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'<!-- Please do not remove or change this AfD message until the discussion has been closed. --> {{Article for deletion/dated|page=Robin Banks (rapper)|timestamp=20191214142640|year=2019|month=December|day=14|substed=yes|help=off}} <!-- Once discussion is closed, please place on talk page: {{Old AfD multi|page=Robin Banks (rapper)|date=14 December 2019|result='''keep'''}} --> <!-- End of AfD message, feel free to edit beyond this point --> {{short description|Canadian rapper, b. 1995}} {{Infobox musical artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Robin Banks | honorific_suffix = | ethnicity = Somali | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank --> | alt = | caption = | background = solo_singer | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = Liban Randall | alias = ROBIN BANK$ | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|2|27|mf=yes}} | birth_place = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada | origin = | death_date = <!-- {{death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date 1st) --> | death_place = | genre = [[Rap music|Rap]], [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]], [[Trap music (hip hop)|Trap]] | occupation = Rapper | instrument = Vocals | years_active = 2015–present | label = UpTop Movement Inc. | associated_acts = {{hlist|[[Pressa (rapper)|Pressa]]|[[Houdini (rapper)|Houdini]]|Burna Bandz|Tallup Twinz|}} | notable_instruments = | module = | module2 = | module3 = }} '''Liban Randall''' (born February 27, 1995), known professionally as '''Robin Banks''' (sometimes stylized as '''ROBIN BANK$''') is a Canadian rapper who was born and raised in [[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario]]. He is best known for his hit songs “Up Next” and “Wass Gang”, which features fellow Toronto rapper '''Pressa'''. In April 2017, Robin Banks was shot 9 times at a hookah lounge in [[Vaughan|Vaughan, Ontario]] and left in critical condition to injuries to his spinal cord.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/robin-banks-shooting-vaughan-hookah-lounge-1.4055702|title='Thanks for the love': Toronto rapper Robin Banks stable after Vaughan triple shooting|last=|first=|date=April 4, 2017|work=CBC|access-date=}}</ref> == Early life == Robin Banks was born Liban Randall in [[Toronto, Ontario]]. Robin Banks grew up in the [[Northwest Toronto|North-West]] end of Toronto, known as the infamous [[Jane and Finch|Jane & Finch]] intersection.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/rq437x/robin-banks-is-torontos-secret-hitmaker|title=Robin Banks is Toronto's Secret Hitmaker|last=Pastuk|first=Slava|date=August 4, 2015|website=Vice}}</ref> He starting gaining an interest in rap music and hip-hop at a young age, as he rapped in front of his friends in middle school. His favorite artist was New York rapper, [[50 Cent]], saying that he was his biggest influence to start a rap career.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgkMfBica_M&t=300s|title=Robin Banks- "I Want to be Rich Like 50 Cent"|date=March 3, 2017|website=YouTube}}</ref> == Career == Banks’ music career started in 2014, uploading his first song and music video “Don’t Try Me” featuring fellow Toronto rapper, Big Billz.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaJMdJTA-5M|title=Robin Banks & Big Billz - Don't Try Me (Official Music Video)|date=October 3, 2014|website=YouTube}}</ref> 2015 was the year he dropped his most well known tracks, as Banks has uploaded many of his music videos on [[YouTube]]. In January 2015, he uploaded his first single, “Up Next”, which currently stands at over 1,900,000 views.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GXxy5NjLjg|title=Robin Banks - Up Next - Official Music Video {{!}} Directed By RodZilla|date=January 19, 2015|website=YouTube}}</ref> In May 2015, released “Malis Off A Molly”, currently has over 600,000 views.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJMGY1k2lBk|title=Robin Banks - Malis Off A Molly|date=May 28, 2015|website=YouTube}}</ref> In July 2015 he released “Club TT” which sits at just above 380,000 views.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsKDaHty6fQ|title=ROBIN BANKS - CLUB TT|date=July 15, 2015|website=YouTube}}</ref> He also uploaded music videos like “Wass Gang”, which has over 4,000,000 views<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKkQC-1E4rc|title=Wass Gang - Robin Banks x Pressa x GD x FB Dir. MWorks (prod. Dennisbeats)|date=November 14, 2015|website=YouTube}}</ref> and "Baba Freestyle", which has about 1,000,000 views,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0quM0-rpRx4|title=Robin Banks - Baba Freestyle (Official Video) Dir. Rodzilla|date=July 19, 2015|website=YouTube}}</ref> respectively. Banks also did remixes of [[Drake (musician)|Drake]]’s song “Controlla” and [[The Weeknd|The Weeknd’s]] song “Starboy”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVAhRzgCniM|title=Robin Banks - Controlla Remix|date=April 21, 2016|website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXsK5tLD5EM|title=Robin Banks - Starboy Remix (Music Video)|date=December 14, 2016|website=YouTube}}</ref> In October 2015, Banks released his first [[mixtape]] titled, “The Entertainment” on [[DatPiff]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.datpiff.com/Robin-Banks-The-Entertainment-mixtape.745362.html|title=The Entertainment|author=Robin Banks|date=November 6, 2015|website=DatPiff|access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref> In 2016, he released “Priceless” which featured Toronto artist '''Fb'''. The track has had more than 3,000,000 plays on [[Spotify]]. In 2017, he released a song with '''Peso P''' titled “Come Thru”. Banks founded UpTop Movement Inc, a record label based in Toronto. The record label showcases young and upcoming artists from the North-West end of Toronto, such as '''Burna Bandz''', '''Houdini''', and the '''Tallup Twinz'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmzN6LMmTpbMCLIpzxUonuQ|title=UpTop Movement Inc.