David Banner Goes Off on Radio Show
and Picks Up Where Kanye Left Off
This is the Realest Interview You Will hear....
odeo.com/audio/214422/view
Sept 6 2005 -SF Bay Area:Mississippi native/ rap star David Banner called to our radio show this afternoon and literally picked up where Kanye West left off in terms of brutaly honest remarks and political analysis of the current situation. His passion and keen understanding is something that everyone needs to hear....
He talks about the reasons why one might come to the conclusion that President Bush doesn't care for Black people as he lays out a number of concrete examples to illustrate this point.
Banner also brings to life the hardships, challenges and dispair within Mississippi that have gone under reported in the media.He talks about armed white militias shooting Black folks who attempted to leave New Orleans. He talks about the sewage and contanimated water and how it impacted folks. He also talked about alligators and other animals roaming the streets and attcking folks.
He gives us an on the ground report about the relief work he and his foundation Heal the Hood has been doing including bringing bottled water to hurricane survivors and setting up a September 17th Relief Concert.
Banner passionately lays down some insights regarding the constant use of the term 'Refugee'. He also talks about what sort of things rappers can be doing especially those who live in New York because of their access to major media outlets.
In the longer version of the interview we start things off w/ Reverand Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus who talked about the large gathering of Hip Hop activists and artists via the United Nations. He gives a run down of what's cracking...and how folks can help. Most importantly he talks about the coordinating efforts that are afoot so that everyone's activities can be maximized...
Here's the longer version of the interview w/ remarks from Yearwood
odeo.com/audio/214337/view
Please support David Banner's Heal The Hood Foundation
www.healthehood.com/
David Banner & Webbie Speak Out About Kanye and Katrina
In the upcoming September issue of OZONE Magazine, rappers David Banner (Mississippi) and 5th Ward Weebie (New Orleans) comment on Hurricane Katrina. Check out what they had to say:
DAVID BANNER: I think Hurricane Katrina has exposed America for what it is. I think its bigger than black and white. I think it has a lot more to do with rich and poor. Weve always known that America is a racially driven country. We front like its all good, but we know the levels of racism that are in America. I think this is more than just pulling the race card. It shows that America doesnt give a damn about people in the hood, period.
If this same thing happened in New York, theyd probably be out there mopping themselves. When 9/11 happened, there was help on 9/12. We sent billions of dollars overseas when the tsunami happened. You know, this is our home. We break our necks to help other people, and we fight for oil, but we cant help our people right here in Mississippi. Mississippi is definitely not getting the relief funds that they really need because were not getting the TV time. Theres cities in South Mississippi like Pass Christian, Long Beach, Biloxi, and Gulfport that are just gone. And these are just regular, ordinary folks. White, black, rich, poor. These are places where our grandmothers and grandfathers stay. Theres history in these towns.
America is the most powerful country in the world, but it takes us four days to get there? The things they did four days later are the same things they couldve done when it happened, period. They coulda flown helicopters in there or something. America is the most powerful country and the proudest country when it feels like it. They said they couldnt get down there for different reasons, but those were just excuses. I sent a tour bus full of water down there. My bus driver paid with his own Mastercard. I told him to go ahead and buy whatever they needed and Id pay him back. He filled the tour bus up twice with water, food, and supplies before the American government did. He drove down there from Memphis. Then I came down there myself and I sat and signed autographs and passed out water to the kids for four, five hours myself. How can David Banner, a so-called gangsta rapper, react quicker to a crisis than our own government?
Theres still people in Mississippi without power right now. The water is still not drinkable from the faucets. Then youve got places like the Red Cross using preferential treatment with the stuff people had donated. I had cats from the streets telling me they gave all the better clothes to the little white kids. Theres people who are coming city to city and cant get water or food from the Red Cross without a little armband. Were having a national crisis. If people need food and supplies, you should give it to them.
The bigger picture is that were gonna have to take care of our own people. Were having a big benefit concert September 17th at Phillips Arena in Atlanta. Were trying to raise $1.5 million. This is the first time that every radio station Cumulus, Infinity, and Clear Channel all came together, working together with no egos. T.I. got on the radio station and challenged everybody all the football players and record company execs and he raised $255,000 in two hours.
Im glad Kanye said what he said on NBC. The President never gave a damn about black folks. I mean, we knew that already. Thats not a surprise. It was the perfect time for him to say it. Personally, I believe that if CNN had showed more white people stuck in New Orleans, the government wouldve reacted quicker.
I blame Bush for the time it took for them to react to the situation. I blame Bush for not taking this situation as seriously as they did after 9/11. This is ten times worse than 9/11. These are communities; whole cities of people, just gone. Were talking about cities, not just a building. Were talking about a whole coast of people. These are the same states that helped assure that Bush was gonna get in office, and then he turned his back on them. Where was he when we needed him? This is our President!
