Few hip-hop artists have made a consistent yin-and-yang of musicianship and activism since the glory days of Public Enemy. But with Before the Box, a prelude to his next LP The God Box, David Banner isn't just shouldering the plight of African-Americans, but matching PE's fervour in the process.
Those familiar with Yo! Bum Rush the Show will appreciate Box's opening cut, "My Uzi," on which Jackson, MS natives Banner and Big K.R.I.T. lash out at racism and police brutality in Black Panther-esque fashion. The track sets the tone for the near-entirety of the release, which follows with "Black Fist" and "Evil Knievil," where Banner asserts his cause over Seige Monstracity's piano and hard-hitting drums: "I was on my way to heaven, but I stopped and turned around for my people." The MC's style is aggressive and unrelenting, befitting his anti-establishment bars (particularly on "Black Liberation Theology" and "Pain"), and the production, which occasionally flirts with trap, aptly rounds out his musical crusade.
While Banner makes his dual role of artist and activist plain as day, Before the Box suffers from a few deviations in its quest. The acoustic guitar-laced "Marry Me," while deftly produced, is an awkward follow-up to the handful of Black Power-fuelled tracks preceding it, while "Amazing," featuring Chris Brown, another addition to Banner's cache of sex-themed cuts, brings the album's focus to a screeching halt.
Before the Box isn't without its kinks, but Banner is one of few in his genre to channel his work toward something greater than himself. Expect The God Box, due out in May, to further the Mississippi native's cause.
(Independent)Those familiar with Yo! Bum Rush the Show will appreciate Box's opening cut, "My Uzi," on which Jackson, MS natives Banner and Big K.R.I.T. lash out at racism and police brutality in Black Panther-esque fashion. The track sets the tone for the near-entirety of the release, which follows with "Black Fist" and "Evil Knievil," where Banner asserts his cause over Seige Monstracity's piano and hard-hitting drums: "I was on my way to heaven, but I stopped and turned around for my people." The MC's style is aggressive and unrelenting, befitting his anti-establishment bars (particularly on "Black Liberation Theology" and "Pain"), and the production, which occasionally flirts with trap, aptly rounds out his musical crusade.
While Banner makes his dual role of artist and activist plain as day, Before the Box suffers from a few deviations in its quest. The acoustic guitar-laced "Marry Me," while deftly produced, is an awkward follow-up to the handful of Black Power-fuelled tracks preceding it, while "Amazing," featuring Chris Brown, another addition to Banner's cache of sex-themed cuts, brings the album's focus to a screeching halt.
Before the Box isn't without its kinks, but Banner is one of few in his genre to channel his work toward something greater than himself. Expect The God Box, due out in May, to further the Mississippi native's cause.
