Whitney Laporscher Banks aka Ms. Bank$ was born the first and only daughter to Sophia Smith (mother) and Anthony Banks (father) in Brooklyn, New York. She has only one sibling, her younger brother Anthony Banks, Jr. Her father, better known on the streets as ‘Rambo’ or ‘The King Of New York’, was viciously murdered in 1990 in Brooklyn, New York. And like most notorious murders, the case is still unsolved till this day. Relocating to Newport News, VA (aka Bad Newz), a broken-hearted single mother of two continued to struggle while dealing with death, fear, devastation, financial troubles, and grief. Ms. Bank$ and her brother quickly learned to live with their mother as, “mom and dad”. Ms. Bank$ quotes, “My mother is awesome she did and still does all she can for me and my brother. She raised us close as a family despite what was going on and we grew up with the mind frame. WE ALL WE GOT, just the three of us and that’s why we’re so close. I love them.”

After years in Bad Newz, Ms. Bank$ and her family moved to the College Park area of Atlanta, Georgia. This is where her entertainment journey began. Always popular and “most hated on” as she describes, Ms. Bank$ became mostly known as ‘Skinny Mini’. Being told that she looked stuck up and “all that” people began calling her ‘Ms. Bank$’, teachers and associates alike. “I was told that I had a strong name with presence”. Being around family and frequently visiting Brooklyn, Ms. Bank$ kept in touch with her roots and her “northern accent”. She’s lived in both Virginia and Atlanta and shows love to both, but it’s New York where her heart lies. It was early on that Ms. Bank$ and her brother Sose was bit by the music bug and started writing rhymes with their cousin. Early on, they were both heavily influenced by artists like Timberland, Missy Elliott, and Magoo. Distracted away from music for a while Ms. Bank$ took in an interest in modeling. She began doing a various modeling projects such as: print work for ‘HYPE HAIR MAGAZINE’ and ‘REAL STYLES HAIR MAGAZINE’, fashion shows, a few cameo’s in music videos, and receiving plenty of recognition for her crazed dance part in Atlanta rapper DJ Unk’s “Walk It Out” video. It was that music video that landed Ms. Bank$ and her dance group ‘Black Diamonds’ to tour as DJ Unk’s back up dancers for his Southeast Region Tour. Throughout the tour, Ms. Bank$ received a great deal of exposure and stage credits. In addition to music and modeling, Ms. Bank$ has been featured in a couple of movies such as: ‘Madea’s Family Reunion’ and ‘ATL’. After experiencing modeling, dancing, and being part of a singing group, Ms. Bank$ returns to music as a solo artist and finally puts her voice on a track instead of just writing. Ms. Bank$ quotes,” I love to model and dance, but I AM MUSIC.”

With her first single “Hullahoop”, Ms. Bank$ steps on the music scene representing for ladies of all ages. Ms. Bank$ quotes, “I want people to have fun to my music, but I also want them to listen to the messages and inspiration I have to offer. I have a story to tell”. As she continues to record her debut album, the streets are already buzzing waiting for release sometime in 2008. Ms. Bank$ is triple threat, an artist, model, and actress; what else can you ask for?

myspace.com/msbankshoneydip

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