Posted on 09/20/2005

 

Jackson, Mississippi's poster child, David Banner, is back with his third solo offering, Certified. As usual, Banner produces most of his release, although Lil Jon, Jazzy Pha, and Mr. Collipark also contribute. And while his outspoken nature as of late regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (he's donated tons of time and money to helping the victims) is sure to help his public image, Certified suffers from the same dilemma that plagues all of Banner's releases: conflicting ideologies that prevent any sort of coherence or cohesion. On one hand—Banner is an introspective and spiritual MC, using his voice to fight social injustice. "Lost Souls", with its faint electric guitar riffs, explains why the criminals and sinners do what they do. Similarly, "X-ed" (which finds Banner reuniting with his former Crooked Lettaz partner, Kamikaze) addresses being neglected by the powers that be, over an uptempo crunk beat. The unlikely collaboration with Talib Kweli and dead prez, "Ridin'", the acoustic "My Life", and the straight-on hard-rock track "Crossroads" all feature rebellious and intelligent lyrics that really further Banner as an artist.



n the other hand—Banner is a sexual deviant caught up in the hip-hop lifestyle: barely doing more than the Ying Yang Twins to improve a listener's IQ level. "Play", the sequel to "Wait (The Whisper Song)", features Banner whispering all sorts of sexual banter too obscene for print, over a boring beat that was probably made in 10 minutes. How this type of song gets made, much less becomes popular, is beyond all comprehension. Equally tasteless is the Jazzy Pha assisted "F***ing", which is about, well, you know.

"Certified" is an inconsistent effort from an artist still unsure of who he wants to be, or what type of music he wants to make. While tracks like the Twista-assisted "On Everything" and "Certified" are original and entertaining, songs like "2 Fingers" lack creativity and sound like everything else coming from the south, and hip hop in general.