Ant Banks

Ant Banks

Biography

As a child he took part in a band at 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 like Parliament, Funkadelic and The Gap Band on his Casio keyboard. Interested in making music, he would create beats and record his own versions for fun. Banks would later record tapes with his friend, Oakland rapper MC Ant, and sell them at their high school out the trunk. 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 town.

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 rapper Spice 1, which was later released in 1991 through Triad Records. Along with the releases of Pooh-Man and Dangerous 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 the Bay Area hip-hop scene by the early ’90s.

He has produced songs for Too Short, E-40, Spice 1, Snoop Dogg and 3X Krazy to name a few. In 1993, he engaged in a beef with Oakland rapper Pooh-Man.

In 1999 Banks started a group T.W.D.Y. (acronym for “The Whole Damn Yay”). Banks himself, Rappin’ 4-Tay and Captain Save’m were the original members. Their debut album Derty Werk was released in 1999 and contained the single “Players Holiday”, featuring Too Short, Mac Mall, Otis & Shug. The single received a lot of radio play. Also, Ant Banks settled his long time beef with Pooh-Man when they appeared together on the track, “Ride Wit Me”. In 2000, T.W.D.Y. released their second and final album Lead the Way; Ant Banks and Captain Save’m remained while Dolla Will replaced Rappin’ 4-Tay.

Discography
	Ant Banks – Sittin’ On Somethin’ Phat	Jive	1993
	Ant Banks – The Big Badass	Jive	1994
	Ant Banks – Do Or Die	Jive	1995
	Ant Banks – Big Thangs	Priority Records	1997
	The Best Of Ant Banks	Jive	1998
Guest Appearances
	Out To The Bitches M.C. Pooh – Life Of A Criminal	FBI Recordings	1990
	Racia Pooh-Man - Funky As I Wanna Be	Jive	1992
	Gotta Be The Bomb Dangerous Dame - Same Ole Dame	T-Cap Records	1992
	Something To Ride To Too $hort - Shorty The Pimp	Jive	1992
	Clip & The Trigga Spice 1 - 187 He Wrote	Jive	1993
	All My Bitches Are Gone Too $hort - Get In Where You Fit In	Jive	1993
	Pimp Of The Year Dru Down - Explicit Game	Relativity	1994
	Town Put Goldy On Top Goldy - In The Land Of Funk	Jive	1994
	Snitch Killas Spice 1 – 1990-Sick	Jive	1994
	The Bomb Rappin’ Ron & Ant Diddley Dog - Bad N-Fluenz	Cell Block Records	1995
	Can I Get A Bitch Too $hort - Cocktails	Jive	1995
	Just Loungin Part I C.R.I.S.I.S. - Crazy Real Insane Soldiers In Sacramento	N-Season Records	1996
	Rapper’s Ball E-40 - Tha Hall Of Game	Jive	1996
	Faulty Characteristics 187 Fac - Fac Not Fiction	Penalty Recordings	1997
	Recognize Game Spice 1 - The Black Bossalini (aka Dr. Bomb From Da Bay)	Jive	1997
	Can Ya Feel Me Rappin’ 4-Tay - Bigga Than Da Game	Rag Top Records	1998
	Nigga Called Ren MC Ren – Ruthless For Life	Ruthless Records	1998
	Hope I Don’t Go Back E-40 - The Element Of Surprise	Jive	1998
	What Happened To The Ghetto Too $hort - Can’t Stay Away	Jive, $hort Records	1999
	Earl That’s Yo’ Life E-40 - Charlie Hustle: Blueprint Of A Self-Made Millionaire	Jive	1999
	Players Holiday T.W.D.Y. - Derty Werk	Thump Records	1999
	Poppa Was A Soldier Baby DC – School Dayz	$hort Records	1999
	Poppa Was A Soldier Too $hort - Nation Riders Mixtape Volume 1	$hort Records, Jive	1999
	Out To Get More Captain Save ‘Em – My Cape Is In The Cleaners	Just Wiggins Entertainment	2000
	Drank, Weed, Sex Keak Da Sneak – Hi-Tek	Moe Doe Entertainment	2001
	Pooh-Man – Fuckin Wit Dank 2001	Killa Kali Records	2001
	Talkin’ Shit Too $hort – Chase The Cat	Jive	2001
	No Win Situation Keak Da Sneak – The Appearances Of…	Moe Doe Records	2001
	To Killa G Spice 1 – Hits 3	Mobb Status Entertainment	2002
	Cali-O Too $hort – What’s My Favorite Word?	Jive	2002
	Xstacy Delinquents – Mix CD Vol. 1	Dank Or Die Records	2003
	I’m A Player The Team – World Premiere	Moe Doe Entertainment	2005
	Oakland V-White – Perfect Timin’	SMC Recordings	2007
Compilations
	Only The Strong Survive Menace II Society (The Soundtrack)	Jive	1993
	Anything Can Happen B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret	Immortal Records	1994
	Pass Da Dank Murder Squad Nationwide	DJ West	1995
	Big Dick (Screwed) DJ Screw – 3 ‘N The Mornin’ (Part One)	Bigtyme Recordz	1995
	Check Ya Self America Is Dying Slowly	EastWest	1996
	Intro The Gruuvelyne Connection – Tyme II Ryde	Gruuvelyne Records	1997
	Loc-N-Load Notorious: Pimps, Playa’s & Hustlas	Loc-N-Load Records	1997
	The Bomb Cell Block Compilation: Face/Off	Cell Block Records	1998
	Something Like That N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton (10th Anniversary)	Priority Records	1998
	D-Day Anti-Sober	Relentless Records	1999
	It’s Going On Comp Files	Spread Your Hustle, Snake Pit Records	1999
	Roll Em Phat Southern Rollers – Big Gamin’	Beast Records	1999
	I Like This Poetic-1 & D-Diggs – Sex, Drugs & Rap	Mobb Status Entertainment	1999
	Drink On Me Chronic 2000: Still Smokin	Death Row Records	1999
	Players Holiday Nuthin’ But A Gangsta Party	Priority Records	2000
	Still In The Game DJ Screw – 3 ‘N The Mornin’ (Part Two) (Remix)	Bigtyme Recordz	2001
	Super Pimpin’ Big Pimpin	Priority Records	2002
	Ecstacy Captain Save A Hoe Presents Freaky Tales	Free Agent Records	2002
	Life Styles Bay 2 L.A.: West Side Badboys 2	Snake Pit Records	2002
	Spice 1 Wit Da Banksta Ice-T Presents Westside	Obsessive	2002
	The Big Badass Best Of Da Bay: A Series Of Slaps	Jive	2006
	Live N Oakland Frenchbraids Presents Oakland Gone Wild	French Braids Entertainment	2008
	4 Tha Hustlas Snoop Dogg Presents The West Coast Blueprint	Priority Records	2010