There’s power in numbers and that’s something David Banner is going to be relying on from those wanting change in our present-day culture. No more taking advantage of artists as the veteran MC is tired of people in the industry being played as “characters in a video game” and not having full control of their work. That’s why on May 22, the Mississippi native –who says this is the best year in his whole entire life– is going to release a free independent album entitled Sex, Drugs, & Video Games featuring some of the biggest names in music such as Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Snoop Dogg, Game, Big K.R.I.T and more. It’s a free download, but there’s also a tiny catch. Banner started this 2M1 movement with the confidence that two million people will download the album and the same two million will donate at least $1 to strengthen the movement of finally being in full control of your own work. The success of this project in what Banner calls, “Life and death” is something the industry and business leaders will keep an eye out for as this could bring on a new change in the way people handle their business strategies. Confident that the goal will be met, Banner’s going to shoot a movie that will drop on May 22, 2013 with a portion going to charity. Hearing Banner speak is somewhat motivational speaker-esque as he’s knowledgeable about the issues we face in our culture and is passionately working for change. He’s about to embark on a make-or-break project with all eyes on him and KarenCivil.com recently got the chance to catch up with Banner and talk about hip-hop’s landscape and its future.

Interview by Michael Nguyen