Jackson Free Press

If you haven't already gone to allhiphop.com and read their two-part, in-depth interview with David Banner, read it! When you get there, you will find the self-proclaimed Mr. Mississippi going off on a number of subjects. This includes acrimony with his label and what seemed to be several thinly veiled disses of some former allies. In Part I, Banner says: "When I was underground, I was more or less alone. ...

There was a certain few who helped me, but they only helped me at levels. It may have been a person on the literary side that helped me, but they would never get out in the streets and grind with me. I had people who would grind with me in one city, but couldn't go city to city to city. I made my own beats, started my own company, pressed up my own records, pressed up my own cd's—that's coming from a state where I didn't have examples. That was actually what people didn't understand about the first song on the new album, is that through this experience I've gained a certain level of calmness."

Also, I heard a rumor from a pretty reliable source that the plans for a David Banner/Lil' Flip album have been put on hold and possibly scrapped altogether. Why? I'll just say listen to what Flip says about producers in the first verse of his single "Game Over," and you'll get the idea. Rumor also has it that Banner is finding it difficult to get his latest offering "Crank It Up" on the radio throughout the country. Why? Let me put it like this: All these issues are indirectly interrelated.

On another front, Banner was in the hip-hop headlines recently as a target of the white supremacist group, The National Alliance, based in West Virginia. When the group's Casper, Wyo., chapter heard that Banner, along with Ludacris and Chingy, had a show scheduled in that town on Feb. 21, the group distributed 2,500 flyers with images of Mystical, who was recently sentenced to six years for sex crimes. The flyer read: "Over a month ago, the city welcomed the rapist rapper Mystikal," the flyer reads. "Now the city is throwing the red carpet down for another black rapper. Why are we allowing this violent diversity to be forced in our city?"

According to The Associated Press, Casper Vice Mayor Guy Padget ridiculed The National Alliance's rhetoric, saying "to blame a whole group for the crimes of one person is outrageous." This isn't the first time officials in Casper have taken on the National Alliance for spreading hate rhetoric. In January, 2003, the group had also distributed orange bags filled with racist fliers about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. onto residents' doorsteps, as well as putting racist materials on cars parked outside the Casper Events Center for a show by black performance artist Kema Jamal in October, 2002. The group has the right to free speech, then Mayor Barb Peryam had, but called the comments "disgusting."

I recently had a chance to speak to P Boy Stone. He gave me a copy of his new album that will hit stores soon. I've listened to the album and several words come to mind: sardonic, nihilistic, angry and disturbing. Which means in a nutshell: I love it. Trust me, this album is a must-listen for not only fans of P Boy but anyone who wants a refreshing change from the norm flooding the radio waves.

I also want to extend congratulations to Frog the Dragoon and Exit Only. These two guys passed through a rigorous competition and made it into a national freestyle/battle tournament sponsored by notable Cali-Bay Area DJ Davey D and Time Warner.

Sources close to the Godfather Mello T, his former group Wildliffe Society and the independent label TVT have reported that a new Wildliffe Society is in the near future. However, I also heard that the group's lineup may be subject to change.

T.I. may be headed to a 'hood near you very soon. But this isn't for a promotional concert. After being caught with an illegal silencer for his gun, T.I. skipped bail and is apparently on the lam. The charge carries a mandatory sentence of five years.

Lastly, thanks for the props on the "State Of The Hip Hop" column in the last music issue. Several of my compadres told me I gave up too much game that issue. I just wanted all the doubters to know that your boy knows of what he speaks.

That type of info is expensive. So consider that the free sample.

