David Banner Biography

The American rapper and producer known as David Banner was born Lavell William Crump in 1974 in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Initially, Banner had aspirations to become an educator, and after graduating from Southern University he enrolled at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to pursue an M.A. in Education. But Banner left his studies to instead pursue a career in music.

In the late 1990’s, David Banner began recording and distributing his demo tapes. After teaming up with the independent label Big Face Records, Banner released his debut, Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1 in 2000, garnering attention from a number of radio stations which gave him some airplay. After signing with SRC Records, Banner released his major-label debut, Mississippi: The Album, which again featured the single “Like a Pimp”; the single rose into the top ten on the rap charts and into the top twenty on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, setting the stage for Banner’s follow-up, MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water.

Since that time, David Banner has released the additional albums: Certified (2005), The Greatest Story Ever Told (2008), and Death of a Pop Star (2010.) The albums spawned the additional top forty singles: “Play”; “Get Like Me” (featuring Chris Brown); “Shawty Say” (featuring Lil Wayne); and “Be With You” (featuring Marsha Ambrosius and Ludacris.) David Banner has also produced for fellow artists such as: Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, Maroon 5, and Ludacris.

In 2007, David Banner made his big screen debut in the 2007 film Black Snake Moan, in the role of Tehronne. He has since gone on to appear in a number of films, including Days of Wrath (2008), The Butler (2013), Ride Along (2014), and Carter High School (2015.)

David Banner continues to perform and record. His latest album, The God Box, is expected to release in 2017.