Alfred Banks Steps Up before French Quarter Fest

Alfred Banks

The first song from his upcoming “Yestermonth” gives us a hint of what his musical life will be like after SaxKixAve.

Rapper Alfred Banks flourished coming out of COVID. During that time, he became half of SaxKixAve, a duo with Albert Allenback, and they recorded at least two EPs and Terrell Charbonneau. They may have recorded more, but none of it is streaming anymore since their acrimonious split last year. The project has been missed because it gave both artists something beneficial. Allenback wrote smart, resonant rap beats worked surprising grooves and sound palates that suited Banks well. Together, they made hip-hop-based pop that maintained connections with their roots while living in another area code.

SaxKixAve helped Banks show his more playful side, stretching into places that fans hadn’t heard from him before. He even went for the silly/corny food jokes on the Nectarine Peels EP and made them work. He showed greater range as a vocalist, which in part led to his collaboration with scaled down versions of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra twice.

Pell and Alfred Banks will play the French Quarter Festival on Friday at 3:10 p.m. at the Loyola Esplanade in the Shade Stage, which will almost certainly feature music from his upcoming EP, Yestermonth, due out June 12. On Friday, he will drop the video for the first track from it to enter the world, “Step Up.”

What went before is clearly on Banks’ mind on the song, which starts “People like to run from the past / I use it as a base for the future.” The past provides context for what comes next, which in the case of “Step Up” is a reassertion of his hip-hop identity. In SaxKixAve, he was a ’tweener, part of a rap act that didn’t sound like other rap acts and/or an R&B pop band that didn’t sound like other R&B pop. Musically and conceptually, the duo didn’t conform to fans’ expectations in either arena. Here, producer Luther Vandals gives him a classic, sample-based beat to rock with while Banks spits verses about moving on, recommitting to his Underdog Central and his need to push past the obstacles. 

The hip-hop world usually pulls between two poles—the cutting edge and the classic—and while the specifics may change with time and styles, the fundamentals remain the same. Banks’ art ultimately draws influence from b-boys and the four hip-hop pillars—rapping, breaking, tagging and DJing—and consistent with that, he still believes in bars. Soundcloud emo rappers almost bailed on them altogether, but the musicality of his flow while spitting lines with internal wordplay and clever rhymes while saying something of value is Banks’ value add. 

In SaxKixAve, you could hear Banks letting down his guard, and we don’t get that on “Step Up,” maybe because of the way the project ended. Still, you can hear residual effects. In the past, he likely would not have rhymed “opened up,” “opened up,” “goin’ up” and “holdin’ up.” He would have dismissed it as too easy, not creative enough. Here though, you can hear his confidence in his skills and the  bigger picture. He has proved many times that he could find three rhymes for “up,” but the showy result would have distracted from the idea he wanted to get across. Banks chooses his moments to style, but “Step Up” shows him to be as conscious of the song’s big picture as the lines that make it. 

“Step Up” situates Banks firmly in the hip-hop camp, but he’s clearly still open to a broad musical palate. We don’t necessarily hear it on that song, but we do in the works of Pell, who similarly explores a larger hip-hop musical world while pledging allegiance to the value of bars. The two contrast well while working related musical concepts, but it’s good to see Banks betting on himself on Yestermonth. “Step Up” suggests that he has a lot to offer, and he doesn’t need to share the spotlight. 

Note: The video for “Step Up” drops on Friday. When it’s up, it will be added to the post.

Cover art for Albert Banks’ upcoming album.