists, all right, kids, I don't think that
there's one way to heaven, really, I don't. God is everything,
and they teach us to have fear, just like I

(50:25):
don't believe in the devil. No devil, You the devil.
The reason why they give you is something exterior, So
you will never fix you. If you keep blaming on
the devil, you gonna fix your black ass. You the problem,
go fix you. If you didn't make the team and
the devil didn't do it, you didn't do your reps,

(50:48):
you didn't stay in the gym. That ain't the devil,
that's you. But they tell you the devil, so you
will never fix the devil in your black ass. And
if you really believe in God and think that God
is omnipotent, how you put anything next to God? If
God created the devil, you shouldn't even put the devil
in the same conversation. But I know that our people can't,

(51:09):
like our mothers, can't digest that. But that's what I
got to sit with Bro in my mind. That's where
my life is so crazy.

Speaker 3 (51:17):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (51:18):
And me being from the South, it was hard for
me to explain. Like my mind was moving faster than
my lips could, and I had the Southern draw. I
couldn't say the shit as eloquent as the did, but
I knew. I knew the truth, Bro, and I gotta
sit with that shit. I'm let me get another drink.

(51:39):
I'm serious. That ain't easy to deal with.

Speaker 1 (51:41):
You say you don't believe in the devil, But in Job,
in the Book of Job, where he's telling the story
about Job, do you not believe that the devil told
God to say the reason why Jo Job is so
faithful and so loyal and so serving to you, like.

Speaker 2 (51:58):
You give him everything. Yeah, my home, my uncle told
my cousin, you see that badass brought over there. I
know you got a mother wife, man, but look at
that big You need to get on that. Ain't that
the same thing? You can have a mother fuckers sitting
on the side talking shit, But you gotta make the decision.
Nobody make you do nothing. If somebody made you do it,

(52:20):
then it shouldn't be no. Hell, That's why I don't
believe that things are destined to be. If I'm destined
to be a thug, gas while I'm going to hell,
you predestined that. No, I made a choice. You got
two brothers that was raised the same exact way. One
end up being a maniac and other end up being

(52:42):
one of the best persons in life. We make a choice.
You always have two ways to look at things, Bro,
And I'm serious, man. That's why I believe what we
are going through in America is a choice. I really
believe that God wants us to be better. The only
way for you to be refined is through pain.

Speaker 1 (53:04):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (53:04):
You have made it. You don't have to train the
way that you train, but you understand there is a
direct connection and correlation between pain and freedom. Bro. I
wake up every morning people say I'm crazy. I train
like I'm a football player, Bro, because I know the
freedom that comes along on the other side of that, Bro. Right,

(53:26):
and I understand. Bro, if it go down to if
it come down to a Shannon after telling your eyes, Bro,
you wouldn't like it because you're a little spoiled now.
But if it came back to it with your big ass, Bro,
you get on the trade tracks. And beat that railroad
to them. Get straight if you.

Speaker 1 (53:42):
Got to eat, Yeah, for sure, you ain't got no
problem with you. We're blessed, bro, actually free right? You
worked that Kroger?

Speaker 2 (53:51):
How you hold on? You work that Kroger instead of mixtape.

Speaker 1 (53:55):
So you're like, hey, you know you put the jar,
you put the heavy stuff on the bottom, You put
the eggs of the bread on top so it didn't
get squashed.

Speaker 2 (54:02):
So you that sovering me up a little bit. Yeah,
you're doing some reason. Shut it shut well. I just
don't get it. Did damn it.

Speaker 1 (54:11):
I've got to figure out how you how you taking
the bag to the car selling mixtapes in the same.

Speaker 2 (54:18):
All right, that's product. Let me calm down, all right,
Shannon was crazy, Bro. They could never understand why I
didn't want to what's the people that check you out cash?
They didn't understand why I wanted to be a why
I didn't want to be a cashier. You couldn't bash,
you couldn't trash your mix tape. I was making so
much money, dude, I'm telling I was killing them, bro,

(54:40):
and Bro that that's again, man. And I'm talking to
these kids to show you how spoiled.

Speaker 1 (54:44):
You get man.

