We recently connected with Anthony Banks Jr. and have shared our conversation below.
Anthony, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
First of all, I’d like to start of saying that, I appreciate my parents for giving me the opportunity to see what it means to be in the position I am, to be speaking here with you today. It’s a greater feeling to honor the sacrifices made from our parents, to give us life. Some of us, unfortunately, may have never witnessed that fully. That’s never to be negated. On the other hand, as far as what I’ve become in the likeliness of my parents thru work ethics, I’d say I’d been gifted with the punctuality, the push, and the peace that corresponds with a hustler’s view on maintaining thru independency and hardship. Ya, know? Ever heard the term, “Pressure makes diamonds”? It’s that kind of thing. Growing up around my father, A.D. Banks, Sr., “YAK DADDY” (Yak, short for Kayak, Pop’s favorite niche besides construction), it was something to be expected as far me to have that drive to being where I’m at. I can recall times, when I was a young lad, I’d be struggling on pulling or prying the nails from a sawed-off two by four, around 5 or 6 years old for sure. Watching this man, build homes from the ground up literally was the calling for me to do something great. It was the structure that had me. Pop’s was in the military, served and held his commitment as one of the ‘Sea-Bees’, so having that part of me, to where I understood or had to understand life, came different when you had to adapt to just “how it is”. …and then you have my dearest, my mother, Pamela “Momma Love” Unukogbon, formally Banks, respectfully; teaching me the way on how to manage on what you have already in motion as in allocating finances and pushing to invest within your means. Growing up, I used to watch my mother jackpot heavy from what she used to pull, as in what she’d earn thru doing hair as one of the greatest cosmetologists on the Gulf coast, with her own business, and slogan known as, “Style’s By Pam”. Just watching both of my parents and seeing how they BOTH can make well out of an tough situation, learning the hustle thru the struggle have done me justice, to getting to where I am now. I can go on and tell or even talk about the struggle, and really have much to go on as far as me witnessing on what to do, easily, but there’s always an ultimatum. We can glorify the good, as well as what most of us are capable of speaking, we know, the bad. I appreciate everything from both of my parents.
Anthony, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Born and raised, Anthony Banks, Jr., also, known by other aliases, ‘Ant’, ‘Tee’, or even ‘Yoshiyah’, as I practice and live my way of life thru the means of the ‘Torah’. So if I, at any moment, give thanks or gratitude, out of nowhere, please know, it’s how it is for me, respectfully. My mother always said, “Son never be afraid of men’s faces,” and I take that and apply it to every aspect of my life. I’m currently on a journey, to use my gift in music to push and create a way to attach myself to what’s been in the works for me, thru the favor of the Most High, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It’s been a long time coming to be back in the position to speak on the things that have pushed me to wanting to become one of the greats in the hip hop realm. I can definitely say, that I have purpose with purpose in to pushing messages to our listeners thru the means of good music, that’s relatable to each it’s own. Being from Houston, not born or raised there, but having altogether a decade under my belt in the Astro City, I claim the culture. The culture that we all know from the man himself as, DJ Screw. Coming up as a kid in the muddiest parts of Mississippi, it wasn’t far fetched on hearing the sounds of Texas bumping thru the speakers from folks riding down I-10 and the inner parts of the city, while giving the gratitude to Screw and for what he did in the music world, creating the slow chopped-and-screwed experience he bought to Houston, til this present day. I also appreciate all of my solid people who I’ve came across in Houston, who held me down, and showed me the way of the hospitality HOUSTON have embedded in my heart. The list is BIG!!! Well, I have the time and patience to show my gratitude and respects for whom it’s deserving for. I’m going to give the old fashion way of listing my ‘ones’ as we say. BIG SHOUTOUTS TO POPS AND DEAR!!! Dear you’ve helped pave the way for me and played in a major part in my life since age 11 to my present day. It’s love and I’m happy you’re truly happy with my father “YAK DADDY”. It’s love from all the family in TEXAS AND LOUISIANA being all in one. BIG SHOUTOUTS to my long time friend, my big brother, my elder brother in truth, YAHOWSHUA (Carl Jones) and HIS FAMILY (Man-Man, Mrs. Angela Spikes, Little Carl, Dee, KeKe, Irie, Skie, and all who’s connected to my dearest, family)… C’mon CHAZAK (Richard Greene) formerly known as ‘Pryme Tyme’ from the vintage Swishahouse Ent. Big Cuz, one of the ones who’ve held me down and showed me the way of the streets of HOUSTON. CHAZAK MAKE SURE GRANDMA SEES THIS, and it’s love to you and your family as well. TRILL!!!! And CHAZA’ EL “The Dawg”, wherever you are, it’s still love ahki. Let’s return and push what we know and that’s truth!!!! I