David Banner Drops ‘Magnolia’ with CeeLo Green and Raheem DeVaughn Ahead of ‘The God Box’ LP [LISTEN]
David Banner just released a powerful song with CeeLo Green and Raheem DeVaughn called "Magnolia," where Banner ties together the significance of Mississippi trees and slave history.
"I was sitting up under this tree, she was talking to me / Said 'son, do you happen to know who I am, who I happen to be?' / I told her the mighty Magnolia that stands tall / From the shoulders of slaves and soldiers when the days get colder," spit the Mississippi MC.
Then CeeLo comes in and delivers a potent verse of his own, while pleasing all those who miss him spitting bars instead of singing.
"Now this African-American officer was an undercover / Who lost a little brother because of a gang color / Which eventually accelerated the cancer that killed his mother / And he was married to a white woman that they called a n---- lover," rhymed Green.
Of course, Raheem adds some wonderful flavor on the cut as well.
"Magnolia" is the official single off Banner's forthcoming album The God Box, his first since Death of a Pop Star with 9th Wonder, released in 2010.
The new LP features a wide array of talent, including Big K.R.I.T., WatchtheDuck, Black Thought from The Roots and others. Dave also crafted half of the songs on the project and said it's meant to spark a lot of thought.
"It's more than an album," he said about The God Box in a statement. "It's sort of like a secret. It's something that people are going to have to come to their own conclusions on. Everyone will get something different out of the album, and I'll let the listener decide what that is."
The God Box drops on May 19, and you can listen to the "Magnolia" single below.