Speaker 2 (54:46):
I used to clock I used to clock in and
go home. I was so cocky, Brun. I had the
perfect job, Bro, and I knew that they I unders
I understood the hustle. I stunded, I studied the hustle,
and I just slipped up. We had the hustle and
slipped up. You feel me, And that's the same thing

(55:09):
I did, Bro, and I ended up getting fired, and
I had the blessing right there for me. Bro. Bro,
I'm gonna tell you this. This is something I never
said on nobody else's show before.

Speaker 3 (55:17):
Man.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
Like I remember, my parents got behind on their mortgage, Man,
and the only thing I ever cared about in life
is getting a pair of ja's. I give me a
pair of j's. I put the rest of it in
the bank, Bro, and I had enough money, you know, early, Bro,
without selling dope, without disgrace in my family's name, Bro,

(55:38):
to be able to help my parents get out a
pair of financial pail and Bro, my father, being as
tough as he he didn't even want to take it.

Speaker 1 (55:46):
Man.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
I could now that I know, and I'm a man,
what that put him through to have to take that
from his son. Bro, But the fact that I was
able to do it man from music, come on man
in mississis yeah, Man, I thank God man, and I Shannon,

(56:07):
I know that people don't understand me, and I really
believe man, And do you want people to understand you?
I wanted to pay me. I'm serious, Shannon. I want
the same thing you get in white folks. I want
your money and your attention. I want your flowers. I
don't like flowers. I want your money and your attention.

(56:28):
That's it. Think about this. I asked a group of
black people one time if they thought I was the
antithesis of Trump, and they told me yeah. I said,
then why don't you take care of me like white
folks take care of Trump. The reason why kids don't
want to be king is because you let them kill
the last That's why kids don't want to be upstanding gentlemen.

(56:50):
We got to start paying upstanding gentlemen. So that's one
of the reasons why Bro, no boy shit, I'm gonna
just get this to you because I feel comfortable and
I put you in a position of vulnerability, and I
have to do the same if I'm.

Speaker 1 (57:06):
A real man, right.

Speaker 2 (57:09):
Man. The reason why I do most of the stuff
that I do. Like, Bro, i'ma be honest with you man.

Speaker 1 (57:13):
I got a lot of money, bro, But this dreary
and all this.

Speaker 2 (57:16):
Shit the same me. But I noticed what these kids like.
So if I am a conscious black man, oh you
could be fly. Oh you can make money being conscious,
then maybe I consider it. David Oh daved batter driver
for Rari. Oh, I didn't know you them two things
with together. America has marketed being a revolutionary with death

(57:41):
and pain and suffering. Correct, I'm changing that, bro, Killer
Mic is changing that. Bro t I is changing that.

Speaker 1 (57:49):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (57:50):
You know what I'm saying. So like for me to
be in a position bro to do that, Bro, I'm honored.
Hear you talk. Now, you leave high school, you go
to Southern University in mat Rouge. Was it all? What
was it?

Speaker 1 (58:09):
You don't like to term for ordained? But did you
always know you wanted to go to an HBC? You
what led you to an HBC?

Speaker 2 (58:15):
You? I never wanted to go to college, Okay my mother.
My dad was a country dude. Like I said, he
ain't give fucked by that rap shit. Boy, you need
to go work in a bank. My dad was not
playing but let me tell you about my dad. I
got a seventy thousand dollars check from Southwest Distribution in Texas.

(58:36):
And my dad saw that check and he looked at
me and say, I don't have noise. You be making
back you get paid that much money. I'm not born shit,
you're saying. I'm Dad serious, look at me when I
say this. He said, that's what you get from that?
My dad? You and he don't say the word.

Speaker 1 (58:55):
My dad say why you.

Speaker 2 (58:57):
Ain't side rapping now? Why are you are outside wrapping
right now?

Speaker 3 (59:03):
Rap?

Speaker 2 (59:04):
No? No, he was Dad, Syria, He's like rap right now.
And what that taught me is that our parents did
the best with what they had, and as they learned more,
they wanted to, Oh, you make that much money playing football? Go, Yes,
I want you to go. And they're only dealing with
what they deal with. You know what I'm saying, right,
But what was the question? I forgot the question? Hb

(59:26):
led you to an HBCU. You didn't want to go
to college? No, I didn't want to call it. I remember,
but my mom used to put up her house and
ship for talent shows. And again my mom like man,
rap wasn't promised, especially people in the South at the time.
So for my mama to do that, she sat down

(59:48):
and she asked me, She said, do you think that
your talent is original? And I said, yes, ma'am. She said,
we'll be original in four years there in college. You
walked you into that way. She knew I was a
smart Yeah, yes, she had to put it in a way.