In the Art of War they tell you that the best way to control the people is through chaos. Most people make their decisions when something happens that sways them emotionally. So maybe this is Gods blessing. We as American people, no matter what race you are, we see that now were gonna have to set up better systems to protect the poor. All these organizations that were forming now need to stay in tact. Were gonna have to be prepared to take care of our own. And were gonna have to make sure that these relief funds go to people who buy our records and support us and come to our concerts. Those are the families that I have to be concerned about first, because those are the families that put me in the position Im in now.
Theres a lot more we can do as artists, but Im really, really proud of the rappers who have stepped up to help. I can honestly say that weve concentrated so much on helping because its in our hearts and its the right thing to do, but we dont get the publicity for it. Were gonna have to make sure people see the efforts these rappers are making, because every time somebody gets shot or something negative happens at one of our concerts, they make sure they publicize it. David Banner (OZONE Magazine Sept 2005)
5th Ward WEEBIE: I think this whole situation is ridiculous. For one, were American citizens, and theyre calling us refugees. My whole issue is the response, how they were treating the people from the hood. My cousins 20 years old and 10 years old got stuck down there. They were calling for help and there was no response. My cousin had to lie and say she was pregnant to get help. In New Orleans, the system is @#%$ up, for real. The money wasnt spent on the right @#%$. They knew about the levees years ago. This @#%$ wasnt a coincidence. The main areas that got flooded was the hoods, the black communities, all the people making minimum wage. The French Quarter got a little water, but for the most part, Jefferson Parish and the areas where the rich people stay at are good. New Orleans is fuckin underwater. Theyre trying to move us out and recreate that whole city for the white people.
Theyve had a problem with the levees and the pumping systems by the 9th ward for years, and those are predominantly black areas. They knew that since the last big hurricane, damn near forty years ago. Every time there was a big storm, the 9th ward and downtown gets flooded. They coulda fixed this problem. They pumped money into the French Quarter. Parts of the French Quarter are still below sea level, but its higher ground compared to the rest of New Orleans.
They did a mandatory evacuation, but they didnt do it until Saturday, and most of these people in the projects dont have the finances or the transportation to even move. I was already out of town on business. To be honest, I didnt even take the hurricane that seriously myself, because every time one is coming, they always turn at the last minute. A lot of people didnt take it that seriously, and a lot of people didnt have a choice. They didnt have transportation or finances.
The local mayor and local government are speaking up for the city now, after theyve seen the seriousness of the whole situation and New Orleans is under a telescope to the rest of the world. Everybody is really starting to take up for what they believe in, but that shoulda been taken care of from the gate. They really shoulda given these people more time to evacuate. Maybe its just me being mad and frustrated by this whole incident.
My car is underwater. My moms house is underwater. My grandmas house is underwater. I wont know the status of my crib until I go back down there. Its just crazy right now. I still cant even believe this @#%$; it still feels like a dream to me. I cant even believe that my city has been hit this hard. Ive never experienced anything like this. Weve had storms and @#%$ before, but I didnt expect it to be like this. Thousands and thousands of families have to relocate and start all over. Me, youll probably see me in Houston. I dont know. Im gonna be all over. Im gonna stay grinding. Hurricane Katrina, we depending on that FEMA.
I cant really give you the full story, cause I wasnt there. But just hearing about all the raping that was going on in the Superdome, I think that @#%$ was just pathetic. Were at a time of crisis right now, and weve got people raping people and doing dumb @#%$ for no reason. Then, weve got people trying to stop people from getting food or whatever else. These people are hungry. I cant even imagine the pure chaos. My love and condolences go out to all the families that suffered. It took me four days to get in contact with my family because the phones were down. Right now my phone is still acting up, so Im still trying to contact some of my friends.
Theres no sugarcoating now; no bullshit. Our city was corrupted. Maybe this had to happen to our city to really clean house. They had so much corrupt @#%$ going on in our city, and the school system was really @#%$ up. We were up to six murders a day, and thats in the daylight. The biggest problem in New Orleans was that theres no jobs, no money-making opportunities. Ive witnessed some of my homies try to stop hustling and go to work, but theres just no opportunities. This was a hard hit, but maybe its a major setback for a major, major comeback. I dont know what the reason is that this tragedy happened, but I feel like it was real @#%$ up from the political side of things and the street side of things. Its @#%$ up all the way around.
Theyve got to rebuild New Orleans. Its a historical city. I couldnt see the world without New Orleans. I cant even look at a map without seeing New Orleans. But when they rebuild New Orleans, theyve got to have jobs for these people. They need to have a better system, period. They need to have a plan for the city in case another hurricane hits. New Orleans is a great city. We make a lot of money down there but where does the money go? Thats what I want to know. 5th Ward Weebie (OZONE Magazine Sept 2005)
and Picks Up Where Kanye Left Off
This is the Realest Interview You Will hear....
odeo.com/audio/214422/view
Sept 6 2005 -SF Bay Area:Mississippi native/ rap star David Banner called to our radio show this afternoon and literally picked up where Kanye West left off in terms of brutaly honest remarks and political analysis of the current situation. His passion and keen understanding is something that everyone needs to hear....