Previous Commentsshow

i'm just curious... what is the purpose of dissing david banner in your hometown magazine? he put y'all on the map... and a lot of the info in your article is incorrect or misleading. 1 - trying to twist his comment about someone on the "literary side" during an interview into a diss is reaching... 2 - banner wasn't personally the target of a white supremacist group... it was a tour consisting of ludacris/chingy/banner & several others. and the show went forward as planned despite the white supremacist group, so why not focus on the positive aspects instead of trying to again, twist it, to diss him? 3 - banner & flip shot a video together (with yung wun & dmx) about a week after your article was written.. and there was clearly no problems between them. again, trying to imply that flip's line about producers charging too much was directed at banner is a STRETCH at best.. to me, it's pretty clear that you have a personal issue with banner & are trying desperately to find something, anything to diss him with...

ozone magazine

Apr 16 2004

Okay, that comment was so funny I just spit my coffee all over my key board. Yes, the JFP is just desperate to diss Mr. Banner. Desperate I tell you! Go read a little, ozone magazine, about the coverage he gets here, before you make sweeping assertions. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=1040_0_9_0_C And, Mississippi is on the map for many many things other than Mr. Banner. Not all of them good, but hey, we're on the map.

kate

Apr 16 2004

That rather tickles me, too, Ozone. Respectfully, the JFP has given Banner quite a bit of positive coverage in the past, as we've heard a number of white folks whine about around town. You're rather damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Frankly, he's a huge star from here who has a lot to say about his state, and he should be able to say it in our paper. On the other hand, if a hip-hop columnist wants to comment on statements Banner has to say to a national magazine, he has the right to do that, too. We're not here to only promote or diss Banner. We're here to represent a variety of voices, and God help us if any one person ever likes everything that appears in the JFP. And for the life of me, I'm not sure how you're reading the reference to the white supremacist thing as a diss of Banner. You're the one stretching there. Personally (and I'm the editor of this, er, Banner-hatin' rag), I like David Banner immensely as a person, and I like some of his music, although not every single song. In fact, he's laughed at me when I grimaced during his dirtier songs. I don't think he expects every person, whether they're a friend or not, to like everything he does or records. More importantly, I respect him and what's he done for this area, for his family and what he's trying to do for young people. Does that mean he's perfect and that no one should ever be critical of him? Of course not. And I doubt he would believe that, either. He's an intelligent man.

DonnaLadd

Apr 16 2004

Also, Ozone, I would argue that people like Medgar Evers put Jackson on the map, a fact I believe David would agree with.

DonnaLadd

Apr 16 2004

Hell, Banner is one of thousands of people that have helped put Mississippi "on the map." What about Eudora Welty? Elvis Presley? Bo Diddley? James Earl Jones? William Faulkner? John Grisham? B.B. King? Bob Pittman (MTV founder)? Jimmy Buffett? Morgan Freeman? Hiram Revels? Faith Hill? Jim Henson (love him!)? Oprah Winfrey? Tennessee Williams? Theodore Roosevelt's hunting trip in MS that officially named the "Teddy Bear"? James "Cool Papa" Bell? Gail Borden (condensed milk creator)? Harry A. Cole (Pine Sol creator)? Mary Ann Mobley? Jefferson Davis? Dizzy Dean? Brett Favre? Dr. James D. Hardy (first doctor to perform kidney transplant and lung transplant)? Archie Manning? Walter Payton? Hartley Peavey (Peavey founder - you know, the guitars!)? the Dresden exhibit and similar exhibits that bring people from all over the world? St. Paddy's day parade (people from all over the US)? Edwards Cactus Plantation (the only cactus plantation in the world)? International Ballet Competition (1 of 4 cities hosting the event)? Believe me, the list goes on and on... While I'm glad Banner has shown a new light on the hidden and not-so-hidden talents in Mississippi, he *HARDLY* put us on the map... Maybe he did for a few few in the hip hop community that had not experienced the new South but it'd only take a simple search on Google to know that Mississippi has a rich history of multi-cultural and talented individuals that have nurtured the creative spirit and represented the state in an extremely positive manner for her entire history. Further, I'm not sure how the column above could be taken as a *diss* since it is more or less reporting on speculation/rumor and information floating all over the internet on hip hop sites and also in paper magazines? Reporting something and speculating its cause does not necessarily equal a *diss* to me. Chill.