(01:00:08):
But but but seriously, though I did it. I did
it for my mom. And what's crazy was bro, Like,
I never studied until because I was so smart until statistics.
And I had a friend named Bud's. His name is
Aaron Chicago gang banger. He taught me statistics by smoking

(01:00:30):
weed in his car, and so that was the first
time I ever had to study because statistics just didn't
come easily. Everything else came easily for me for for
some reason, statistics didn't. But my mom, Man, my mom
asked me, She's like, Billy, this is the only thing
that I asked you to do. And I did it
for him. Man, And I'm Shannon.

Speaker 1 (01:00:50):
I ain't lying, Bro.

Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
I'm so proud because show you how God works. The
leader that you see in me that came from Southern Bro.
I have accomplished so much, made millions and millions of dollars,
but being SGA president at Southern University because I never
believed in politics. I thought politics was some bullshit. And

(01:01:11):
what I end up learning is that power will never
invest in poor people unless poor people invest in power. See,
what we don't understand in the community that we're from
is that you have to invest with your money in politics.
You gotta buy these politicians and Shannon, they say and

(01:01:32):
on you. You stay away from this shit that David
Banner talk this shit. Okay, man, these politicians are bult bro.
So unless you buy them the same way these pharmaceutical
companies buying, they ain't gonna never do shit for you.
Just like I'm gonna take this opportunity to tell you
I found out, man, most of these lawyers that we
invest in them lawyers work for them signed companies. We

(01:01:53):
can't pay our lawyers, but two three, four five thousand
dollars them companies, them companies get them lawyers hundreds of
thous dollars and then make us feel like they're doing
something for us the same like yeah, no, I'm serious.
They need to hear this, Like the cool thing about
me and The cool thing that we being from the
country is that we got to go back to the

(01:02:13):
country and the way that we did.

Speaker 1 (01:02:15):
We can deal with that.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
Most other people would break right Like, Bro, if I
think that's a sellout to me, man, Like I've been
blessed to see things and other people Shannon, This went
really viral, bro, Like, I really believe that not all people.
I think some black people don't want to free the slaves.

(01:02:37):
They want their chance to hold a whip. I want
to free my people. I'm gonna tell you something, Bro,
It's gonna mess.

Speaker 1 (01:02:44):
Your head up.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
But I could be especially as a Southerner, I could
be one of the richest people in southern rap if
I signed artists. How You'll noticed I never put an
artist out, really never. You want to know why. Why?
Because the music game is predicated and built on signing
and as many artists as you can and throwing up
against the wall. I care about people, Bro. I want

(01:03:06):
to sign nobody if I know I can't help your family.
This shit up, Bro, And it don't matter how talented
you are. It's about time. It's about luck, it's about money,
it's about opportunity, it's about where the markets are. It's
so many things that you cannot control, bro And I
don't want to do that to people. I'd rather teach

(01:03:26):
you how to fish, and you get your own shit right.
You lead that?

Speaker 1 (01:03:33):
So how were you when you left? I guess you
left after college and went to New York? How were
you then.

Speaker 2 (01:03:40):
Twenty two twenty three? Around that my uncle Swack. You're
gonna like this story, man, my uncle Swat, But I
can't tell you now because I said his name, my
uncle Swack. Let's just say I went to New York.

(01:04:00):
I didn't know that there was a firearm long in
New York. I took a pistol to New York with me.
That's all that. My uncle didn't have money to give
me nothing. My mom gave me as much money as
she had in her bank account. And I moved to
New York homeless. That's why, like a lot of people
think that on cocky, But most of them can't tell

(01:04:22):
me nothing about rap. Most of these white folks can't
tell me about rap.

Speaker 1 (01:04:26):
Man.

Speaker 2 (01:04:26):
I put everything in my life ignorantly, and bro I
went to New York homeless. I'd never been to New
York in my life. Bro I slept on the floor
and my uncle gave me a pistol. And the day
that I realized I didn't need a pistol. The day
after that, I was with John fort A. I don't
know if y'all know who John Forte is, but we

(01:04:47):
ended up getting shut down by the Fares. Bro. If
I would have had that pistol one more day, I
may still be in prison right now.

