David Banner Opens Up About Loving Black Women

Wait, hold on.

I accepted it. I don't know. You want to come talk to the ladies? You know the ladies love you. You know the ladies love you, honey.

I'm not worried about them. I called for you.

How you doing, darling? It's been a minute.

You know I want to bite. Now you got all popular and stuff. When me and you used to ride around and look at each other in the eyes, then you got popular.

That wasn't it.

Thought you could find a better one than me? See what happened? I knew you was going to reject me in front of all these people. I knew you was going to try not to let me—

You know I love you.

You are so fucking beautiful.

Thank you, love.

And I'm so proud of what you do for women and the perspective, whether men agree with it or not, the perspective that you give. You, baby, you hold yourself with elegance and just enough sexiness that'll keep people tuned in without giving your spirit and your soul up. I watch you a lot from the sideline and I am so, so very proud of you. And I'm glad that I didn't end up biting you in the face, 'cause you would probably hate me by now. So we're able to maintain our platonic friendship. I'll still bite your ass though. Baby, go ahead. But you know what?

I've been watching you though, and I love the muscles. The muscles be muscling, you know? And I love to hear you speak. And I loved it when you said that you're ready for a family. And I want that for you. I want you with some little babies running around.

Yeah, let me tell you something though, baby. Um, one thing that I hate is that people try to find a way to turn us into caricatures and jokes. I'm not playing about my love for Black women. What I'm doing is taking this time in the spotlight to love on Black women because they gave me an opportunity. Black women are the reason why I resurged. And so I give back by loving on them. The only thing that I hate It's just so hard for— because there was 2 girls that told me, I'm waiting for the smoke to clear. Well, excuse me. That's what I'm saying. Why me— why is me loving on you gotta be game? Why, why can't you register that there's a Black man that loves Black women without wanting something from them? Will I take it?

Yes.

Yes. Yes, I, I will. But, but I mean what I say. I mean it with all my heart, and I hate when people cheat. cheapen my affection, my respect, my admiration for women.

Well, you know what, you know why that is, right? So I believe the internet got people in a chokehold.

Well, well, the thing is, it's crazy. Even, even if you go to white people's, uh, statistics, it shows that the Black man is more involved in his family than any other, uh, group of people in this planet or on this planet. And even when white, white people tell Black folks anything else, we believe it. But then when You see the statistics that black men are actually doing what they're supposed to do. And this, um, this false narrative that they're given that most successful black men are dating white women or dating outside of the race, that is not true. That is a lie.

That's only in media.

Cognitive— and the cognitive dissonance is so high that you will see the statistics. And, and, and the problem is most black people love attention and not the truth. I believe God is the truth. And so, and so for me, the, the thing that I do want you to know, and, and the problem with, uh, one of the last girls that I dated, and it was so sad that she couldn't understand that she was good enough for me. I don't need you.

Yeah.

You ain't gotta move around. You ain't gotta be cooking all the time. You ain't gotta— just come and lay up under me. You are good enough. And she kept saying, no, no. Like, yes, you are. I don't need you to do nothing. I got bread. I I clean better than most black women. I definitely cook better than most black women.

I'm about to say, you can cook.

You can cook. Oh yeah, I cook my ass off. I just like cooking more for other people than I do myself. Because when I went to Bali, I realized that we can put the medicine in the food.

Yes.

So like I cook with turmeric and ashwagandha and all of these different things that black people won't even taste in the food. So I can heal people by them just eating things that actually taste good. You know, um, so a lot of times all I want, all I want from a Black woman is peace.

What does peace look like to you? Matter of fact, what does it feel like to you?

Not masculinity. Not arguing every time I fucking see you. You know, one of the things I think that made me a better lover in general is I used to believe that if I was right, then I had the right to say or do anything. Just because I'm right and I know better, that means that I'm in a God position. So what I should do is instead of trying to prove that I'm right, just, just help to illuminate my partner.

Mm-hmm.

