It made me feel like if people from my city can make it, maybe I can too.ĭo you still have family living in Desoto and South Dallas? Seeing rap artists out of Dallas, inspired me to want to do music. What did you think the possibilities were while living and working in South Dallas? Banks spoke with about her place in the legacy of South Dallas rap, her city and dreams. Dorrough, specifically, is from neighboring Lancaster and inspired a young Banks to get out of her hood and into the music spotlight.īanks' is keeping busy: Her newest singles, ' Pop Out ' and ' Slim Waist ,' precedes an upcoming mixtape due this summer she just finished a tour opening for Summer Walker and is about to head out with T-Pain. Today, with mainstream hip-hop success, Banks joins a lineage of legendary South Dallas rap artists who have made it big: DSR, Big Tuck, Durrough, Yella Beezy, MO3, Fat Pimp, Asian Doll and the Queen of Dallas, Erykah Badu.

She spent years traveling on the weekends from Desoto, up I-35 to downtown Dallas, networking with DJs and clubs to get her music played. Yet Banks' rise isn't the result of an empty playing field her ability to utilize social media to generate cross-genre appeal has enabled the rapper to rise above others who call South Dallas home.īut Banks’ rise was far from overnight. There's a deep sense of pride, and competition, in the connecting cities of South Dallas - and Banks is the first rapper to rep Desoto. Most importantly, Banks makes music for women to feel good about themselves, and encourages them to seek out money, power and respect. She has a penchant for tempo - whether delivering a rapid-fire flow or a slow, and steady rhyme - while her lyricism seamlessly blends pop, R&B and rap influences. If there is anything plain about the cozy suburb she hails from, you can’t tell by Banks' stylish flow and insatiatiable drive for success. The trend vaulted 'Buss It' to the top of the charts and earned Banks a record deal with Warner Brothers and 1501 Certified Entertainment, where the song was re-released. The challenge saw girls and gays recording themselves nonchalantly grooving to Banks' song specifically the Nelly -sampled chorus of 'I think my butt getting big,' from 2002's 'Hot in Herre.' Once the beat dropped, the video would reveal its creator squatting in their best outfit, with nails done, hair did and a sultry stare at the camera. The 23-year-old rapper exploded out of the city’s everydayness with her 2020 hit, 'Buss It,' which dominated the airwaves and went viral on social media thanks to a TikTok challenge. 'It’s like a real city now!' as Banks tells it.

Entrepreneurs have opened renovated storefronts out of shuttered Blockbusters, hardware shops and CD stores.ĭesoto is a predominately African-American community and many young, white-collar professionals looking to start a family have moved there in the last decade. Shopping centers are filled with nail salons, wig shops and dollar store chains. If you were to visit Erica Banks' hometown in the quiet, welcoming South Dallas suburb of Desoto, Texas, you would be struck by the plainness of it all.

Erica banks