Representatives for outspoken Mississippi rapper David Banner have responded to a controversial statement issued by a reps of Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN).

Reps for Banner also explained the origin of the comments he made about Sharpton, who heads up NAN.

"The next time you see Al Sharpton, tell him I said f**k him and he can suck my d**k," Banner reportedly said. "I might change the name of my album from The Greatest Story Never Told to F**k Al Sharpton. They're killing kids in New Jersey and all across the country and all a n***a got to talk about is rap lyrics?"

Kirsten John-Foy, head of NAN's Criminal Justice Initiative, denounced Banner's remarks stating: "From time to time we do encounter people that have sexual fantasies about Reverend Al Sharpton, but they are always women and Crump's proposition is a first..."

Today (August 16), representatives for Banner, born Levell Crump, issued an exclusive statement to AllHipHop.com, clarifying the origin of the controversial statements attributed to Banner.

According to representatives for Banner, the comments were actually made during a DJ conference call and were not part of a formal interview.

"David Banner is very passionate about the subject of Hip-Hop and the state of the African American community," representatives for the rapper told AllHipHop.com. "The comments released in the media were not from a formal interview, they were from a conversation on a DJ conference call. The manner it which it was delivered was not how he would respond in an interview."

While representatives for Sharpton acknowledged that the statement issued by Kirsten John-Foy was indeed sent from the offices of NAN, reps told media website TMZ.com that Sharpton would "never" directly reply to comments of that nature.

David Banner, who graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, served as president of the Student Government Association and is known for philanthropic efforts, including his work with various at-risk children and his efforts to raise money for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Banner has also penned an exclusive editorial on AllHipHop.com, which expresses a more detailed explanation of his views on Sharpton, Oprah Winfrey and Jesse Jackson.