(AllHipHop News) Rapper/producer David Banner and producer 9th Wonder revealed details about their highly anticipated collaborative album, Death Of A Pop Star. The album was originally supposed to be a mixtape, but soon evolved into a full album due to both producers’ feelings about the state of the industry and music in general, which they feel has been devalued for style, over substance. “9th Wonder is probably one of the most soulful cats in our generation,” Banner told AllHipHop.com. “Death Of A Pop Star is needed for a balance in the music landscape right now, just like 2 Live Crew and A Tribe Called Quest were once needed at the same time.”Both 9th Wonder and David Banner are highly sought after producers. While 9th has worked with artists like Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Lloyd Banks and Ludacris, David Banner’s resume is also impressive, having created tracks for T.I., Lil Wayne, Mary, Mary and most recently, the new non-Hip-Hop Gatorade theme song, “Evolve.”According to 9th, the pair shared a chemistry that forced them to scrap the mixtape concept and make Death Of A Pop Star a full length release. “David Banner and I both share the same views on topics such as manhood, being black in America in present day, and the state of black music in general. David and I hash out a lot of options before we actually do a song. Once we get past all the options, the end result is always clear,” 9th said of the album. According to David Banner, their relationship and the resulting album progressed so well that Death Of A Pop Star may be an ongoing series. “Who knows what concept Death Of A Pop Star may be in the future, next year it might be Lil Wayne and Pete Rock. 9th Wonder and I would still oversee it, but we don’t know what it’s gonna be,” David Banner said. “This concept is bigger than hip-hop music. It shows us that young people do have soul.” Death Of A Pop Star is due in stores on Big Face Entertainment this summer.