Speaker 1 (01:04:54):
Dog.

Speaker 2 (01:04:55):
That's how I know that God is with me. Bro.
I've been through so oh so so much, Bro, and
so like when people say and do things to me,
shinning it don't it don't fade me. I just what
I didn't tell you, what I was trying to tell
you earlier, though, Bro. Is I really think I was
supposed to have been in physics or something.

Speaker 1 (01:05:15):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (01:05:17):
I really think sometimes my talent is being wasted with
rap entertainment. Bro. I really think I could do something
to help the earth. I really think I'm that type
of person. I'm that type of thinker, Bro. But we
didn't have access to that in the places where we're from.

Speaker 1 (01:05:30):
You don't think you're helping out by your words and
what you're doing your platform that you have it, you could.

Speaker 2 (01:05:35):
Possibly have asked Bob Marley that and I'm not saying
that I'm Bob Marley. I'm not saying that Jimmy Hendrix
he Bro, I know Malcolm. There's only one person that
I've I met in my life who I think know
who they are. Tip to y'all is the only person
that know who he is. But most of us Pop
didn't know Pop was Pop, right, Nipsey didn't know that

(01:05:58):
Nipsey was Nipsy. Bro And so man like it's cool,
but like, Bro, I'm serious, Bro, I see things in
a way that's so clear to me, and I don't
even expect humans to understand. Man, but like man like
to not like the difference between me and most entertainers brods.
I always wanted to be married. I always wanted to

(01:06:19):
have a big family from the country, bro. But I
never like if you look at everything in the Bible,
everything in the Qoran, everything in the in the tour,
for the most part, it's about what you're willing to sacrifice. Yes,
my sacrifice is a huge part. So sacrifice, not having
a family, not having a wife, the loneliness that we

(01:06:42):
go through, and so we drink some of the greatest
Kanyak I've tasted in history, the award winnings. Talk that ship. Dog,
see that smile, I got in the smile. Must pay
for them teeth. We need to smile again dog. Apparently whites?

(01:07:06):
Then I know you trust to show them damn teeth.
There used to be crooked. Then there was a couple
of missing on the same That's all. Yeah, we got it.

Speaker 1 (01:07:14):
You signed a ten million dollar deal with Universal? What
what would the I mean? Look, we have a very
similar background. You grew up in Mississippi. I grew up
in Rule South Georgia. Man, boy, I just woo man,
if I ever get me some money, I want a
house with running water, indoor plumbing, and air condition Who
that showed be nice?

Speaker 2 (01:07:34):
Whi's first thing you got with that money?

Speaker 1 (01:07:36):
All right?

Speaker 2 (01:07:38):
So get ready now you got y'all have some tissue,
all right? So I never told this full story before. Man,
my mom, imagine becoming conscious in eleventh grade and realizing
the person that you love the most on this planet,
which was my grandmother.

Speaker 1 (01:07:56):
Ain't nobody on this earth I love like my grandmother.

Speaker 2 (01:07:58):
I know the feeling.

Speaker 1 (01:07:59):
Man, my grandma. She spent more time with them white folks,
raising them white folks so she could feed us. Didn't
she ain't never say a man on me.

Speaker 2 (01:08:13):
But what my grandmother did say, and I'm man enough
to say it on camera. Once I got conscious, I
went to my grandma, like, I don't like that.

Speaker 1 (01:08:20):
Grandma.

Speaker 2 (01:08:22):
She said, one thing I.

Speaker 1 (01:08:22):
Can tell you is my white folks show up when
I call him m M. And I'm a great debate bro.