He talks about the reasons why one might come to the conclusion that President Bush doesn't care for Black people as he lays out a number of concrete examples to illustrate this point.
Banner also brings to life the hardships, challenges and dispair within Mississippi that have gone under reported in the media.He talks about armed white militias shooting Black folks who attempted to leave New Orleans. He talks about the sewage and contanimated water and how it impacted folks. He also talked about alligators and other animals roaming the streets and attcking folks.
He gives us an on the ground report about the relief work he and his foundation Heal the Hood has been doing including bringing bottled water to hurricane survivors and setting up a September 17th Relief Concert.
Banner passionately lays down some insights regarding the constant use of the term 'Refugee'. He also talks about what sort of things rappers can be doing especially those who live in New York because of their access to major media outlets.
In the longer version of the interview we start things off w/ Reverand Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus who talked about the large gathering of Hip Hop activists and artists via the United Nations. He gives a run down of what's cracking...and how folks can help. Most importantly he talks about the coordinating efforts that are afoot so that everyone's activities can be maximized...
Here's the longer version of the interview w/ remarks from Yearwood
odeo.com/audio/214337/view
Please support David Banner's Heal The Hood Foundation
www.healthehood.com/
David Banner & Webbie Speak Out About Kanye and Katrina
In the upcoming September issue of OZONE Magazine, rappers David Banner (Mississippi) and 5th Ward Weebie (New Orleans) comment on Hurricane Katrina. Check out what they had to say:
DAVID BANNER: I think Hurricane Katrina has exposed America for what it is. I think its bigger than black and white. I think it has a lot more to do with rich and poor. Weve always known that America is a racially driven country. We front like its all good, but we know the levels of racism that are in America. I think this is more than just pulling the race card. It shows that America doesnt give a damn about people in the hood, period.
If this same thing happened in New York, theyd probably be out there mopping themselves. When 9/11 happened, there was help on 9/12. We sent billions of dollars overseas when the tsunami happened. You know, this is our home. We break our necks to help other people, and we fight for oil, but we cant help our people right here in Mississippi. Mississippi is definitely not getting the relief funds that they really need because were not getting the TV time. Theres cities in South Mississippi like Pass Christian, Long Beach, Biloxi, and Gulfport that are just gone. And these are just regular, ordinary folks. White, black, rich, poor. These are places where our grandmothers and grandfathers stay. Theres history in these towns.
America is the most powerful country in the world, but it takes us four days to get there? The things they did four days later are the same things they couldve done when it happened, period. They coulda flown helicopters in there or something. America is the most powerful country and the proudest country when it feels like it. They said they couldnt get down there for different reasons, but those were just excuses. I sent a tour bus full of water down there. My bus driver paid with his own Mastercard. I told him to go ahead and buy whatever they needed and Id pay him back. He filled the tour bus up twice with water, food, and supplies before the American government did. He drove down there from Memphis. Then I came down there myself and I sat and signed autographs and passed out water to the kids for four, five hours myself. How can David Banner, a so-called gangsta rapper, react quicker to a crisis than our own government?
Theres still people in Mississippi without power right now. The water is still not drinkable from the faucets. Then youve got places like the Red Cross using preferential treatment with the stuff people had donated. I had cats from the streets telling me they gave all the better clothes to the little white kids. Theres people who are coming city to city and cant get water or food from the Red Cross without a little armband. Were having a national crisis. If people need food and supplies, you should give it to them.
The bigger picture is that were gonna have to take care of our own people. Were having a big benefit concert September 17th at Phillips Arena in Atlanta. Were trying to raise $1.5 million. This is the first time that every radio station Cumulus, Infinity, and Clear Channel all came together, working together with no egos. T.I. got on the radio station and challenged everybody all the football players and record company execs and he raised $255,000 in two hours.
Im glad Kanye said what he said on NBC. The President never gave a damn about black folks. I mean, we knew that already. Thats not a surprise. It was the perfect time for him to say it. Personally, I believe that if CNN had showed more white people stuck in New Orleans, the government wouldve reacted quicker.
I blame Bush for the time it took for them to react to the situation. I blame Bush for not taking this situation as seriously as they did after 9/11. This is ten times worse than 9/11. These are communities; whole cities of people, just gone. Were talking about cities, not just a building. Were talking about a whole coast of people. These are the same states that helped assure that Bush was gonna get in office, and then he turned his back on them. Where was he when we needed him? This is our President!
