David Banner Talks His Role in 'Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist' and How He Almost Walked Away From Music
In the world of hip-hop, David Banner has always represented Black Excellence. The Jackson, Mississippi native graduated from the HBCU Southern University with a degree in business. He also attended the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in pursuit of a master's degree but left early to follow his dream of pursuing a music career.
Banner formed Crooked Lettaz with Brad "Kamikaze" Franklin but later went solo where he would explode into superstardom. After signing with Universal Records, Banner would drop several acclaimed projects including Mississippi: The Album (2003), MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water (2003), Certified (2005), The Greatest Story Ever Told (2008), and #TheGodBox (2017) just to name a few.
As a producer, Banner has crafted multi-platinum hits for the likes of T.I., Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Nelly, Trick Daddy, and many more.
For his work as an activist, Banner was awarded a Visionary Award by the National Black Caucus of State Legislators in Jackson, Mississippi. The visionary award recognized his humanitarian work in response to Hurricane Katrina.
Demonstrating his acting prowess, Banner is part of the incredible ensemble cast of Peacock’s hit drama “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” which is currently the streamer's top-rated show.
Centered around the Atlanta robbery that took place shortly after Muhammad Ali's historic comeback the eight-part limited-edition series also stars Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, and Terrence Howard.
Playing the character “Missouri Slim,” Banner shared the inspiration behind his portrayal and how he became a part of the series.
“More than anything, if I'm engulfed in a certain environment or culture, it is my responsibility to bring out the humanity of any character that I’m playing as an actor,” Banner told BET.com. “Tasha Smith taught me that’s what my responsibility is as an actor."
“You never really know how your blessings come to fruition. I’m going to be honest and say that I made some calls, and some other people did some things,” Banner laughed.
In preparation for the role, Banner’s research led him to discover how the challenges of life could lead one down a path that they never envisioned for themselves.
“In many cases, there are characters that are used as stereotypes or caricatures of our communities. A lot of times when you have a gangster role, actors try to play the character as if they’re hard and that’s all they are. In actuality, if you think about their lives, the viciousness usually comes from fear, a lack of resources, and a lack of opportunities. So I really studied the nuances of the role.”
“There's something that I want to share about preparing to play Missouri Slim. I found this particular pimp and I asked him what he wanted to be as a child. He said that he wanted to be a gymnast. He didn’t say a football player, a gangster, or a policeman,” he continued. “So it was my responsibility to bring those subtleties to this character and really make the hip-hop community look good."
The cast of “Fight Night” has several critically acclaimed, A-list actors. Banner shared that he was blown away by the immense talent of the newer actors such as Jaylin Hall, Artrece Johnson, Jeff Sprauve, Anthony B. Jenkins, and Teresa Celeste.
“It’s our greatest actor’s job to bring their A-game but I would like to talk about the younger actors. Man, they brought it. The ones who you may have never seen before,” he said. “When I went back and looked at it, they were amazing.”
“Another thing I loved about the cast is that there was a serendipity in the relationships. Terrence got an opportunity to work with Taraji again. The first film that I acted in was Black Snake Moan with Samuel L. Jackson,” Banner recalled. “My only regret was that I didn’t get a scene with Don Cheadle. I have scenes with everybody else.”
Banner also said that Jackson has been a mentor to him as an actor and in life.
“I can’t tell you how amazing Sam Jackson has been in my life and he coached me in Black Snake Moan. And remember, he was really critical of rap artists getting acting opportunities if they were not trained properly,” Banner said. “I think he was saying to practice on your craft. Throughout filming, I put extra pressure on myself because I wanted to make Sam proud.”
Because of his love of acting, Banner said that he almost gave up making music. Thankfully, after linking up with DJ Jazzy Jeff, he’s back at work on his first love. He spoke about rediscovering his passion for music and the importance of being a multi-hyphenate.
“To be honest, I was moving away from music. I just came back from DJ Jazzy Jeff's camp and I hadn't felt this way about music in a long time. I'm grateful that God has given me options. Most artists who perform at my level don't have options,” Banner said. “I have so many trades that I could jump into but there's no one thing that could hold me captive. If the music ain't popping, I can go act. If the acting ain't popping, I can do public speaking.”
When asked what were his top five favorite tracks that he produced, Banner said that he made a crucial mistake as a producer.
“From a production standpoint, I think I made a mistake. Big Krit told me that I never made a beat that sounded the same,” Banner explained. “If you look at most mainstream producers, they'll grab a sound and they’ll run with it for two to four years and that's how they became the icons that they are. I was so hip-hop that I was always concerned about being innovative and pushing that next sound.”
“Some of my favorite tracks that I produced are “Like a Pimp” because it changed my life and I still haven’t heard a track like it since. There’s T.I. 's “Rubberband Man” and Nelly’s “Tip Drill” for BET Uncut purposes,” Banner laughed. “There’s a beat that's off my first album called “My Shorty” with Fiend. And if you listen to where country music is going now, go back and listen to “Cadillac On 22’s.” There was a beat off T.I’s album that was called “Countdown” which was originally for the Nappy Roots. Those would be my favorites.”
"Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist" is currently streaming on Peacock.
