Lloyd Banks

Lloyd Banks

Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30 1982 In New Carrollton, Maryland, USA), better known as Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and is a member of the popular rap group G-Unit.

Biography

Lloyd Banks was born Christopher Lloyd in Baltimore, Maryland. He was raised in South Jamaica, Queens. His mother is Puerto Rican and his father was African American. His parents were young and never married. His father spent most of Banks' childhood in prison. This left Banks' mother to raise him and his siblings alone. Lloyd Banks was left to care for his younger brothers alone when his mother was not around.

Banks started writing something resembling poetry at a young age and it started taking form. Eventually, he got the courage one day and rapped his rhymes on the streets of New York. People's reaction to it stunned him. He kept free styling and participating in local battles, creating an unstoppable growing buzz for himself.

Lloyd Banks grew up around the corner from 50 Cent and Tony Yayo so they all would usually rap together and starred in a lot of city shows. Lloyd Banks attended August Martin High School in Queens, New York. Even when he was in school, instead of doing his school work he would write down everything that came to mind. Even when he wasn't rapping, he would write. It was something he did in his spare time. He could not flourish lyrically in a structured school environment, so he dropped out before he turned 16.

He took his Great, Great Grandfather's name-Banks, which was passed on by his uncles, who also shared it.

Yayo, being an older and more experienced Rapper, went on the road with 50 Cent on the Nas Promo Tour, The Cash Money Tour and the Ruff Ryders Tour. As Banks remained at home waiting for 50 and Yayo to return, he started rapping around the neighborhood to further increase his buzz on the streets. He then hooked up with neighborhood producers and made tracks for local mixtapes. Lloyd Banks has a well-built reputation on the underground mixtape scene.

Banks was shot twice in September 2001, by what's believed to be stray gunfire in his neighborhood.

G-Unit

Main article: G-Unit

G-Unit was founded when childhood friends, Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent, and Tony Yayo decided to make a group with each other. They met Young Buck when Cash Money group came to New York and 50 Cent heard Young Buck rapping. After 50 Cent signed his contract with Aftermath Entertainment they took Buck in the group and signed him. Tony Yayo was later sent to prison on weapons charges.

Fronted by 50 Cent, G-Unit quickly redefined the urban music industry back to Gangster Rap. They produced a series of mixtape albums with original numbers and high quality artwork, making the discs something more than a bootleg, but not quite an independent release.

50 Cent was soon granted his own Record Label by Dr Dre and released the album Get Rich Or Die Tryin, Lloyd Banks was featured on the song "Don't Push Me". Soon after the group had established their own record label, G-Unit, G-Unit released their first official group album Beg For Mercy in November of 2003, which remained in the top 20 of the Billboard 2000 after four months on the charts.

In August 2005, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and their entourage were riding in a van, when the vehicle was pulled over after running a red light in midtown Manhattan. Officers said they discovered a loaded handgun and another weapon in the van. Prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss the charges after an investigation determined that neither Lloyd Banks nor Young Buck were in possession of the weapons. Felony gun charges against Lloyd Banks and Young Buck were dropped on November 8, 2006.

Albums

Debut album

Lloyd Banks released his solo debut album The Hunger For More ' in June of 2004. Lloyd Banks released the summer smash hit On Fire Featuring 50 Cent to help his album sell over 433,000 its first week and eventually selling over 2.6 million records in the US and 4 million worldwide.

Second album

In October of 2005 Banks' rumored second album The Big Withdraw was leaked on to the streets which featured some tracks produced by Scott Storch and tracks Featuring 50 Cent. Lloyd Banks left it at a women's house after they had a threesome with another woman. She then sold it to a DJ who turned it into a mixtape. Banks had to scratch all the tracks from that album and begin work on a new second album.