Because it's my responsibility to help her learn. God has given me an opportunity to be smart, to be able to be articulate. Why turn that in on our women or, or our men and make them feel bad for knowing what we, um— damn, she was fine. I'm sorry. You gonna shoot yourself?

No, I ain't gonna shoot myself.

I don't have to.

Okay, all right, stop right there. Stop, stop, stop right there. Okay, so I had a conversation with a friend of mine the other day, and he said that I, I unknowingly, um, knock a man's ego down. And I said, what do you mean? He said, you are a woman that you attract Hemathys, meaning men like Like yourself or high-profile men, right? He said, but what the thing is with you is we're not used to having to shoot shots. We're— and you, if we don't come to you, you don't—

Women are not supposed to come to me. We are the hunters. You are supposed to present yourself and we are supposed to deem ourselves worthy of your love. It's just different because I'm a demigod. So I attract everything I need directly to me.

Okay.

You know, um—

But do you pursue though?

That's what I'm saying, baby. I'm at a point where I don't have to. I should though. I should, but I don't. Let me tell you what I do with my power. I see an overweight woman, and that's the woman that I shoot my shot at because I want to take my power and make her feel good. I like shy women. I like women who haven't seen their beauty yet. And I give my— I'll give all my attention to them. That's what I like doing with my power. Like, most of the time I shoot— my friends always say, you a lion with no teeth because you roar, but you ain't gonna bite nothing. Like, baby, I love making people feel good. I know I don't want the thing because most women, once they get my attention, they ready to get married immediately. They don't calm down and stay in the moment. They like, fuck that. I got this nigga. Let's go.

That's what all my friends say. They be ready. They be planning the wedding. And I'm like, wait. I said, first of all, what it is, I'm like, you don't even know if you like him yet. You don't— you know David Banner, you don't know Lavell. You haven't studied Lavell yet. So how could you be planning your wedding with him and imagining this life when you don't know the man yet?

Can I be honest with you about something, baby? I'm a lot to deal with. I am. I know. I have to deal with me. Like, sometimes I'll say some shit and be like, oh.

Damn.

You know what it is?

You have no freaking filter and you do not consider nobody's feelings before you speak.

Let me tell you, I do consider people's feelings, but feelings are not going to get you anywhere. That's part of our problem as Black people is that we feel too much. We want people to make us feel good. We have been socially engineered into the positions that we're in. So that means we need engineers to get us out, but engineers are boring. A rapper ain't gonna get you out of a place that you've been socially engineered to. It's gonna take engineers. And the sad thing is Black people send— I got a lot of criticism about what I say about— I have a lot of criticisms of HBCUs, but I only give those criticisms in Black spaces. I won't do this in front of white people. I'm not gonna front us out. But HBCUs do not build communities. HBCUs do not give purpose to our community. Other groups of people will send their children to PWIs But send them off with purpose. We send our children off to get a job at Xerox, not to acquire information or get that job in order to build communities. Like, I'm a man of purpose. So one of the things that I realized is that when I'm in a situation to build and to grow, sweetie, the real truth is anyone who's in and around me, you're gonna have to have something to do. Being pretty ain't good enough. No, it's crazy because I was thinking about doing a post about, yeah, you got your BBL and you fine as hell, but you can't do nothing with that body. You can't cook. You can't take care of my kids. So you won't have— and you want all of this notoriety and want to take all these trips, but you can't do nothing that has to do with a woman. I want a woman that's a woman. Baby, if you can't cook and I'm from Mississippi, it's a problem. I am— I'm a very clean man. People, people would never, never, ever, ever think about that. I'm a very clean man, and if stuff isn't in its place, then I freak out. I found out, uh, one of my ex-girlfriends is one of the most successful Black women under 50 in Atlanta. She owned a construction company, and she was the one that taught me that everything has a space, and you give everything a space and put it back in its space, you will stay clean forever. And your mind is a representation.

Mm-hmm.

space that you live in.

Yeah.