Speaker 2 (01:08:28):
I debated with Congress and one they literally wiped me
off the internet. Look up David Bowner debates Congress and
you'll see fuzzz. They wiped me off. I wiped them, bro,
because they wasn't expecting a black man who does research.
They thought they was gonna get an emotional nigga, and
they got a very articulate black man. I out debated
Congress about our First Amendment rights. A lot of these

(01:08:50):
rappers don't know. I'm probably the reason why you still
can rap. But anyway, my grandmother man, and Bro, I
was able to get that deal. And my grandmother's stubborn. Bro,
you know how grandfriend. So my grandmother would go to
Chicago every summer. So I prefabricated a house and I

(01:09:12):
told my grandmother's house now, and I built her because
I know she wouldn't move. I built a brand new
house in the same spot. Wow, bro Like, that was
one of the greatest things in my life. And then
my grandmother, Man, this is very funny. My grandmother she
had a you know, one of her one of her friends,
had got out of Mississippi and became a judge. She
was talking to my mama ended up moving in to

(01:09:34):
be able to take care of her. My mom said, yeah,
my grandson bought me a brand new house and his
mama my maid. Bro, I was Shannon, I'm serious, bro, Like,
as as much as we get into that other ship, bro,
I don't nothing to feel like that. Bro. I showed
I showed my grandmother's freedom. They don't you know, man,

(01:09:56):
and and and my grandma mother died happy and it
was probably one of the most suppressed people in Mississippi.
And she died with a smile on her face. And
I got all this money and I ain't happy. Worse
shit I am now. But you know, I'm just saying right.
But I think the thing is that, like, what money,

(01:10:17):
what do you do it for? When what you did
it to achieve this? To get my grandmother out of
that situation. My thing was a little bit different though, Shannon, like,
I'm a revolutionary, Bro, I am. I always did it
for Mississippi, but revolutionary didn't make no money day. But

(01:10:37):
the thing is is that I'm sexy in most of them.
What can I do? No seriously those But like, Bro,
like I think where people get it wrong with God
is God give you pain to refine you. I always
say this, Bro, if God is pushing your face, oh,
God is saying his son go this way. So like

(01:10:59):
I saw what happened, I just adjust. People get upset
with me because I live a great life. Is because
I'm obediot. God gave me the plan. I ain't gotta
be man, run my mouth like shilnon. Like if you notice, bro,
most people think this is when you should talk the most.
You know this. You don't really hear me no more

(01:11:22):
because it's happening to us. Now we need to be
doing something like we need to be doing the work, man.
And now I just realized, man with me being blessed
to do movies and television. Man, like I had a
conversation with Samuel or Jackson. Man, it changed my life. Bro.
We did fight night and I don't know if it

(01:11:43):
still is, but it was the most viewed show in
Peacock history. And what people don't understand was that when
I first met Samuel L. Jackson, I'm gonna give you
the bridge story. It's a real person, so you're gonna
have to open up some more. People don't remember that

(01:12:04):
I did Black Stek Mom with Samuel Jackson. Okay, if
y'all remember, that's when Samuel Jackson was telling was mad
because rappers. He felt like some rappers were getting jobs
over the real actors that they didn't deserve. Right and Bro,
we showed up in Memphis. We were doing the table
read in front of everybody. Bro again, I was a maniac.

(01:12:28):
Samuel Jackson said, who's your acting coach and pointed at me.

Speaker 1 (01:12:38):
I told him.

Speaker 2 (01:12:40):
He said fire, they suck, Bro. So much anger came
over me and I was embarrassed, but something in my
spirit said asked him this. I said, sir, if I'm
so bad, and would you be my acting coach? Samuel
Jackson a humble rapper, me me and my house next week?

(01:13:05):
So I met him at his apartment. Bro We trained
and then he was like about a week later. Two
weeks they said, I gotta go to New York now, Shannon,
I know your staff may not want to hear this.
I then flew to Paris mm hmm for less. Let's say,

(01:13:28):
there ain't no way in the hell I'm not gonna
be at New York for seven year old Jackson to
teach me how to be a better actor. Said sir,
what's that address? He said? You serious? Hell yeah, Samuel Jackson, coach,
I'm gonna Samuel Jackson said, You're gonna be all right, Son,
But you ain't got to come to New York.

Speaker 1 (01:13:47):
But you're gonna be allright? You now serious, wouldn't you?

Speaker 2 (01:13:52):
So? Yeah, you know? And so this story is so great.

Speaker 1 (01:13:59):
I don't remember where I was? Where am I?

Speaker 2 (01:14:02):
What was the question?

Speaker 1 (01:14:03):
This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two
is also posted, and you can access it to whichever
podcast platform you just listen to part one on. Just
simply go back to Club Sha profile and I'll see
you there.