In the Art of War they tell you that the best way to control the people is through chaos. Most people make their decisions when something happens that sways them emotionally. So maybe this is Gods blessing. We as American people, no matter what race you are, we see that now were gonna have to set up better systems to protect the poor. All these organizations that were forming now need to stay in tact. Were gonna have to be prepared to take care of our own. And were gonna have to make sure that these relief funds go to people who buy our records and support us and come to our concerts. Those are the families that I have to be concerned about first, because those are the families that put me in the position Im in now.
Theres a lot more we can do as artists, but Im really, really proud of the rappers who have stepped up to help. I can honestly say that weve concentrated so much on helping because its in our hearts and its the right thing to do, but we dont get the publicity for it. Were gonna have to make sure people see the efforts these rappers are making, because every time somebody gets shot or something negative happens at one of our concerts, they make sure they publicize it. David Banner (OZONE Magazine Sept 2005)
5th Ward WEEBIE: I think this whole situation is ridiculous. For one, were American citizens, and theyre calling us refugees. My whole issue is the response, how they were treating the people from the hood. My cousins 20 years old and 10 years old got stuck down there. They were calling for help and there was no response. My cousin had to lie and say she was pregnant to get help. In New Orleans, the system is @#%$ up, for real. The money wasnt spent on the right @#%$. They knew about the levees years ago. This @#%$ wasnt a coincidence. The main areas that got flooded was the hoods, the black communities, all the people making minimum wage. The French Quarter got a little water, but for the most part, Jefferson Parish and the areas where the rich people stay at are good. New Orleans is fuckin underwater. Theyre trying to move us out and recreate that whole city for the white people.
Theyve had a problem with the levees and the pumping systems by the 9th ward for years, and those are predominantly black areas. They knew that since the last big hurricane, damn near forty years ago. Every time there was a big storm, the 9th ward and downtown gets flooded. They coulda fixed this problem. They pumped money into the French Quarter. Parts of the French Quarter are still below sea level, but its higher ground compared to the rest of New Orleans.
They did a mandatory evacuation, but they didnt do it until Saturday, and most of these people in the projects dont have the finances or the transportation to even move. I was already out of town on business. To be honest, I didnt even take the hurricane that seriously myself, because every time one is coming, they always turn at the last minute. A lot of people didnt take it that seriously, and a lot of people didnt have a choice. They didnt have transportation or finances.
The local mayor and local government are speaking up for the city now, after theyve seen the seriousness of the whole situation and New Orleans is under a telescope to the rest of the world. Everybody is really starting to take up for what they believe in, but that shoulda been taken care of from the gate. They really shoulda given these people more time to evacuate. Maybe its just me being mad and frustrated by this whole incident.
My car is underwater. My moms house is underwater. My grandmas house is underwater. I wont know the status of my crib until I go back down there. Its just crazy right now. I still cant even believe this @#%$; it still feels like a dream to me. I cant even believe that my city has been hit this hard. Ive never experienced anything like this. Weve had storms and @#%$ before, but I didnt expect it to be like this. Thousands and thousands of families have to relocate and start all over. Me, youll probably see me in Houston. I dont know. Im gonna be all over. Im gonna stay grinding. Hurricane Katrina, we depending on that FEMA.
I cant really give you the full story, cause I wasnt there. But just hearing about all the raping that was going on in the Superdome, I think that @#%$ was just pathetic. Were at a time of crisis right now, and weve got people raping people and doing dumb @#%$ for no reason. Then, weve got people trying to stop people from getting food or whatever else. These people are hungry. I cant even imagine the pure chaos. My love and condolences go out to all the families that suffered. It took me four days to get in contact with my family because the phones were down. Right now my phone is still acting up, so Im still trying to contact some of my friends.
Theres no sugarcoating now; no bullshit. Our city was corrupted. Maybe this had to happen to our city to really clean house. They had so much corrupt @#%$ going on in our city, and the school system was really @#%$ up. We were up to six murders a day, and thats in the daylight. The biggest problem in New Orleans was that theres no jobs, no money-making opportunities. Ive witnessed some of my homies try to stop hustling and go to work, but theres just no opportunities. This was a hard hit, but maybe its a major setback for a major, major comeback. I dont know what the reason is that this tragedy happened, but I feel like it was real @#%$ up from the political side of things and the street side of things. Its @#%$ up all the way around.
Theyve got to rebuild New Orleans. Its a historical city. I couldnt see the world without New Orleans. I cant even look at a map without seeing New Orleans. But when they rebuild New Orleans, theyve got to have jobs for these people. They need to have a better system, period. They need to have a plan for the city in case another hurricane hits. New Orleans is a great city. We make a lot of money down there but where does the money go? Thats what I want to know. 5th Ward Weebie (OZONE Magazine Sept 2005)
Bush's