Right? Um, and so I, I need a reciprocal nature. Like, a lot of people got mad, and I told them, like, if you're not in shape, I can't date you. You know, my little sister, you know, Idris Elba is a friend of mine, and she wanted to date Idris Elba. And I was like, how you gonna want God to bless you with Idris Elba and you fat? I'm serious.

Okay, so tell me, okay, so tell me, what would be your ideal woman? Like, From what she looks like to her age range to— I know she got to have kids. She want to have some kids. So you want to—

My mom told me this, baby, and it was one of the greatest, uh, compliments I ever had in my life. My mom said, you have never brought the same woman in my house ever. I love people, and if I knew why I loved you, I would lose interest. I had this girl, she was dumb as a damn brick. I ain't gonna bullshit you, but that girl would take up the money at the doors at my concert. She used to get out on the corner and sell my CDs. Although she didn't have the scholastic aspect that I'm used to, ain't nobody ever— she, uh, she tattooed my old record company on her back, and I got scared. I was like, I don't even have my record company. Tattooed on my back. And she said the dope— April, give me one second. She said, she said something that was— I'll step away, don't worry about it. She said something so dope. The name of my record company was called Big Face Entertainment. It stood for Believe in God, for All Comes Eventually.

Mm-hmm.

She said, that's bigger than you. And so what I'll say is, is I love people. I love personalities. I love, I love women who are themselves, good or bad.

I didn't—

I didn't date gun runners before. I've dated heads of industries. I've dated sluts. I've dated virgins. I just like— I just like genuine people, baby. And I don't—

so are you saying you'll know it when you run across it?

I don't ever know. I don't really want to know. I just want to live. And what happens is, is that women are more planned out. I want to live in the moment. And instead of living towards 40 years, I want to tie one day into 40 years.

Mm.

Instead of trying to live for 40 years, we look up, and if it don't work— I'll give you a great example. I dated a girl after I had the longest relationship in my life, and her real purpose in my life was to get me over my last relationship. And I tried to go past that, is when we ruined it. Just because I don't— one thing about me is if I fuck with you, I fuck with you for the rest of your— the rest of your life until you get a husband, if you my people. And as long as you don't turn into no little mean, bitter bitch, I'll fuck with you in any kind of way, as long as I don't feel used. If I can help you, if you consume that space in my heart and my life, you'll have that place forever.

Okay, now my question is, do you think you can just be with one woman?

Yeah, it's easy. But I saw a girl say this, a girl, I think she was from DC, She— I know she was from Detroit. She broke that shit up. She said most of y'all don't have the capacity to do all the things that, uh, a high-strung man needs. You don't do nothing. Like, women want you to be the only person in your life, but you can't. Again, you can't cook. Can I say it the way I want to?

Yeah, girl.

Fuck, you can't fuck. Like, you can't— you are demanding all these things that you're not reciprocal at. So, so, so, so, so, yeah, I can if she's willing to put her time in. And which that means she probably won't be able to have a job. I don't want my woman to have to work.

And you know what, every, every high-profile friend of my platonic friend of mine, they all say the same thing. If she have a little job—

Be honest with you about something. Ain't nobody around you wanting to be platonic. Stop it. They may be, but you may put them in that box. They don't.

I get a lot of them high-profile dudes always like me, but they have never had to pursue a woman. They've never had to be consistent. They never had to put in effort because women have put the bar in hell. And so when they meet Miss Mason, Miss Mason has a standard. So now it becomes a problem for you to be consistent, put in effort, your words and actions line up.

