Customer Reviews

Mississippi: The Album

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

David Banner is nothing new to the hip hop scene. Being half of the Mississippi based group Crooked Lettaz it is not surprising that this producer, through all his hard work and dedication, has finally found the medium to display his talents nationwide.

I had first of David Banner a couple years ago on the song `Get Crunk' which featured Pimp C. It sported a beautiful sample of Run DMC's Rock Box and was a classic down south. So when I heard `Like A Pimp' it was nothing but that butter for yo breakfast toast. And as good and crunk as that song is...one would expect that to be the best song on the album...no sir...but we'll leave the best song for later.

The album starts out rather rowdy just as any person would expect. It's the south and we got to get it crunk first and foremost. "What It Do', the lil jon infected `Might Getcha', and the aforementioned `Like A Pimp'. David Banner gets down ATL style on the track `F... Em' which features Pastor Troy and Bonecrusher and the song is rather tight...as the beat switches from fast to slow and vice versa depending on who's rapping. I can't really explain this track you just got to hear it.

After that song the album slows down...but in a good way. The album gets more personal, he starts kicking knowledge on politics and society, and reminisces on life. `Mississippi' could arguably be the best song on the album. On the song Banner claims that he doesn't feel free where he is from and where "the flag means more than me". This song might open people's eyes if they think discrimination and hate is behind us...they are in for a rude awakening. `Cadillacs on 22's' is a song about coming up. Even when you do get big and get that stuff you want don't forget to give back to the community and don't forget where you came from...stay true to yourself. Fast Life is a classic riding song about the fast life and how he needs to calm himself down before he gets killed. The best song on the album is `Still Pimpin" featuring the surprise guest Kamikaze (the other half of Crooked Lettaz). This track is purely classic. Enough Said.

This album is filled with songs with a whole lotta substance and it really hits home...I would not hesitate to say that this is one of the best albums of the year so far. There is not one wack song on the entire disc but there are two worthless skits that sorta mess up the flow of the album. But still this album is a modern classic...even though I've only had it for about a week...I can tell that I will be listening to this album for a while. Five Stars.

Uh Oh, the south has done it again. David Banner is on FIRE. he keeps it to his roots. And He has got just enough guest appearences to not over due it. Lil Flip, bone crusher, killer mike, This album is hott. If you don't have it, whenever you got some money and you need a new CD, get this one.

This album is over crunk! Every song on it is off the hook. Banner keeps it real with the way he expresses his love for Mississippi and discuses life's everyday issues. The production is as great as 50 cent's album. David Banner is a talented man not only does he raps but he also produces. This album will be a standard for other dirty south rappers and rappers nation-wide to follow. GET THIS ALBUM NOW!

This CD is definetely showcasin some trus south [stuff]. Most of the songs are bangin, but a little too much singin for the south. David Banner is fairly new to the game, so u have to give him props for makin a surprisin CD like this one. Although not as hard as the 3 6 Mafia, a suprisingly great effort is show. F**k Em with Pastor Troy and Bone Crusher is one of my favourties. Like A Pimp is a great song, but I am gettin bored of it as I write this review. The rest of the CD is close to average. I think u should check it out.

This is my first David Banner CD but I can't wait for the next one to come out. This is what the Dirty South is all about right here. Do buy this CD!!

nothing new just some fools taking up where 8 ball and 3 6 mafia left out.

i luvd a few songs, but the rest didn't appeal to, although he kept real for those in his city and state.

Southern University all day David Banner! Roots of Jackson, Mississippi he put into the album...yeah!!