}}</ref> Banks has claimed that he has had numerous shows that were supposed to booked at clubs in Toronto, but police shut them down for his alleged gang ties in the Driftwood area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lba0CeD-81o&t=292s|title=Robin Banks Talks Toronto Rap Scene, Somali Culture, New Music, Police Shutting Down His Shows|date=March 1, 2017|website=YouTube}}</ref> His friend and fellow artist '''Pressa''' is linked to the Toronto gang, Young Buck Killers, so police believe that Banks is some how linked to their criminal ring.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-rapper-pressa-stands-before-his-make-or-breakmoment/article34711424/|title=Toronto rapper Pressa stands before his make-or-break moment|last=White|first=Patrick|date=April 13, 2017|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=}}</ref> In February 2018, after a long hiatus from releasing a major tape, Banks released his mixtape “Still Here”.  The cover of the mixtape shows Banks’ body and his scars from the bullets he took during a shooting incident in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hiphopcanada.com/robin-banks-still-here-mixtape/|title=Robin Banks releases the Still Here mixtape|date=March 5, 2018|website=HipHop Canada}}</ref> The mixtape features UpTop Movement Inc artists like '''Burna Bandz''', '''area boy''', and '''Layla Hendrix'''. === Style === Banks’ style of rapping has been compared to the late [[New York City|New York]] rapper, '''Speaker Knockerz''', incorporating rapping and singing while having a very distinct voice.<ref name=":1" /> Most of the songs that Banks produces have to do with him having a good time with his friends through alcohol and drugs. He tries to incorporate the stereotypical rapper life which involves drugs, sex and violence. However they are mostly upbeat songs and he always mentions his friends and brothers that struggled with him in the Jane and Finch area. Banks is also known for using [[Somalia]]n terms in his raps and is proud of his Somalian heritage.<ref name=":1" /> Banks has claimed to create the term “I’m TT” which is an acronym for “Too Turnt”, with “Turnt” meaning someone is excited and hyped up about something.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Turnt|title=Urban Dictionary: Turnt}}</ref> The term gained recognition after rapper [[Drake (musician)|Drake]] used it as a caption on [[Instagram]]. == Shooting incident == On April 3, 2017, Banks was involved in a shooting incident at a nightclub in [[Woodbridge, Ontario|Woodbridge]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/cameo-nightclub-shooting-1.4052381|title=Toronto man, 22, 'fighting for his life' after Woodbridge nightclub triple-shooting|last=|first=|date=April 3, 2017|work=CBC|access-date=}}</ref> He was shot 9 times inside the club, and his injuries included damage to his spinal cord. Early reports after the shooting claimed that he had life-threatening injuries and he possibly could die, but after some hours at the hospital, he was in stable condition.<ref name=":0" /> It is believed that he was specifically targeted because he was $10,000 in debt with the shooter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.somalispot.com/threads/robin-banks-shot-over-10k-debt-taunted-by-shooter-on-instagram-for-weeks.21637/|title=Robin Banks shot over $10k debt, taunted by shooter on Instagram for weeks|date=April 7, 2017|website=Somalispot}}</ref> The suspect, Nicholas Rhoden, was arrested and charged with a list of firearm charges and possession of a substance with the intent of selling and trafficking. Another suspect, Rushawn Anderson, turned himself in as well.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/7471871-suspect-arrested-in-vaughan-shooting-of-rapper-robin-banks/|title=Suspect arrested in Vaughan shooting of rapper Robin Banks|last=Queen|first=Lisa|date=July 26, 2017|work=York Region|access-date=}}</ref> He received support on social media platforms, with the hashtag “#PrayforRobinBanks” circling through different outlets. Rapper [[Meek Mill]] showed his support on Instagram by posting a picture of Banks, captioning “Pray 4 da kid.”<ref name=":0" /> His family posted a [[GoFundMe|YouCaring]] page for help covering the extensive medical bills that came out to $300,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/7xpbng/robin-banks-is-in-recovery-from-his-shooting-and-he-needs-your-help|title=Robin Banks Is in Recovery from His Shooting, and He Needs Your Help|date=June 6, 2017|website=Vice}}</ref> == Personal life == Robin Banks is of [[Jamaicans|Jamaican]] and [[Somalia]]n descent.<ref name=":1" /> He constantly mentions Somalian terms in his songs and has helped fellow Somalian artists like '''Top5''' and '''Layla Hendrix''' gain recognition in the hip-hop scene. His main fan base comes from Toronto, but his music is known throughout the [[Greater Toronto Area]]. Banks is from the Driftwood area of Toronto in the [[Northwest Toronto|North-West]] section. The area is known to be a very difficult place to live in due to low education, employment and morality rates.<ref name=":3" /> He said he had to survive to get out of that area and that rap was his escape from the gang life and drug game.<ref name=":2"/> == References == {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Robin}} [[Category:1995 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Canadian male rappers]] [[Category:Canadian people of Somali descent]] [[Category:Canadian people of Jamaican descent]] [[Category:21st-century Canadian male musicians]]'