What women don't also understand is I think America has gave— has given women a false narrative. When I found out that I'm the real catch— I'm the real catch. Be clear about it. Once— I don't use that against women, but I had to tell a girl that I was dating, like, be clear, baby. I love you because I choose to be, but I am not a unicorn. I'm a dragon. I'm a Black man that got a lot of money, that's smart, that's articulate, that don't have any diseases that I know of, with no fucking children. Strong as fuck. Ready. I told her, I said, it's a lot of things that I am. Stupid ain't one of them. So understand, I understand exactly who you are and I allow you to do what you do because I love you, but not because I'm fucking stupid. I had to tell my uncle the same thing. My uncle around this motherfucker acting like he the prize nigga. I pay for everything. The only thing you have over me is the love that I have for you as my uncle. But we have a tendency to play these games on each other instead of just loving each other. I'm gonna tell you a problem that I do have because you do have a very special place with women. I am tired of women— I had an ex-girlfriend who her husband used to beat her motherfucking ass. When I met her, I saw a scar over her mouth and I said, baby, what's that on your lips? She said, no one has ever asked me that. And I came to find out that her husband used to beat her. It went down once we got into a relationship. She found that she couldn't control me. And you the worst motherfucker I ever dated. Girl, your husband beat your black ass. You're, you're mad. You say your love language— I tell women all the time, your love language can't be success and time.

Success, very true, very true.

It just don't exist, especially with first-generation successful people. You know, and so you, you have to make sure that your love language, especially if it's more than one, that those 2 things can coincide realistically. Because what I found out, as, as soon as that money start, uh, uh, drifting off and you spending all that damn time where you could have been working, they dump your black ass anyway.

You think? Well—

Oh yes, they do. They do. I remember a girl, I, I, I, I helped her through nursing school. She stayed at my house. I would get up after promoting my records and stuff when I lived in Mississippi. I got her all the way through nursing school. I'm talking about 3 weeks after she was in nursing school, that motherfucker said, we need to talk about finances. You didn't want to talk about finances when your black ass was broke? When I was in the clubs all fucking night, then taking your ass to nursing school in the morning, you didn't want to talk about finances? It's, it's, it's It's the, the, the real problem is everybody wants 50%, but they don't want to shoot a basketball. It's a sad— And most men, the thing that I'm thankful for from God, and one of the reasons why I love on Black women, I was raised around Black women, so I'm able to articulate my feelings. Most Black men are not. I know, I know exactly who I am. I know exactly what I want, and I can articulate the way that I feel. And my ex-girlfriend told me, she's like, I don't like arguing with you because you always right. I said, it's not that I'm always right, I just don't open my mouth unless I've researched. So what you need to know, that if I do— I played a lawyer in a movie one time, and what I learned from him, because the lawyer was still alive, he said, David Ben, I never ask a question that I don't know the answer to. So if by the time I ask you a question, I already know the fucking answer, all you can do is lie to me. That's the only thing that—

So you won't go get receipts first before you say anything?

Yes. I don't like being wrong, baby. I promise you, that's why I'm slow to speak. Baby, I— one of the only things I'm afraid of on this planet is misguiding people with the blessing that God has given me. God has given me the, the, the, the, the power to lead people, and I don't ever want to lead people in the wrong direction. That's one of the few things.

That's a lot of responsibility. That— and that's the thing, it's a, it's a lot of responsibility when you know your gift is, uh, helps millions of people. And I don't, I don't think— I don't like— I don't take that lightly.

You're so motherfucking beautiful. You be talking to me and it sound like Charlie Brown mama. You be talking some dope shit too. You be like, wah wah wah. That's why you talk so much. I can't. I just want to bite you in the side of the fucking face.

I'm not with you today. Where you at anyway? Where are you?

In LA.

What you doing in LA?

I ain't got to say much about that.

Before we get to LA, are y'all bringing my show back? Because you, you didn't tell me.

Okay, all right.

Are y'all bringing my show back?

So listen. Um, um, you know that, um, BET was bought.

I heard.

Right?

Yeah.

Right. And, you know, Tyler Perry got 40% of all of the content at BET now. So once it was acquired, they got to take care of Tyler Perry first, which I understand.

Okay.

Our show was a hit show, but it's so much bigger. And it's funny because I called Carl Weber and I think I surprised him. He thought I was going to jump all down his throat like, when the fuck? Because I really wasn't worried until it was a year. Once it's a year, if you don't jump on people, they didn't move to something else. Because like TV show Cross, that motherfucker jamming. I love Cross. Let me say this. I knew that people were going to try to drive a stake. Um, without the First Family Business cast, without their sacrifices, it— we were like— we are like the spoiled children of the family. Okay, if you look at the cinematography, the bright They even colored the film a little green and orange like New Orleans.

