- Ant Banks
Infobox musical artist
Name = Anthony Banks
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Anthony Banks
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Born =Oakland ,California
Died =
Origin =
Instrument =
Genre =West Coast Hip-Hop
Occupation =Rapper , Producer
Years_active = 1987 – present
Label =
Associated_acts =Too Short ,Spice 1 ,The Dangerous Crew
URL =Anthony Banks, known simply as Ant Banks, is a producer and rapper from
Oakland, California .As a child he took band in school and from there learned to play a variety of instruments along the way. At school he only learned Classical, but at home he taught himself to play
Funk related music likeParliament ,Funkadelic andThe Gap Band on hisCasio keyboard. Interested in making music, he would create beats and record his own versions for fun. [http://www.dubcnn.com/interviews/antbanks/ dubcnn.com // Ant Banks Interview (August 2007) // West Coast News Network // ] ]Banks would later record tapes with his friend, Oakland rapper
MC Ant , and sell them at their high school and out the trunk of their cars. With the lyrics handled by MC Ant and the production by Ant Banks, buzz over the tapes eventually reached the streets, resulting in popularity throughout the city.In 1987, Banks recorded the debut album by MC Ant titled "The Great", which was later released in 1989 through Raw Dog Records. In 1989, he recorded the debut album "
Let It Be Known " by East Bay rapperSpice 1 , which was later released in 1991 through Triad Records. Along with the releases ofPooh-Man andDangerous Dame , Banks managed to sell in the range of 100,000 to 300,000 units with all four albums, without a record label or promotion. This turned him into a prominent figure in theBay Area hip-hop scene by the early '90s.He has produced songs for
Too Short ,MC Ren ,Spice 1 ,Ice Cube ,Ice-T , Goldy and others. He also produced songs forThe Dangerous Crew . In 1993, he engaged in a beef with Oakland rapperPooh-Man (AKA MC Pooh).In 1999 Banks launched his project group
T.W.D.Y. (The Whole Damn Yay).Rappin' 4-Tay andCaptain Save'm were the original members. Their debut album was Derty Werk. The album contains the singlePlayer's Holiday , featuringToo Short andMac Mall . The single received a lot of radio play. Also, Ant Banks settled his long time beef withPooh-Man when he appeared on the track "Ride Wit Me". In 2000, T.W.D.Y. released the album entitledLead The Way ; Ant Banks and Captain Save'm remained whileDolla Will replaced 4-Tay. [cite web |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/t-w-d-y |title=T.W.D.Y. |accessdate=2006-12-06]He is also known as "The Big Badass" and released an Album of that name in 1994. His talent for producing "funky" bass lines are well known and have achieved cross-over appreciation in the techno niche. The album liner for Daft Punk's album Homework gives a note of appreciation to Ant Banks for inspiration. The track "Teachers" has a clear Ant Banks influence with its distinctive dirty bass line.
He also produced the album "Same Ole Dame" by
Dangerous Dame , in 1992. [ [http://music-thingz.blogspot.com/2007/11/dangerous-dame-same-ol-dame-1992.html ::: Music Thingz :::: Dangerous Dame - Same ol Dame 1992 ] ]Discography
olo Albums
*1993: "
Sittin' On Somethin' Phat "
*1994: "The Big Badass "
*1995: "Do or Die"
*1997: "Big Thangs "With T.W.D.Y.
*1999: "
Derty Werk "
*2000: "Lead The Way"References
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