David Banner credits T.I. as the key figure who helped him become a “million-dollar producer.”
Speaking on Club Shay Shay (around the 1:35 mark), Banner reflected on how their connection came to be and the major role Tip played in elevating his career.
“He came early, if you think about it,” Banner said. “Bro, I was so blessed because what people don’t know is I produced ‘Thug Holiday’ for Trick Daddy — but nobody knew who David Banner was at the time. I couldn’t even capitalize off it. I wasn’t in the video, nothing.”
He went on to explain how that all changed with T.I. “‘Rubber Band Man’ changed everything for me. T.I. is the person who made me a million-dollar producer,” Banner said.
He also gave Tip props for changing the game for beatmakers, adding, “He’s also — and people won’t admit this — the reason why producers can put their tags on beats that play on the radio.”
David Banner broke down why tagging beats is such a game-changer for producers — especially when it comes to getting paid what they’re worth.
“My tag was on my beats way before ‘Rubber Band Man,’ but radio stations used to shave it off,” Banner revealed. “T.I. called [the stations] and said, ‘Don’t touch my music, that boy worked hard.’”
He explained that his inspiration came from how Jay-Z used to shout out producers in his songs. “Jay-Z would be like ‘Kanye, you a fool! Just Blaze, you did it again!’ And every time he said their names, they could charge $10,000 extra,” Banner noted. “But Southern rappers would hide their producers.”
Banner proudly claimed he helped normalize putting producer tags before beats on a mainstream level. “I’m not gonna let them look over me,” he said, reflecting on his determination to be seen and credited properly.
In a separate interview with Essence back in May, Banner got candid about his mental health journey. “There’s this pressure of being perfect or not being allowed to make a mistake,” he shared. “That can make anyone depressed, and I was in it.”