Yes.

It's fucking genius.

Yeah.

And to be honest with you, they let me do something that they don't allow most actors. I told them, like, give me space. Like, I got this character. I'm the one that made him intelligent. I'm the one who made sure that he was thought out. I'll give you a great example. Uh, Jean LeBlanc is killer. And in the script, he didn't— he didn't like his brother. But just because I like my brother don't mean I don't love him.

Mm-hmm.

So when everybody walked away, I made sure that he cried. Because they don't— they don't look at us as— as— they look at the residual effect of Black men, but not the stuff that we went through in order to be here. Most dope dealers didn't want to be dope dealers. Most killers didn't want to be killers. You know, and I—

these are—

like all the pimps and hustlers, most people don't take those— those— those people Real. Those are our uncles and aunts. Yeah, there's stories behind all of those, and they don't want to hear our stories. They just want to see the niggas. And so what I try to do with all of those— and it's crazy because I think Jean LeBlanc is one of the highest rated characters on BET Plus, because if you go to BET Plus, my face is the first face you see, and we don't even have the biggest show. You're not doing—

which one?

Whichever one you want to talk about.

One of them, he's in trucking school right now.

He's getting ready to graduate. One of them is real big. So when I be flirting with you, I just—

The 6'3, that's the 6'3 son. He's in trucking school right now.

He about to be 30. I was like, I got to watch that big motherfucker when I be flirting with him.

But funny thing is, that's the son that's more— that's the son that he's cool until he's not. It's the youngest one. It's the 28-year-old. What you doing in LA?

I was nominated for NAACP Award.

Congratulations.

And it's crazy because one of my best industry friends, they put him in the same category as me, Ali Siddiq.

Oh.

We was like, damn, dog, we ain't get but one, what's his name, and they got us both in there. But we was laughing that if they would— they didn't put our category on TV, that if it would have been on TV, we would have been racing regardless of who won.

OK, what you wearing?

Oh.

I know you're gonna look good.

I'm gonna tear they fucking mouth off.

I know you are.

Do you want me to give you a look? I don't be wanting people to know because my shit be so dope. I'm gonna wear a side—

Give me some color, just some color.

Oh, maroon? I'm gonna wear a side cape.

Oh.

Where you'll be able to see the contour because I just lost 20 pounds. Baby, I'm gonna tell you something. You know cotton ain't never done nothing for a nigga from the South. I think I'm done with shirts. After this, 3 more months, I ain't gonna even wear a fucking shirt no more. I'm done. Cotton ain't never done nothing for a nigga from the South. I'm done. Cotton ain't gonna touch my body no more.

Okay. Okay, so when you gonna come up with your own line?

Um, I really ain't interested in that. Can I be honest with you? The real reason why I'm in fashion the way that I am, you know, I don't judge anybody's lifestyle, but I don't want Black young Black boys to feel like they have to succumb to a certain lifestyle in order to be in high fashion. I want them to know that masculinity can be successful in high fashion, and that's the reason why I have arguments with my team all the time. Like, I wear a lot of Japanese-based clothes, but there's a difference between starting off with ninja clothes and kimonos. I don't want nothing that looks like a kimono. I'm a grown-ass man. I want to dress like a man, right?

Mm-hmm.

So actually, most of the things I do are for revolutionary reasons, but people don't know my rationale and the reason behind it. Even my gray beard. I wanted— my mama told me, like, Wasn't nobody wearing that gray beard before you.

Wait a minute, wait a minute. The skincare is looking good though.

You've been doing your skincare. I've always been milky, you know. No, but y'all wanna know what's funny about that? Vivica Fox was the reason why I started taking care of my skin. She said, David Banner, your face is your mechanism to money. Why wouldn't you invest in it?

Exactly.

