Mixtape Monday: Lloyd Banks brings Halloween to November

J-Banks · 11-10-2008, 09:03 AM

Artist: Lloyd Banks

Representing: The G-Unit

Mixtape: Halloween Havoc

411: There's a lot of things Lloyd Banks wants to be the king of, but he doesn't want to be known as the best in one hip-hop category.

"I don't want people to talk about me and say, 'Lloyd Banks can dance his ass off!' " the Punch Line King joked, sitting in 50 Cent's office in the Manhattan G-Unit headquarters.

Of course, Banks wants to be heralded for his lyricism — killing bars, if you will. After a hiatus from solo mixtapes preceding his Rotten Apple run, the former Mixtape Artist of the Year has a renewed commitment to the circuit. Yeah, 50 had Banks and Tony Yayo churning out verses on three Unit mixtapes earlier this year, but Banks says he's going it alone for the next few months with his own street-CD series.

"I figured I'd give them both quality and quantity," he said. "I'll do it at a pace as nobody has ever before.

"I was testing the waters," he continued, talking about his technique of releasing a freestyle every other day in anticipation of last month's Return of the P.L.K. mixtape with DJ Whoo Kid. "I wanted to do something new. Instead of giving them a whole tape, I wanted to give it to them broken up. A freestyle Monday, Wednesday, then Friday. Let the weekend chill, hit them back again Monday. I did that for about four weeks until people said, 'When's the tape coming?' I knew what I was doing. I was working at such a fast pace, I wanted to judge what I should do next from their reaction."

Banks said he heard nothing but love from the fans but had a mixed reaction from the bloggers.

"I was like, 'OK, you're not hearing nothing else until Halloween,' " he explained. "I finished the tape on October 27, because I was flying back and forth. I was actually in Chile when the tape came out. It went through Whoo Kid, and it came out the right way. I'm on automatic pilot right now. I'm gonna just drill you until you understand. Nobody is gonna step up to this plate. This is how I spar. I just feel like at the rate I'm putting this stuff out, there's no way they're gonna be able to deny me in '09."

Banks has been keeping his ears tuned into the underground circuit as always. He listed Charles Hamilton, Joe Budden and Philadelphia's Reed Dollar, Gillie da Kid and Young Chris as cats on his radar. He also wants to work with Jadakiss and Fabolous.

More than 100 songs for his third solo album have been recorded, but there's no timetable for the release. He has to figure out his contractual situation. 50's deal is up with Interscope, and the Unit will go with him, wherever he ends up. Yayo, however, owes the 'Scope one more album.

"When all this corny stuff is out of here, they're gonna respect me for staying who I am," Banks noted about the hip-hop climate. "Not compromising me or my music to blend in with the times. I wanna make the times."

Joints To Check For

"Party and Bullsh--." "That's the first time I heard Biggie," Banks said about using the instrumental from the throwback Notorious B.I.G. jam. "That's why I did it. I had my little radio, and I'd be missing school because of Stretch & Bobbito's [radio show on] WKCR. Listening to them, I used to hear that record. That's back when Jay-Z was freestyling with Big L. Rest in peace. That always stuck in my head. I sat and thought about it [when making this tape]. I was like, 'Let me bring it back with this.' That's my tribute to B.I.G. My all-time favorite. That's why I started the tape off with that."

"Shine Through." "The J-Rock record 'All My Life,' I did that over," Banks said. "I saw the video, heard the song. I said, 'I like this right here.' I'm not biased towards anybody. If I like the music, I'll put my twist to it. It was something I did for me. My grandmother just passed of cancer. I was kinda dealing with that since my pops passed. It was one thing after the next. When she finally passed, it was hard for me. I wanted to find a way to express myself through the music. That's what I did, as well as pay tribute to the homies that are gone. I'm 26 years old now. But when I got my deal, me and my homies was running wild. Unfortunately, I was the only one who could rap. I didn't really have the finances to hold up my whole crew at that point when I'm 19 years old. I lost a lot of friends, as well as family. I wanted to dedicate that to them. That record means a lot to me."

"Beneath Me." "How you gonna put me in a category that came on the train when it was moving?" Banks says about a line in the song, in which he implores people to not compare him to two of his former G-Unit mates. Game caught the train in L.A. Buck caught the train in Cashville. "That's smacking me [in the face] for everything I did," he said about his loyalty and long tenure with the Unit. "I worked hard at this. I had to get from a point when they was calling me 50 on mixtapes."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable ********** This Week

» Crooked I - The Block Obama 2
» DJ 31 Degreez and Fabolous - Mr. Fab
» DJ 4Sho - Yes We Can
» DJ Skee and Evidence - The Layover Mixtape
» Mick Boogie and DJ Treats - Leaders of the New Cool

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» Common - "Changes"
» Crooked I - "Sunshine"
» Jadakiss (featuring Max B) - "When I Grow Up"
» Jay-Z - "History"
» Sheek Louch - "I Like It"
» Styles P (featuring Snyp Life) - "Fly Like an Eagle"
» T-Pain (featuring Justin Timberlake) - "Can't Believe It" remix

Source: MTV

GMNRecordsCT3 · 11-10-2008, 09:30 AM

Jada and Max got a hit on they hands...

SlimShady1836 · 11-10-2008, 09:35 AM

great another wack rapper thinking he has talent....

L.Smalls · 11-10-2008, 10:54 AM

i hope they just set a date for his album already

JTC50C · 11-10-2008, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlimShady1836

great another wack rapper thinking he has talent....

how does it feel to have one of the WRONGEST opinions ever typed, stated or thought? Congratulations.

