Catching up with David Banner

that we just had this magical moment at the ferish for festival how did you feel about that day and why do you want us to have more if you want us to have more I think it was beautiful first of all I think it was you know one of the things that I had been longing for as it pertains to the city and allowing you know not just the kids but especially the kids to have access to all these things that we say that we don't have you know and you know it happened and you know was crazy because I was um I was on a first class flight from Atlanta coming back home and just about everybody that was on my panel was in that first class flight and it was so classy you know it was so dope to see all of us and what's funny is um the director for one of the TV shows that I'm going to be on in December which we're going to talk about family business the director and one of the creators of it was on playing and I didn't even know that he was was was was was on the panel so for us to be bringing those level of people there and for us to to support and be a part of it and for me to be able to come home and come home for the right reasons you know what I'm saying she she brought me with class she brought me with honor it wasn't you know it was Banner you know what does it take I know you're busy right now can you come yes let's go and we made it happen and I was proud of there are some high power people in this what does it feel like for you to be a part of fight night and will people be surprised by your character it's a eight-part TV show that's going to be on peacock it comes out September 5th um man we don't have the time for me to tell you how amazing it was I'll just give you a little bit of it um I was on the entire six season of Empire so for Terence Howard and you know uh for ter how to be able to to come back for us to to reconnect um you know for him and cookie to come back on the screen you know it it it it was so dope you know um Samuel Jackson was in my first film he was actually my first he was my acting coach you know for Black Snake Moan so for me me and him to reconnect Craig Brewer who was the director was one of the main directors on Fight Night for him to reconnect um will Packer you know allowed me to be and you know the movie with Kevin Hart for me and Kevin Hart to reconnect um you know it was it was just such a beautiful opportunity you know and again I was talking about cookie you know it teraj is such a fierce um actress to to be able to watch her do what she do or what she does it was such an amazing opportunity and more than anything I I want people to know that they I really want them to watch this because it makes me feel like like what Eddie Murphy did like we have some of the greatest actors of our time to be able to com combine them in one um historical event about something that really really happened you know I'm honored and I hope that I let people know that you know us being for Mississippi that is something that I so proud of you know the history of black people in a contemporary way you know comes from Mississippi we are the state we are you know we are the little Africa as it pertains to culture in America and I'm hoping that you know the story that they are telling about Atlanta can push the rest of us who are in in some of these places like Tennessee like Mississippi Louisiana we can start telling our story and y'all like similar to what we were talking about about you know what we just did about Fair Street at home we can't allow these opportunities to pass as if we get them all the time have to stop doing it we have to take these opportunities like what's what's what's coming along in Fight Night what just happened with the festival that we had at home like we don't get these opportunities and sometimes I think we act like we do and then we miss them and then complain about them when they don't come back so make sure that y'all Tune In The Fight Night September 5th is going down y'all gonna be so happy I smashed it I ain't G even lie I usually don't I I I usually don't talk much but I'm very very proud of my performance very very proud that is so awesome and I love watching you in that space in you know actor's seat because we do know you as Banner the music man you know what I mean and then to see you on screen doing one thing right now in this series but then flipping over and doing family business New Orleans I do have to ask you too did you when you saw the script did you say now why y'all take it to New or and not ja no because that's not their responsibility we have to stop doing that it's not people's responsibility that's not where we from to do something for us like I don't believe in that you know I'm grateful that they gave me an opportunity to be be a part of that stuff because they could have got somebody from Louisiana that's how we got to look at it we can't look at it like we got to demand somebody to do something for us I feel that way about politics I feel that way about religion like I believe the story of Christ is to show you how to Bear your own cross it's not about a man bearing a cross for you that puts us in a slave mentality I don't believe that I believe that okay I'm going to come down in a physical form show you what it looks like to do for yourself to do for your own people so it's not anybody else's responsibility I am grateful I say that about the city of Atlanta the city of Atlanta when most people go to Atlanta they have to say that they from Atlanta Atlanta allowed me to represent Mississippi and for me to put my put Mississippi on my back and represent Mississippi while Atlanta's movement was just starting and I'm grateful for the City of Atlanta for allowing me to do that I'm grateful for the City of New Orleans for allowing me to be such big I'm starring in that I'm the main bad guy imagine that and people know you gotta think David Banner is almost synonymous with Mississippi it's funny I was in Jamaica one time and the dude said you know we know about Mississippi Mississippi buron and David Banner and and that let me know that I was antithesis of Mississippi Burning and I represented something that meant something so whenever you see my face you see Mississippi anyway you know what I'm saying and you know I kind of wanted to ask you that question that way because I knew you was gonna light a fire for me for the creatives that are feeling a little you know I don't know what to do I feel like I can't make it here I know you got a message for them well if you feel like you can't make it there go make it and come back so another kid won't have to say that if you feel that way if you feel that way I I don't I I'm not one of the people who will tell people not to leave I'm I'm I'm not one of those people just leave with a purpose it's no different than you going to college you going to college you go get resources people do that from all over the world people will send their children to America send their kids to America to collect Resources with a plan to come back the problem is is that we send our people off without a plan and we those of us who who who do leave we got to stop making people feel bad about bettering themselves and doing things that really matter and then when somebody comes back with a different way of doing stuff we got to understand we can't do stuff the same way and that we have to we have to grasp we got to love people we have to make people feel welcome regardless of the the the decisions that they make it's like we put these people who have never made it before put these stories on what it takes to make it and they didn't and they never made it you know what I'm saying and we got to stop listening to people who don't have a certain level of success like whatever you doing it may not work I always say how how does what you doing work for you you know what I'm saying so like for me it's it's just important for us to have a plan we do things and complain about things without plans also I really believe that a lot of times people complain about what they don't have and they really don't know what they want a lot of times God has already blessed you God has already blessed you with everything that you need but because you don't know what you want it may be sitting right next to you you know I I just believe that it's time for us to to stop complaining and start doing we sit up and talk about what other people are not doing but never look and see that we haven't done anything ourselves we want a basketball player or football player to to give $50 million of their money and let's say that's half of their money and we make $10 and we don't we want we don't want to give five what are you doing like if you want to be an actress you got a cell phone now there's no excuse shoot it on your cell phone they got they have these little young Asian kids that shot a whole full link featur film on their cell phone so we can shoot skits we can do all of these things we now have the technology to do anything that we want to do stop complaining and shooting make it happen like my story that people don't talk about I had $100 I bought a 100 CDs sold them at $10 a piece made ,000 didn't go buy no drink didn't go buy nothing when it bought a th000 CDs sold a th000 CDS made $10,000 then split that half bought the van that everybody talked about and built the studio inside of my van so what I'm trying to say is that we have to stop waiting on somebody else to come and do something maybe the reason why we can't find our savior is because it's in the mirror hold on that was a bar hold on I'll be right back y'all that that was a gym that was y that was that was it that was the one right there but I love that and I love talking to you and listening to you because I I feel fired up every single time but just tell the folks the two projects you got coming up even though I know you got more than that but the two projects you got coming up that they need to look out for and then maybe where they can find you on social media you want to see me it's David Banner very simple more than anything I want people to go to davidbanner.com and support that means a lot to me um fight night coming up September 5th on peacock make sure y'all look at it stream it tell everybody about it it's dope um I mean Kevin Hart teraji U Terence Howard David Banner I mean it's so so so many people in and it's dope family business is coming out uh top of next year around December January y'all check that out on BET plus it's going down next go box is coming out I want to shout out uh coch buay tricky I want to shout out Provine the Queens you know what I'm saying Jack to as a whole I love y'all I appreciate y'all peace