David Banner Donates Studio to the Boys and Girls Club in Mississippi

David Banner, the producer and rapper from Mississippi who has long been vocal on a variety of sociopolitical issues, is making concrete strides toward bettering his home state. According to the Charlotte Observer, Banner has donated a recording studio to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Mississippi.

Located in Jackson, his hometown, the studio is in a converted office space that overlooks a bank of basketball courts where Banner often played as a child. It was announced as party of the city's ninth annual Heal the Hood at Christmas initiative, where he also gave out gifts to more than 350 kids and their families.

"I come back because I love the way I feel when I come in here," Banner said at the time. "Now you see that I can give back, hopefully one of y'all can get popping from this studio and come back and give some more money."

The space itself includes a full Pro Tools suite and a soundproof both, and was designed by the hometown producer Leroy Jones, who has worked with Boosie BadAzz, Scarface and others.

Boys & Girls Club president and CEO Penney Ainsworth was optimistic about the effects the studio space might have on the children and teens she oversees: "They're going to learn to write, make beats and marry the two before going into the sound booth. We're going to teach them computer skills and show how that affects everyday life. Hopefully we'll get some David Banners out of here, some producers and songwriters out of here."

Banner is putting the finishing touches on his eighth album, The God Box, due out next year.