You wouldn't fix— you would not put better parts in a car if you were racing cars. She said, so take care of your face, you know. Go, you know, like, even I used to think it would— it was non-masculine to go get my nails done. Like, I don't let them put clear stuff on me, but I get a, you know, I get a high-powered buff every now and then, you know what I'm saying?

Ain't nothing wrong with that.

But like, I, I, I take care of myself. And I just want to say this, especially to women. People treat you exactly how you treat yourself. No, I had to tell somebody, I got on $7,000 worth of clothes. You can't give me $10,000 to come speak. Like, you know, my money gonna be gone once I get security in my clothes.

Okay. So, when I come to Atlanta, if I wanna do a podcast, a sit-down with you, it's gonna cost me $20,000?

Baby, wherever you go, just for me to be able to gaze upon an angelic being such as yourself, it's a blessing. within itself. It was hard for me to breathe until I saw you today.

Come on through with the words. Come on, words.

I was scrolling through Instagram and for some reason my lungs were able to move more freely. See, that's what I do.

That's what I do.

That's what I do.

The feminine ear, that's what she does. She's good for his peace, legacy, and his portfolio.

You wanna know something that's dope? Your numbers didn't go down since I came on. I was seeing if they would go up or down. We was able to keep the retention here, baby. This is awesome. No, but seriously, I just popped in. I'm seriously all aboard to tell you that I'm proud of you.

Thank you.

And, and I love the woman that you are. And I don't agree with everything that you say, but if I agreed with everything that you said, I would thwart the opportunity to learn. The more we disagree, the more I'm able to learn. I trust you and I know you mean the best for me. So it holds my attention long enough for me to be able to learn from you. And I'm serious. I'm very grateful For what you do. You're beautiful, you're elegant, you're well-spoken, and you're able to even say when you wrong. And that's what I've been trying to do a better job. Between me and you, I got— I almost got into it at a speaking event a couple of, couple of days ago, and everybody was trying to hold me. I was like, no, you all need to see 2 Black men in conflict, and you need to see us work it out in real time. Yeah, I'm pissed off, and I was supposed to be on a plane. I said, I'm not going to leave until I calm down.

Mm.

You all need— and then the judge, the white judge from Clayton County was there. And I turned over and I looked to him and I said, how many Black men wouldn't be in prison right now if they had 4 minutes to breathe?

Hmm.

I need 4 minutes to breathe. I believe this man disrespected me. I let him know how I felt about that disrespect, but I'm not going to leave you all seeing me angry. You all need to see me resolve this. And I told the women, sit down. This don't have nothing to do— these two grown-ass men, and we need to learn to work this out together. And man, it end up, end up being the biggest blessing because we walked away. I still don't agree with what he said to me and how he handled me. But I was able to show these kids that it's okay for you to stand on something because what they really want is our Black bodies and nothing else about the Black spirit or soul. White people have known that they fucked up. And what white people really can't register is that black people actually fuck with them. If we would have done a quarter of what they did to us, they would kill every black person on this planet. They know they deserve to be— all of them, they know what they deserve.

And I think that's what they're afraid of. They're afraid that we're going to do it. But it's not in our nature to just be like— I mean, it's, it's not. It's just not.

So listen, I'll do your podcast if you let me kiss the side of your face. And bite your ear. Oh, but it got to be on camera though.

See, then I ain't gonna never get no husband because I ain't gonna never get no husband if you do that.

Baby, most of these Negroes scared of you anyway. Don't worry about that. Me, I ain't got nothing to do— matter of fact, if you let them see me bite on you, that's gonna make them want you even more. A man with a ring on is much more, much more attractive to single women. I'd be talking about that shit.

I know.

No, baby, but you be blessed. I'm proud of you. That's the real reason why. I didn't even know we was gonna talk to us.

Well, congratulations to you. I hope you win because you him. You are himothy. And I can't wait to see what you're going to be looking like because I know you're going to be looking good, honey.

All that tapping going through the system. I hope you make it. Bye.