David Banner x Gatorade. If you have been watching the NBA playoffs then you probably have seen this brand new Gatorade ad at least five times. With its nostalgic feel, most people are surprised when they find out that it was David Banner of all people who wrote, produced and arranged the music. Two thumbs up to Mr. Banner showing off his versatility and getting a nice Gatorade check in the meantime.

The producer/rapper said his soulful musical score was a statement he wanted to intentional make.

“It’s not an alternate sound,” Banner told SOHH about his soul-inspired commercial score. “I’ve always used live guitars, I’ve always used soul music. And that’s what I want people to know about our generation, period. Even though we’re gonna be talking about evolution, I want to talk about our generation still having soul, that there’s people still influenced by our mothers and our fathers — the truth is, Gatorade is evolving as a product and that’s something that is very important and was important to them…They wanted to make a statement and this does.”

Banner also said the commercial represented the struggle and evolution of all races.

“I want to be real clear about something,” Banner added. “[The] whole G-Series team came to me. I wrote the music and the principal idea…they put me in the ball park and I gave them more than they expected and people more than they expected — I want people to know that this is a statement, that Mississippi soul, gospel, blues is still alive. The soul of our parents is still alive and it has nothing to do with any color, nationality of society, it’s just people struggle. With every race that I know has graced this earth as gone through struggle and had to evolve to survive…This is a cultural statement and how many corporate entities are willing to make this kind of stuff or let me be the one to do it.”

Banner’s television commercial began to air in late April.