kaust

Apr 16 2004

wow. okay i guess i should clarify a few things.... 1 - my comments were mostly directed at the writer of the article, not the JFP as a whole. i have read several articles in your publication before about banner, so i was confused why an article would be printed that seemed to be TRYING to find a way to diss him. 2 - i should have said, "IN THE HIP-HOP COMMUNITY banner has put mississippi on the map"... the reason i say this, as a member of the hip-hop community i hear countless comments from people ("that guy from mississippi performed.. what's his name?" "Why are you going to mississippi... for a david banner show?" etc) that otherwise would have never thought the state existed. and, as a southern magazine, we have featured other mississippi rappers/entrepreneurs that we probably wouldn't have met or known existed if banner hadn't brought attention (in our community) to that part of the country.

ozone magazine

Apr 16 2004

Ozone writes: " i have read several articles in your publication before about banner, so i was confused why an article would be printed that seemed to be TRYING to find a way to diss him." *I* printed it, Ozone, not the writer. I disagree with your interpretation. It seems that you would prefer that simply glowing pieces be printed about artists that you like. Maybe that's the tactic your 'zine takes, but we're a forum for a variety of ideas. It's really that simple. And showing the complexity, and potential wrinkles of anyone, makes them infinitely more interesting than simply printing puff pieces that read like press releases that most people don't bother reading because they're so dull. We'll leave that to other publications. I should also state for the record that I decided to add in the part about the white supremacist thing because Alphonso's column came in too short. So if you're somehow managing to twist that into a diss of Banner, then blame me for it, not Alphonso. I will say, though, that is an accusation that will amuse some folks around here greatly who believe that I admire David Banner a bit too much. ;-) Finally, your clarification on the "map" quote does make more sense. Your first post read as if you didn't think anything had ever happened in the state of Mississippi before "Like a Pimp" hit MTV. Indeed, Banner is certainly helping put this state on the hip-hop map, and should get credit for that. We've certainly given it to him.

DonnaLadd

Apr 17 2004

It seems that you would prefer that simply glowing pieces be printed about artists that you like. No... not at all. But as a writer myself.. I can read this piece and see pretty clearly that the writer has other personal issues with banner & instead of writing about those issues, he's Streeeeeetched (specificially with the lil' flip comment which, to anyone in this industry, is a subliminal diss) and tried to create problems that don't exist. to me, that's bad journalism... i've written plenty of negative t hings about artists that i may or may not like, but not unfounded rumors & speculation.

ozone magazine

Apr 17 2004

Ozone, I'm about ready to let this one lie. We're going in circles: You started out saying this hometown paper shouldn't criticize Banner, but then you seem to back off that. Whatever. The fact is, Alphonso writes an opinion column about hip-hop in Mississippi and, indeed, knows a lot of the players here. (I'm sure your mag runs opinion pieces, too, in addition to the tantalizing covers.) Alphonso, too, has said good things about Banner in his column. I think it is perfectly legitimate for him to comment on something Banner said in a national magazine about people in the area that we cover. Otherwise, I'm getting a bit dizzy, so I'll let it lie there. Should Alphonso want to speak further about it, it's up to him.

DonnaLadd

Apr 17 2004

i just look at it like this: if you have a hometown basketball team, and you're a sports writer.... if they lose ten games in a row, of course you're going to write about their losing streak.. but it would seem that you wouldn't TRY to find negative things to say about them, since it is your HOME team. it's just a shame that, often, when an artist blows up... they get more hate than love from the city they are representing. a lot of times, local people feel a personal connection to that artist and feel like they got left behind, so there's some animosity there. or people feel like they played a part in something big and didn't get what they deserved.

ozone magazine

Apr 17 2004

lil flip has a line in his recent single that says "some producers want to charge too much, around my way that's how you get fucked up." alphonso is basically saying that's a threat to david banner. now, my point was, a few days after that was written i was shooting a video for another artist which features both banner & flip. they were hanging out on the set and even taking pictures for their upcoming album. basically, as a hip-hop journalist, if someone tells me ArtistA has problems with ArtistB, before i print that information i'd at least check with someone in the artist's camp to see if there's any truth to it.