went out of my way by expressing the ones above first because, Me, my two brothers Yahowshua and Chaza’El “The Dawg” had it rough together as three Hebrew brothers who professed the teachings of Torah, all under one roof off on Janisch Rd. in STUDEWOOD, on the northside of the inner city of HOUSTON. There we all caught that “GODDAM BURN”. A term we came up with that expressed the chaos we faced in the trenches for real. We see it as being tried in the furnace of affliction as mentioned in Isaiah 48:10. All was well and still to this present day we use the term “BURN”. lol man my brothers can attest to this… I pray that this manifest in our betterment for open doors to come for us. Its love. But back to my people who kept it solid alongside of my journey of where I’m at and headed to now, from then I met one of my realist brothers I’ve ever came across and this guy was small in stature but had the heart of a true OG. NOE ZAVALA, my dog, my brother, and one of them boys. NOE it’s love and I appreciate everything and your family is beyond beautiful. It’s love from me to all my Hispanic family just thru the gateway of me and my man’s brotherhood. SHOUTOUTS TO TRIPLE D. RAY SESSIONS, my childhood brother… I know you live in DALLAS and I couldn’t help but to acknowledge and cherish the times shared as childhood brothers on a mission since the sandbox in ORANGEGROVE, MS. AYO JAY JAY, big shoutouts to you and the family. Your mother was the definition of love. Your brother Tank was silly as always and Alex we gone rematch our one on one and IM GETTING BUCKETS! It’s love Jay Jay Whitlock!!! It’s all not an order but it’s still people I couldn’t forget nor negate. Then we got my boy PABLO UMANA!! This one is a heavy hitter and I mean one who’s always been there for me. I appreciate everything bro!!! Our time is near!!! And I wouldn’t have met my boy TRAE-STUDEWOOD-HAZE, if it wasn’t for my brother PABLO “HOUSTON BEAST” UMANA. Trae, you’ve been TRILL and about STRICTLY HUSTLE since we first met. Let’s keep HOUSTON HEAVY!!! TRILL!!! My other bro WU, it’s love my boy, keep it solid and continue to grow and develop cause you have purpose. Your son is a young king and will be as great as his father as a man who keeps his word. It’s love brother. HOTBOY GUAPO…. Man it’s been a minute but I still won’t forget how you were as a solid brother. If it wasn’t for you keeping your word and standing on business, I wouldn’t have never met Sauce Walka’s engineer. Aye I learned a lot from you brother, and it’s out in the atmosphere that we’ll cross paths soon again. It’s love homie…. These are all of my Houston based family and a few of my childhood relatives who I claim, who I’ve met and got to grow with as for building relationships within the brotherhood at hand. They all have played a part of who I am today and I’d be less of a man if I didn’t commit to atleast giving them a platform alongside with me to be heard. We the voice and it’s love. Yes, I have my beautiful wife and two sons who have been apart of my journey thus far and it’s love and I’ll always play my position as a man to lead my family as your father would’ve expected. It’s love and BIG SHOUTOUTS TO THE NYC. My extension of my wife’s family dwelling in CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN. I LOVE YOU EMA!!!! To my siblings THRU LAW, it’s love. ….and you know I gotta save the best for last… my twin, my sister Nikkita “Twin”, I appreciate how you’ve dedicated yourself into helping to raise me as a lil one, years ago. You’ve held me down. We’ve fallen out and still have our mother to share. From struggling together in Houston and managing to still resurface, WE THAT. ITS LOVE ANTONEO, hold it down. LIL JOHNNY, UNK is happy and proud of you. FREE NEHO. Your redemption is coming. RIP DELYN. You’ll always be missed. Y’all know what it is. All of these people have played an important role in my life and it’s love.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
It was and still is pride. We all know that “PRIDE GOETH BEFORE DESTRUCTION” and we must be willing to first accept that. One you began to decompress yourself and start to expel the hurt, which is pride, you’ll began to heal. That’s the way out. It’s to unlearn the mistake that became part of what you’ve learned, and that was to be ok and done with your mistake, then you empty the garbage and now you refill the pride with the essentials needed to now learn the difference now. See unlearn what’s keeping you back to learn what can drive you forward. It’s simple. That’s why brothers such as I are here. To help and plant the seeds needed.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Well, for one, being able to be different. Having that ability to adapt to a particular situation or environment hence experiencing the faults of how life can curve towards you. This is bigger than my craft and understanding in music. This is dealing with everything that includes itself in the life we all know. Versatility is key and then adaptability opens that door with that key inserted.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trillmantee?igsh=MTlseW5tM2o4bzdycQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556321936203
- Linkedin: linktr.ee/trillmantee?utm_source=linktree_admin_share
- Other: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/trillmantee/1729300853
