Before we get into how Barry Bonds and the Maloof brothers crash this music video, let’s set the record (no pun intended) straight. The name of the song by David Banner is Get Like Me, not Stuntin’ is a Habit. This has always been a source of confusion for many people, including myself. With that out of the way, we can now focus on the big issue here.
Why the hell did David Banner let Barry Bonds and the Maloof brothers be in this music video? Seriously, what was the upside of having these three people, none of whom were cool or popular at the time, appear? Let’s start with the home run king.
Bonds had been blackballed from baseball by this point in time. He had also just wrapped up the 2007 season and would never play in MLB again. A few months prior, the Giants outfielder was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice by the federal grand jury. That being said, he was still a big name.
But the fucking Maloof brothers? The Maloof brothers had no business being in a rap music video. The then owners of the Sacramento Kings had already pissed off the local fanbase with threats of moving and the hiring of the wildly underqualified Reggie Theus as head coach ahead of the 2007-2008 season.
And, of course, outside of Sacramento and Las Vegas no one cared about these two clowns. It just made no sense to feature them in what is otherwise a great video.
Related: The rise and fall of MTV Jams
Song: Get Like Me
Artist: David Banner featuring Chris Brown and Young Joc
Year: 2008
Quote it:
There go the suicide doors (doors), wood on the dash
Ferris wheels on the toes, it got duals on the ass
And some chrome on the nose, the white boys go, ‘Sweet!’
Best Video Moment: Chris Brown rolling up on an ATV
See More: Rap Music Video Reviews from The Touchback
Every time the Maloof brothers appear in the music video, they look so ridiculous. They’re either missing the cue to put their hands in the air, looking somewhere other than the camera or just grinning like the dopes they are.
But the absolute worse moment is when Gavin Maloof poses during the line, “white boys go, ‘Sweet!’” He looks like a kid who scored a great gift on Christmas. And remember, this isn’t some random white dude in David Banner’s crew. Between the Kings, the Palms hotel in Las Vegas and other holdings, the Maloof family’s worth was estimated to be roughly $1 billion around this time. I guess you’re never too rich for gaudy Ed Hardy shirts.
Flipping the format
Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of Get Like Me is the fact David Banner didn’t automatically stick Chris Brown on the hook as was usually the case back then. Instead, he let the singer have a verse and put Young Joc on the chorus. It was a brilliant move and made this song awesome even if it went against the traditional formula at the time.