Many people don't know much about David Banner. Most of the audience know Banner only from his loud and raunchy songs, with his trademark scream "Yeah". What the avarege rap listener doesn't know that David Banner is one of the most unique figures in the rap industry. Not only a rapper, he's first of all a very talented producer. Other than that he's also an actor and a philantropist. Plus, he is a very well educated brother. David Banner is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he served as president of the Student Government Association. So you get to see, that even though he comes from Mississippi, one of poorest states in the US (if not the poorest) he's very different from your everyday gangsta rapper. He's much more than that, and don't get his looks, or his crunked out singles decieve you. DB is one of the deepest and socially aware artists. He's got a multi-dimensional personality and it shows on this album. David Banner delivers a fascinating mix of straight-up hardcore gangsta rap and politicized soul music in the vein of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. On some songs, he's straight-up crunk, agressive, screaming, not unlike many other Down South rappers. But on most songs, he's mellow, sensative, and very well aware of the sruggles of black folks living in Mississippi. Banner puts the sex and violence right up front for all to see. Then, just as the listener thinks it's all been said before, the album switches gears, adopting a reflective, socially aware tone right out of "What's Goin' On". Unlike most of his contemporaries, Banner isn't content to merely describe the societal ills he sees around him--he actually questions the motivations behind the problems. An ambitious project in what is too often a one-dimensional genre, MISSISSIPPI: THE ALBUM suggests that gangsta rap has the potential to offer more than simply a play-by-play account of urban culture's darkest moments. The album starts out loud, and bangin' with the first 4 songs being crunk to the fullest. The second was produced by Lil Jon (I consider it the worst song on this album) and the third is the album's lead single "Like A Pimp" (feat. Lil' flip"). The 4th song (track number six) is the hardhitting "F*** Em (feat. Pastor Troy). And from song number 7 and till the end (there's even a hidden bonus track) the album is much more mellow, and you find DB adressing mainly social issues. While very aware of what's going on (pun intended), David Banner stays away from preaching. He's not about that. What he does is tell it the way it is, hoping us, the listeners, will understand and change the way we think and the way we live. There is a lot of sadness in his songs. Some of the album is more personal, but most of it deals with life of people in Mississippi. Production is top notch, handled mostly by David Banner himself, and his music is very different from other Dirty South artists, for example his productions sometimes have small guitar elements. Most guests are unknown newcommers, and while doing a nice job, do not stand out. David Banner and Mississippi are the center of this album.

On September 25, 2007, David Banner testified in congress in a hearing about African American Media Stereotypes. He spoke about his lyrics and whether or not they are appropriate or stereotypical. He argued that his lyrics explain the pain blacks go through. In his opening statement, Banner was applauded by several in attendance for saying, "I can admit there are some problems in Hip-Hop but it is only a reflection of whats taking place in our society. Hip-Hop is sick because America is sick".

To sum it all up, while not quite perfect (I'd defintely would've got rid of the Lil' Jon song and the useless skits or the less talented guest features), "Mississippi" is a true classic, one of the most unique albums to come out in 2003, and definetely one of the best ones that year. Do not miss it.

David Banner gets down, dirty, and raw on Mississippi: The Album - which explains why it's referred to as the "Dirty South." The album is laced with up-to-standard production from KLC, Lil' Jon, Billy Hume, Mixzo and of course, David Banner himself. Mississippi: The Album comes off at first as another "lets get crunk" type of album, much to the likings of such rapper/dj's like Lil' Jon and Pastor Troy (probably due to the way the album was marketed), but as you listen throughout the LP, you'll realize that David Banner is a man with a lot to say - and many didn't hear it on his first underground release Them Firewater Boyz Vol. 1. Not only is the album structured to fit the club scene (e.g. his first single "Like A Pimp," "Mississippi," or "Cadillac On 22's"), but it also appeals to those who are remotely interested in hearing what things are roaming in the mind of a madman (e.g. "Fast Life" or "Bush"). The man also finds time to chill out and relax to a very smooth - and what I without a doubt find to be the best track on the album - "My Shawty." All in all, David Banner manages to put together an album with opinions, thoughts, ideas, expressions, images, and messages, sticking away from the typical braggadocio that most rappers make their paypa stack off of nowadays. While I don't personally consider Mississippi: The Album to be a hip-hop haven, it definitely is one of the biggest releases to come out of Mississippi, putting it on the map, so I give David Banner big ups for that.