Tank And The Bangas are to release the highly anticipated final installation to the “Balloon” trilogy with their album, The Last Balloon.
AD: You guys just mentioned, you know, stepping outside the box, going against the grain. And that’s essentially what it means to be alternative. Do you consider yourselves alternative black people, and what’s it like navigating that in a society that’s currently telling us to dim ourselves?
Tank: We definitely are a bit alternative.
Norman: All right. All right.
Tank: We don’t care about the dim, honestly. We don’t really care about it. You know, I remember, I was on stage, even just saying, I just love me some black people, and just repeated it over and over. Then I got off the stage, like, the woman was like,โ Next time, letโs say โI love me all people.โโ And I was like, Nah, I’m gonna say this part, because in music today, especially music that’s popular, black music that’s popular, the self hate is very loud. So the self love needs to be even louder. So there’s just what that is. Um, yeah, that’s just, that’s just what that is. We just really do what we want. We just really do what we want.
Norman: We are honest people, we gonna express ourselves, and I think that you can’t, you can’t, if you dim that, you’re doing the disservice to yourself. And I’ve been guilty of that myself. There’s plenty, plenty, but at the same time, you know, we ought to be as honest and open and pour out everything. That’s been deposited in this. You know what I mean? So, trying to be spent, you know, so we just try to…
Tank: And it could be challenging because in this world, in this, in this very interesting age, to be negative is to be positive.
Norman: Sad.
Tank: To be a negative is to be positive. It’s insane. And it’s all our air waves are feeding unto us. And just to have joy and be intentional about saying some, you know, a little more positive than usual or not just constantly talking about, โHe played meโ, you know, likeโฆ Oh, like, you have all these subject that matters that we, like, really touch on. Sometimes I tell, like, sometimes I be like, we be talking about a lot of little stuff, not just, you know, what we going through in our relationships.
That’s actually an act of resilience, you know what I’m saying? Resistance, which is so interesting, just to speak about joy and positivity and seeing little black children laughing and talking about your mama. Like, that’s interesting. So, like, yeah, so that’s alternative at this point. Ain’t that crazy? Because if we was born during the time of The Stylistics, you know what I’m saying? The Delfonics and The Tymes, we would be right in line. But we’re not.
AD: Speaking of, you know, wanting to wanting to spread joy, and, you know, just spreading your message, many artists nowadays are expressing difficulty creating and showing off their skills and their art due to the political state of the world. Do you guys also, you know, feel like you’re having troubles with this or what advice would you have to give to any of the artists?
Norman: Gotta be careful, for real. You do. Because, I mean, it ain’t nothing for them to, you say something, you say too much, and now don’t nobody see you no more on the internet. You know what I mean? Shadow ban. I think they call something it like that. Don’t know. But, um, it’s like it’s a lot to be said, a lot could be said. But it’s also real forces out there blocking speech. So be strategic, you know?
Um, it’s funny how we was just talking about the old music Tank brought up. Back in the day, they were talking about fucking a lot, you know what I mean? But we didn’t know it, because they were wording it in a way. You know, and even to go back further, some of this negro spirituals was given directions. You know what I mean? So, I say, just be careful and strategic. Say what’s gonna be said to the people that’s gonna understand it in that language. And hopefully, you know, you slip through and get your message on. I mean, other than that, you know, you just go hard and live or die for it, you know?
Tank: Definitely. They have a lot of different blowhorns out there. You know what I’m saying? Before you watch the news, you’ll sit down and watch a girl on TikTok in her bonnet do the news. You know what I’m saying? Like, it’s just very different the way that we are ingesting it. And you just have to be strategic if you want your message heard, if you want your voice listened to. And we choose to do it artistically, you know? That’s, and, um, and we, we happen to have these beautiful platforms where we are literally at the festivals, where we literally at the clubs, and they can pass it on, and we’ve always put it in our music. We just did it in our music, you know?
Norman: It was a revolution. It was music to back the whole revolution. All of them. So, yeah, I say, just go hard. If we talk to them artists, go for it. Go for it. Put it all out there.
Tank: The beautiful part about today, like, it’s like a literally beautiful and ugly part of the day, everybody got something to say. Everybody got a voice. Everybody will always need to be heard, but you got a voice. And, uh, at least people in this day and age are definitely willing to listen if you have something to say. And, so just that alone, you should feel empowered that the average TikToker literally got about 1000000s of people listening when somebody literally has the platform of a fox and they’re listening to you.
So, you know, what you gonna say? Make it meaningful, though. Definitely. Because you are impacting the mindset of a lot of people today. A lot of us are, just with an opinion. We think differently about stuff. We see something cool, we about to go buy it right quick. So the influence is real. It really is. So, and just the fact that the average person now has influence over 1000000s and 1000s, then, yeah, just use that. But be mindful of it. Because what you’re about to do can, can literally change someone’s whole outlook on the world.
Norman: Amen.
AD: Speaking of, you know, voices and myth and current messages, are there any alternative black artists currently that you’re listening to that you like their voice or their message right now?
Tank: Iโm gonna always love No Name. Like, I like the way she speaks to the world. I know that she’s a poet, just like I was at Brave New Voices. So I like the way that she uses her poetry and rap to like, just go after it. I like that. And, um, old head, I’m always love Bilal, and I like the way, I feel like he’s alternative, like, the way he do his thing. Um, D’Angelo is one as well. We are gonna miss him. So badly, but I like the way that, um he very much Marvin Gayeโd, his way into our hearts, you know, with his message, how sweet and soulful it was.