Lloyd Banks second album is titled Rotten Apple. The Timbaland produced track My House was thought to be the first single, but Banks confirmed it was not and he sold it to the movie: Little Man. "Rotten Apple" is a play on New York City's nickname "The Big Apple". It was released on October 10, 2006. The album debuted at #3, selling 143,000 copies in its first week. It now has sold more than 279,000 copies in the U.S. alone. Rotten Apple wasn't considered as a commercial success due to the fact that his debut album sold more than 400,000 copies in its first week. He has released three singles from Rotten Apple: Hands Up, The Cake, and Help.

Controversy

Main article: G-Unit feuds

The Game

Main article: G-Unit vs. The Game

Banks tries to keep the lowest profile in the G-Unit Camp but feuds willingly to support his ‘crew’. Feuds initially involving 50 cent have caused him to engage in this Hip-Hop practice. The most well known of these feuds involving Lloyd Banks is the feud between him and The Game which started publicly after The Game left G-Unit under perturbed circumstances. The Game and Lloyd Banks were rumored to not get along during the Game's tenure in G-Unit. Lloyd Banks speculates that The Game had jealous insecurities involving the attention he received after the success of his debut album The Hunger for More and Banks winning a lyricist title. . After leaving the group, The Game released a series of diss song against G Unit with most of them featuring Lloyd Banks' name in them. Lloyd Banks nationally replied to the Game on a Rap City freestyle booth session. The Game quickly released a diss record called ‘Sound Scan’ where The Game pokes fun at Lloyd Banks' Album Rotten Apple falling 13 spots on the Billboard chart and disappointing second week sales. Banks replied on his mixtape The Big Withdraw Part 5 with a song called "Showtime (The Game Is Over)". Lloyd Banks states that 50 Cent wrote half of The Games' first album The Documentary and pokes fun at The Games' suicidal thoughts in the middle and at the end of the track.

Z-Ro

Houston based rapper Z-Ro made a quick diss towards Banks in the song "It's Goin Down In The South" from his new album, "Power". Banks has yet to reply. It is not clear if Banks is aware of this or he has decided not to reply. Z-Ro said towards the end of the first verse of the track "Fuck A Nigga Named Lloyd Banks". .

Awards

Mixtape Artist of the Year

In 2004, Banks was awarded 2004's Mixtape Artist of the Year at the Mixtape Awards. Lloyd Banks Commented on this award in an interview with AOL Sessions:

When I won the mixtape artist of the year 2004, after that I didn’t want to get away from it because that right there is where I got my satisfaction, from the fans giving me that award. It wasn’t like an award show when you got some big fat guys in suits on the podium that never even heard my album giving me a rating or a judging what I deserve... that's actually my most proudest trophy right now.

Discography

Main article: Lloyd Banks Discography

Studio albums

• 2004: The Hunger for More
• 2006: Rotten Apple
• 2007/08: Gang Green

Solo singles

• 2004: "On Fire"
• 2004: "I'm So Fly"
• 2004: "Karma" (Featuring Avant)
• 2006: "The Cake" (Featuring 50 Cent)
• 2006: "Hands Up" (Featuring 50 Cent)
• 2007: "Help" (Featuring Keri Hilson)

Featured singles

• 2003: "P.I.M.P. [Remix]" (50 Cent Featuring Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks, & Young Buck)
• 2004: "Ride Wit U" (Joe Featuring G-Unit)
• 2005: "Twist It" (Olivia Featuring Lloyd Banks)
• 2005: "I Know You Don't Love Me" (Tony Yayo Featuring 50 Cent, Young Buck, & Lloyd Banks)
• 2006: "Rompe [Remix]" (Daddy Yankee Featuring Lloyd Banks & Young Buck)
• 2006: "Touch It [Remix]" (Busta Rhymes Featuring Mary J. Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliott, Lloyd Banks, Papoose, & DMX)
• 2006: "You Don't Know" (Eminem Featuring 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, & Cashis)

Collaborative singles

• 2004: "Stunt 101" (with G-Unit)
• 2004: "Poppin' Them Thangs" (with G-Unit)
• 2004: "Wanna Get to Know You" (with G-Unit)

External links

• Lloyd Banks Official Website
• Lloyd Banks Official MySpace