Who is Erica Banks and why has she been arrested? Charges explored as Atlanta rapper gets caught with stolen gun

Atlanta rapper Erica Banks gets caught with a stolen gun.

Erica Scharmane Banks, or just Erica Banks, has found herself in some trouble, as the rapper was arrested after a gun was allegedly found in her Louis Vuitton bag while at the airport, flying from Atlanta to Houston. According to a police report, officers were called to the Lower North checkpoint after a TSA X-ray machine showed a 380 mm handgun in Breaux’s bag. After getting checked by the authorities, it was revealed to have been allegedly stolen out of Greenville, South Carolina.

Her attorney issued a statement, “It is our contention that when she was caught with this weapon, she had no idea it was stolen. So she is not guilty of any offense. And once we get to court on this case, my job is to make sure this never becomes a part of her criminal history and to have these charges dismissed.”

The singer did not spend long in the Clayton County Jail, as she was released an hour into her stay yesterday.

Who is Erica Banks?

Erica Scharmane Breaux is a 25-year-old American rapper born and raised in DeSoto, Texas. Her career started with mixtapes, as she signed to 1501 Certified Entertainment after her first three tapes; however, her career really took off after her first charting single, “Buss It,” went viral on TikTok.

In June 2023, she joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and then signed a new joint venture deal with Arista Records in December 2024. The rapper has also often been compared to other singers; however, she was quick to shut it down when compared to rapper GloRilla.

“I don’t sound like anyone,” she wrote. “I hate when y’all say that. If you’ve been listening to my music since 2020, you know I’ve always had my own sound. Please just love on your favorite artist without forcing the thought of me sounding like them or anyone else.”

She even quoted Nicki Minaj, whom she considers her biggest inspiration, in one scenario, stating,

“Everybody can do a freestyle on whatever beat they choose, but it’s a big difference between me and you.”

Erica Banks has yet to make a public comment on the situation.

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