Alfred Banks

UnderDogCentral creator & emergent New Orleans rapper Alfred Banks has garnered acclaim from some of rap’s most esteemed publications. In addition to being named one of Complex’s 10 upcoming New Orleans MCs, Banks has been featured prominently on The Fader, HipHopDx, Okayplayer & on DJBooth’s list of Top Indie rappers from Louisiana.

Having played at Voodoo Festival, Buku Festival, A3C Festival, and Austin’s SXSW, Banks has also made headway in Europe, Performing at the Reeperbahn Festival in Germany & starring in a Volkswagen ad campaign featuring his song “HomeComing.” In late 2016, BBC Russia interviewed Banks, extending his reach well beyond Europe. Most Recently, Alfred’s Song “UnderDogCentral” can be heard in the Netflix Movie Burning Sands, from executive producer Common.

Banks released his LP, The Beautiful. The Beautiful, inspired by his brother’s struggle with mental illness and his eventual suicide, serves as his most successful to date with a Debut at #12 on iTunes’ “Rap/HipHop” Charts, #3 on Bandcamp’s “Rap” Charts & #79 on BillBoard’s “HeatSeeker” Charts. The album features a conceptual approach dealing with schizophrenia and the complexity of identity. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) & UnMaskNola both took notice of Banks’s music and its focus on mental-health awareness, and partnered with him on promotional efforts for The Beautiful.

Touring has become the bread & butter for Banks, having opened multiple tours for Established artists including Tank & The Bangas, bounce rapper Big Freedia, NerdCore artist MegaRan, former XXL Magazine Freshman Mickey Factz. & several headlining tours of his own. More major press came Alfred’s way by being named one of the Top 10 Finalist in Vans’ “Share the Stage” Competition. With that, came features on The Fader, Consequence of Sound & Placements on the Soundclound/Spotify Playlists curated by Vans. All of these accomplishments culminated in Alfred winning the “Best Rap/Hiphop" Artist” Award at the 2018 OffBeat Magazine “Best of the Beat” Awards show in his hometown of New Orleans. With all of this happening, it seems the future looks bright for Alfred. The UnderDog is becoming the Top Dog.