ozone magazine

Apr 17 2004

basically, as a hip-hop journalist, if someone tells me ArtistA has problems with ArtistB, before i print that information i'd at least check with someone in the artist's camp to see if there's any truth to it. Interesting. Have you checked with Alphonso before you attribute all sorts of motives and treachery to him? Or does your "checking with" principle just apply to musicians, not writers? I suspect you have no clue who Alphonso has talked with, or not. As a journalist, you probably know that it's one thing to *question* someone's motives in print, or disagree with what they're saying (that would lead to discussion); it's quite another to just flat-out assign them the blame for what you believe they're doing/saying. And then you're taking the logical fallacy even further, dissing the entire city of Jackson for its "hate" you believe that one columnist is showing toward Banner by quoting his national interview and reporting rumors he'd heard in what is, in effect, a hip-hop gossip column, and giving his take on it. (Remember, you started this train of reasoning by going after the city/paper; then we defended ourselves and you backed down and said it was just toward the writer; now it's again about all the hate in Jackson??? Getting dizzier here.) With all due respect, I think hip-hop writers should have just as much right to state their opinions as anyone else -- even if not every hip-hop fan (or anyone else) agrees with them. It sounds a little to me like you're trying to silence a fellow writer. Ozone, you're still talking in circles. And with due respect, I don't think you have any clue about how much "love" or "hate" anybody in the city of Jackson feels for anyone else. I suspect as a magazine editor, you're just trying to stir something up to get publicity for your Florida-based 'zine, which is fine. But it still doesn't mean that you get to come on here and accuse our writers (by name) of all sorts of nefarious motives that you believe you see in their writing, seemingly without checking yourself. It really is circular logic.

DonnaLadd

Apr 18 2004

well... "ladd"... you're taking this real personal. i didn't come on here and attack anyone. i actually like the jackson free press, and i read a lot of publications (local, regional, national, etc). i actually emailed you a while back to tell you that i liked your publication, but maybe you didn't receive it because i never got a response. anyway, the only reason i came on here and responded to this article is because i was passing through jackson recently and someone mentioned to me that alphonso had written an article dissing david banner. i thought the person was exaggerating, and when i actually read the article i was just surprised because i thought they were allies not enemies. if you're not in the hip-hop community you might not interpret the things said as "disses," but that's the way i took it. the main thing that surprised me, like i said, was alphonso implying that lil flip is threatening david banner... which, to me, is crazy. so i just wondered where that information was coming from. but... that was before i knew the situation. i know the situation now, and i dont wanna get involved. so i shouldn't have said anything. keep doing ya thing.

ozone magazine

Apr 18 2004

Ozone, I didn't take it personally. I didn't ever once think you were talking about me personally. But, as the editor, it is my job to keep an eye on what my writers do, defend them if I think it's necessary, apologize for them if it's needed, run corrections as needed, and keep an eye on the kinds of things posted on this blog, so that inappropriate postings don't get through. So, no, I'm not being defensive; actually I'm challenging some of what you've said and your reasoning. Speech flows two ways. I certainly don't mind that you posted comments disagreeing with one of our columnists, or the JFP, but you seem(ed) to be trying to make it mighty personal, and speaking for other people's motives, while at the same time generalizing about our entire fair city here and chiding us/the city/Alphonso/JFP/someone for some diss or another. I can't imagine that you didn't think that sweeping tactic would merit a response or two from this end. I'm simply engaging in the conversation you started; I'm sorry if I don't agree with everything you've said. Otherwise, I appreciate your comments about liking the JFP. I don't remember seeing an e-mail from you, at least under the address you registered here under, so I apologize that I never wrote you back. I do admit that I'm perpetually behind in e-mail, as people around here can well attest, but it doesn't mean I'm happy about it. ;-)

DonnaLadd

Apr 18 2004