Sept 12

The lyrics in David Banner’s “Mississippi” definitely describe his home state when he talks about “fuckin’ rebel flags still flyin’…where da rebel flag still ain’t burnin’” and his frustration with the state of affairs in that area. The amount of racism in the South is ridiculous, and Banner clearly feels that it’s time for that particular quirk of the Confederacy to come to an end. The Civil War was two hundred years ago and the North won. Clearly, it’s time for people to accept that. Social consciousness is also very present in David Banner’s life, most famously in his work with exhuming Emmitt Till’s body and his attention to the lynching that happened in Mississippi. Being brought into Congress to testify must have been a huge slap in the face, particularly the way that the conservative representatives spoke to him, after the amount of work that he’s done to draw attention to the racial and socio-economic divides in his home state. The passion that he feels is clearly reflected in his music (the lyrics and the beats) and the way that he appears in many of his music videos. Yes, some of it is violent and unsettling, but the injustices that he’s witnessed definitely make the violence and anger in his albums more understandable.
The rhythms, in many cases, of Southern hip-hop (or hip-hop in general) can be traced back to African tribal music, or slave drum sounds. The roots of hip-hop are deep and very traditional in some ways—including their ties to the land where much of this was born. Outkast also talks about being Southern in “West Savannah” when they say “you might call us country, but we’s only Southern and I don’t give a fuck.” Any Southerner (who is proud of their heritage) has had that feeling at one point or another. Having a drawl doesn’t negate IQ points or minimize world view; it’s just a product of upbringing.