DAVID BANNER - BANNER TURNS HERO FOR MISSISSIPPI HURRICANE VICTIMS

Rapper DAVID BANNER has been hailed a hero in his native Mississippi for emptying closets full of designer clothes and trainers and delivering them to shelters housing the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Banner, who has organised a benefit concert in Atlanta, Georgia to raise cash for survivors, felt guilty when he realised he had clothes and footwear he'd never wear when so many were without anything.

So he packed up his truck and travelled across the state dropping off his belongings to others.

He says, "I knew I had more stuff than I'd wear. I didn't need all that."

Meanwhile, Banner's passionate performance on the BET SAVE OURSELVES telethon on Friday night (09SEP05) was among the event's highlights - at one point he pulled off his shirt to reveal his 'Mississippi' tattoo across his shoulders.