David Banner Goes Direct To Fans With Sex, Drugs & Video Games

Rapper David Banner is going direct to fans for support with the upcoming free (but please donate) release of Sex, Drugs & Video Games. In the process he's attempting to show that urban artists can take control of their own music and media activities. The album includes such major artists as Lil Wayne and Chris Brown as well as emerging stars such as A$AP Rocky and Big K.R.I.T. The download will be available for free with a suggested minimum donation of $1.

Banner is using the campaign as the first stage of what he's calling the 2M1 Movement as he's hoping to get 2 million fans to download the album and donate at least a dollar each. It's an interesting effort that seems to be much more than a publicity stunt and is definitely worth keeping an eye on if you're concerned with alternative approaches to the music business.

David Banner Goes D2F With 2M1 Movement

Banner's 2M1 Movement and initial release, Sex, Drugs & Video Games, is currently featured on the homepage of his website. The album will be released May 22nd via LiveMixtapes.com. In the above video he says that he is seeking to prove that "urban music is still a valuable entity." He points out that though he's asking for a minimum $1 donation, it's worth a lot more due to the artists involved:

"ASAP Rocky, Lil’ Wayne, Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, Game, Nipsey Hussle, 2 Chainz, Big K.R.I.T., Bun B, Don Trip, Maino, Kardinal Offishall, Doe Hicks, Luck and Savvy, Raheem DeVaughn, Kree, Ras Kass, J-Doe and Tank"

He also mentions that he'll be collecting emails and will then be able to go directly to his fans adding a "big shoutout" to Louie C.K. for providing inspiration. On the website he states:

"What’s the 'movement you may ask? THE 2M1 MOVEMENT IS TO START CONTROLLING OUR OWN MUSIC, MOVIES, AND CONTENT… PERIOD! WE ARE NOT SIMPLY CHARACTERS IN A VIDEO GAME being controlled by the invisible hand."

Banner elaborated on these statements in an interview with DJ Booth, including the fact that he objects to people calling this and similar releases mixtapes:

"I’m not calling it a mixtape because we have to stop lying to ourselves by calling them mixtapes. These are free albums we’ve been giving away as of lately. It’s all original music and original raps. These aren’t borrowed instrumentals."

Among a number of interesting comments, he also makes a point about the younger artists on the project as well as his views on the industry:

"These young cats are really focused and know exactly where they’re going. The thing that I hope to do is help motivate them and not only help them bring their vision to fruition, but help them avoid some of the negativity in this industry. Hopefully with this younger generation, we can control our vision."

"In most cases when dealing with major labels, they wait until we get hot and then we sell our vision to them, and we stop doing the things that helped get us to that point. Why sell ourselves to them when we’re already a business owner? We need to learn to control our visions. We need to understand what we created and more importantly, understand the power of it."

It will be interesting to see how hip hop and R&B fans respond to Banner's efforts especially given the ongoing deluge of free album length music releases in hip hop. One concern is that he's apparently offering the download on a mixtape site and asking for donations via his own site.

Given the psychological demotivating effects of having multiple steps to any voluntary project, the possiblity is that he's undermining the process by breaking it up.  In addition, the context of a free mixtape download site seems counterproductive.

Unfortunately, if such choices do undermine the donation process, it will most likely be read as David Banner making incorrect assumptions about his fans and those of the other artists on the release.

Hypebot Features Writer Clyde Smith blogs about business at Flux Research: Business & Revenue Models and about dance at All World Dance: News. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.