Many musical stories have a beginning in the state of Texas. There have been a few in recent years who have inspired featured artist Erica Banks. Banks lists Asian Da Brat, Yella Beezy, Cuban Doll, and Tay Money as sources of regional inspiration. “Just seeing them come out of my city from up the street basically,” she explains, “it’s like — well, damn, if they can do it, let me see if I can do it.” Erica Banks provides a story that will help many very young artists who wish to also become the next “big thing” from Texas. Therefore we will start where Weekly Music Commentary normally tells the story, at the beginning.
Erica Banks was born and raised in DeSoto, Texas. DeSoto is a suburb of Dallas and is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, and Lancaster. An aspiring poet since elementary school, she graduated from journals to slams to, by the age of 12, freestyling for small crowds of kids during recess. What happened next made perfect sense. “I always said music is poetry, so I decided to just tap into that,” she says. By the time she hit high school, Banks was making music while pursuing other interests that would benefit her in the long run. She joined her school’s theatre arts class, as well as the cheerleading and drill teams, perfecting her presence. “I always liked the limelight,” she adds.
If any of you reading this article have goals of a musical career, it’s always very good to start early. Just viewing her story makes me aim the conversation toward parents of talented children. Those activities throughout school are things that lay the groundwork for what comes next in life. I look back to my own school days that prove this fact. Even though I did not grow up to become a musical superstar, you must realize I did not have those goals in school. However, those days of the marching band performances certainly helped me get a start musically and otherwise.
Banks definitely enjoyed a well-rounded school experience. All of those things that we all went through provided us with tools necessary to build upon. Not just musical careers, but artistic outlets build confidence for times in life where a person might need to operate in front of others. Sometimes even a very large audience. I loved my parents approach. They allowed me to be a kid and enjoy those activities, then grow up healthy and happy.
After her years in high school, Erica Banks made her way to Texas A&M University – Commerce. Not to study music though. She enrolled in nursing school. While there she recorded her first songs, leading to her to decide to drop out during her sophomore year to pursue her music career.
In 2018, she posted her first single to SoundCloud, a fitting introduction called “Talk My Shit” that showcased her charismatic delivery over sparse, piano-led production. “I was just walking out on faith,” Banks admits, “hoping things happened for me.” Soon enough, they did.
Banks followed that momentum with her debut mixtape, the booming Art of the Hustle, and then two more — Pressure and Cocky on Purpose — all in 2019. By 2020, she landed her first deal, with Texas’ tastemaking 1501 Certified Entertainment. On June 19, 2020, Banks released her self-titled fourth mixtape through 1501 Certified. The mixtape spawned the singles, including a full version of the song “Buss It”, and “Give Me That”, the former of which became Banks’s breakout song in January 2021 after becoming the subject of a viral trend on the video-sharing platform TikTok, giving her her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
When “Buss It” hit, it left a major mark on the musical scene with most folks not asking the question, Who Is Erika Banks? There may be quite a few of you reading this post who still don’t know anything about Erica Banks. That’s okay. I understand how that might happen if you really don’t pay attention to rap music or social media. Nevertheless, “Buss It” was everywhere and it became a big hit. “Buss It” just proved to the world what Texas already knew: Erica Banks is a real rap spitter who knows an undeniable bop when she makes one. “I have a good ear for music,” says the Dallas MC, with an earned confidence beyond her 22 years. “I know what’s best for me.”
That standout anthem from her self-titled 2020 mixtape took on a life of its own in 2021 after a fan created a dance challenge for it on January 1. By the end of the day it was the soundtrack to about 5,000 TikTok videos. A week later, it was 1 million. Even artists and actors like Monica, Rico Nasty, and Tracee Ellis Ross picked up the challenge.
Remember, Erica said “I know what’s best for me”. That’s very true. However, she knows a little more. I remember something I learned while recording music. An engineer explained it was a good idea to listen to your tracts on different machines. Listen to your music coming from various speakers. It helps you to get a feel for what music fans will hear. You could say she’s been perfecting her style over three years of hotly tipped mixtapes and quickly shared freestyle videos, but Banks came out swinging from the start and now has the growing fame and clout to underwrite her tales of lust and luxury, beastly brags, and withering disses. No hook needed.
Banks has listed American rappers Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj among her musical inspirations, also naming rappers Asian Doll and Cuban Doll as influential on her music and image. There’s nothing wrong with following those footsteps. Of course, Erica Banks must now make her own way in a still male dominated musical genre. She’s helping to kick that door wide open. There have been many comparisons to Megan Thee Stallion; Texas rapper with bold lyrics. Remember, I don’t like comparisons, and any similarities end right there for me. Both Erica and Megan will make their own journeys.
I get the feeling that this is just the beginning for Erica Banks. It seems that the young rapper is another female artists who will bring the changes needed for all female artists. As I have thought in the past, there’s a strong wind blowing and it’s bringing big change. Now the whole world knows.