Norman: Bilal, we had that one in our minds together. I ain’t been listening to a lot of people lately, friend. Just honestly, but I tell you, that Moses Somney dude. Everything I hear is always amazing. It’s like, wow, this dude is out of worldly with his abilities and his approach to stuff. You know what I mean? And um, definitely appreciate him. DโAngelo will always be my favorite. You know what I mean?
Tank: Um, Tongo Eisen-Martin? I think that’s how you pronounce it, but he’s got a really cool poetry album with a lot of artists on it lately that I’ve been listening to. I think that’s I think he’s really dope. I like that a lot.
AD: Okay, you guys actually might just, might just put me on a few people. Tank, you, your style, very vibrant. I’m always jealous of your outfits. What inspires your style?
Tank: The thrift store. Oh, it’s changing so much though, honestly. Like just like the music changes, the style changes. When I started out in poetry and we used to slam, compete, um, when we would step on stage, we always knew that people judged us before they heard, and that we had to say. So we always wanted to look.. Fly. We wanted to look the part. We wanted, because we knew that they were judging us before they said anything. So, we always was color coordinating all our clothes and stuff. I shop for the band all the time. Like, Norman doesn’t like none of the clothes I pick for him, but when he put them on, girls, we compliment him. So, yeah.
Norman: And they mamas.
Tank: So if you go take look at any of, like, look up our images, like, on Google, they be looking cute. They be looking cute.
Norman: I gotta say, too, Tank, just watching over the years, you know what I mean? ‘Cause I remember when I met you, you had the mohawk, the bowtie, the vest, and, you know, with the college shirt vibe. But then, I watched you switch to the dresses and the sweaters with the glasses, and I watched all the girls start doing it. I watched you start, you be starting trends, you be really…youโre kind of ahead of your time with a lot, like, you know. I see them little tight ass pants and them colors that you be putting together. โIโm like, yo, what is she doing?โ You know, I always got something to say about it. But umโฆ I look in my closet right now, like, even my pants. I’m like, I’d have never bought none of this. But she got me right.
Tank: You look nice, though. And it’s all, and it’s very cool to also, um, change, you know what I’m saying? Like, as you become more of a woman, you do want to, you know, you want to, I hid my body a lot as well. Because layers also made me feel very comfortable. Everybody be like, โAinโt you hot Tank?โ I’m like, I’m not. I’m not hot, because I’m comfortable, because I like a sweater with a sweater underneath it, and a shirt, and a color, and the sweater, and the vest. ‘Cause the, the, the layers made me feel comfortable.
But as I began to take off some layers, I’m feeling comfortable, I’m feeling more sexy, more independent in my body. And that’s just as important as being layered up, but to take them off and still feel comfortable, classy, sexy, but still whimsical, ’cause on stage, I don’t like to feel too sexy. I like to feel comfortable and cool and colorful and cute. But off stage, baby, where the wonder bra at? You hear me? Like, yeah, it’s time to show the girls off. My mama was so surprised at the last lucky day video. She was like, โTank, what? You got your breast out?โ And Iโm like, Yeah, Ma, ’cause they’re there. And I’ve been hiding them for years, so you sit down.
Norman: Girl, wait till she see goddamn, uh, uh, the end of, uh, Nighttime.
Tank: Nighttime, uh, I wasn’t too bad. Come on, that wasn’t too bad. But it feels good to, at this particular stage with the last balloon, like, just blossom, you know what I’m saying? Like, it’s time for that balloon to float away. You know what I’m saying? Or stand still or whatever it wants to do, whatever, whatever you see a balloon doing at that time. But whatever it is, I’m ready. Ready to do it.
Norman: You better shine, girl. You better shine. See, me, I ain’t never becoming a woman that just want to change, and, uh, no, that’s…
Tank: Boy don’t even talk about it. You cut off your hair and grown it back about 50 times. Youโve changed.
Norman: sorry, ’cause you know you gotta cut off. My neck was hurting the first time. Like, I’m looking at this picture up here. I’m like, I ain’t seen that nigga in a long time.
Tank: Norman!
Norman: I havenโt! Look at him. He was cute, didnโt have no gray hair. Big forehead.
Tank: All you can honestly do is hope that your fans grow when you grow. Honestly, for real, ’cause I’d be nervous. Like, all of them don’t gonna like that, you know, there’s a lot of duh. But I gotta be comfortable with it 1st. And if I’m comfortable, then like, it’d be what it be.
AD: I can guarantee you. You like it, they love it.
Tank: I hope so. Thank you.
AD: All right, this is the final balloon. We have red balloon, we have green balloon. What’s the significance of the balloons?
Tank: I just think it sounded whimsical. It sounded whimsical. It sounded.. Like something in a fairytale land. It just sounded like something that floated, and I liked that at the time. And when we first started out, it was supposed to be one album, Green Balloon, and disk two red. And then one of my band members was like, let’s wait till the next album to give them the red. Like, let’s make this a thing, you know? And, um, and it has been, because the fans, it definitely made them, like, always guessing, like, what color was gonna be.
And I like that each color also brought about a different mood. Like, when it was green, we really were just starting in the game. We was naive to money. We were green. We didn’t understand things. We were whimsical, we were childlike. And then Red, it got a little more intense. We had more collaborations. It was more serious. You know, it was stop, you know? It was like, wait a minute. And with the last one, it was truly about just being free and letting go of many things. Yeah.
Thank you, thank you, guys, so much.
No, thank you.