Bank$ rips it consistently.

Black Superman · 11-10-2008, 11:04 AM

damn i hope banks does work with Fab

Tha Unit On Top · 11-10-2008, 12:51 PM

Good shit, HH is a dope ass tape, Banks putting that work in. I wonder if he is gonna keep doing solo tapes, no features and shit. Didnt on Shadyville.biz they said about HH that he will have features that are lyrically skilled as him, and that you wont believe who it is or some shit? He didnt have any features. I wonder if he will have anything on the next tape, or will it just be him doing this series, i guess its what, 5 tapes, all just him to get him back into that grind, get people on the streets to rock with him and shit. I guess the next tape will drop in Dec, maybe a Christmas or New Years tape we could see?

Tha Unit On Top · 11-10-2008, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Superman

damn i hope banks does work with Fab

I cant remember ever hearing it, but there was supposed to be a Banks and Fab track. It was called "Perfect Match". I remember in the XXL review of HFM, they listed that track as being on the album, but clearly it wasnt, but I cant remember if the track ever came out or not or if it was even real, but XXL def listed that shit in the review. Anway, yeah Banks and Fab, and Jada too, some lyrical shit.

YGeeza · 11-10-2008, 01:46 PM

vol. 3 in 30 days

G-uNIT!!4 LYFE · 11-10-2008, 01:54 PM

thats good for banks i hope he gets recognition for his mixtapes...i feel like hes underrated these days....

ns_diplomat · 11-10-2008, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlimShady1836

great another wack rapper thinking he has talent....

LOL you're a joke!!!

too bad your favorite rapper Eminem thinks Banks is one of the illest out there!

Black Superman · 11-10-2008, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tha Unit On Top

I cant remember ever hearing it, but there was supposed to be a Banks and Fab track. It was called "Perfect Match". I remember in the XXL review of HFM, they listed that track as being on the album, but clearly it wasnt, but I cant remember if the track ever came out or not or if it was even real, but XXL def listed that shit in the review. Anway, yeah Banks and Fab, and Jada too, some lyrical shit.

that song u talkin bout is about 5 years old tho

11-10-2008, 09:03 AM	#1
J-Banks Super Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 21,015 Repped: 5,294 Repped 53,425 Times in 7,839 Posts Blog Entries: 1 Neg Reps: 53 Neg Repped at 93 Times in 86 Posts	Mixtape Monday: Lloyd Banks brings Halloween to November Mixtape Monday: Lloyd Banks brings Halloween to November Artist: Lloyd Banks Representing: The G-Unit Mixtape: Halloween Havoc 411: There's a lot of things Lloyd Banks wants to be the king of, but he doesn't want to be known as the best in one hip-hop category. "I don't want people to talk about me and say, 'Lloyd Banks can dance his ass off!' " the Punch Line King joked, sitting in 50 Cent's office in the Manhattan G-Unit headquarters. Of course, Banks wants to be heralded for his lyricism — killing bars, if you will. After a hiatus from solo mixtapes preceding his Rotten Apple run, the former Mixtape Artist of the Year has a renewed commitment to the circuit. Yeah, 50 had Banks and Tony Yayo churning out verses on three Unit mixtapes earlier this year, but Banks says he's going it alone for the next few months with his own street-CD series. "I figured I'd give them both quality and quantity," he said. "I'll do it at a pace as nobody has ever before. "I was testing the waters," he continued, talking about his technique of releasing a freestyle every other day in anticipation of last month's Return of the P.L.K. mixtape with DJ Whoo Kid. "I wanted to do something new. Instead of giving them a whole tape, I wanted to give it to them broken up. A freestyle Monday, Wednesday, then Friday. Let the weekend chill, hit them back again Monday. I did that for about four weeks until people said, 'When's the tape coming?' I knew what I was doing. I was working at such a fast pace, I wanted to judge what I should do next from their reaction." Banks said he heard nothing but love from the fans but had a mixed reaction from the bloggers. "I was like, 'OK, you're not hearing nothing else until Halloween,' " he explained. "I finished the tape on October 27, because I was flying back and forth. I was actually in Chile when the tape came out. It went through Whoo Kid, and it came out the right way. I'm on automatic pilot right now. I'm gonna just drill you until you understand. Nobody is gonna step up to this plate. This is how I spar. I just feel like at the rate I'm putting this stuff out, there's no way they're gonna be able to deny me in '09." Banks has been keeping his ears tuned into the underground circuit as always. He listed Charles Hamilton, Joe Budden and Philadelphia's Reed Dollar, Gillie da Kid and Young Chris as cats on his radar. He also wants to work with Jadakiss and Fabolous. More than 100 songs for his third solo album have been recorded, but there's no timetable for the release. He has to figure out his contractual situation. 50's deal is up with Interscope, and the Unit will go with him, wherever he ends up. Yayo, however, owes the 'Scope one more album. "When all this corny stuff is out of here, they're gonna respect me for staying who I am," Banks noted about the hip-hop climate. "Not compromising me or my music to blend in with the times. I wanna make the times." Joints To Check For "Party and Bullsh--." "That's the first time I heard Biggie," Banks said about using the instrumental from the throwback Notorious B.I.G. jam. "That's why I did it. I had my little radio, and I'd be missing school because of Stretch & Bobbito's [radio show on] WKCR. Listening to them, I used to hear that record. That's back when Jay-Z was freestyling with Big L. Rest in peace. That always stuck in my head. I sat and thought about it [when making this tape]. I was like, 'Let me bring it back with this.' That's my tribute to B.I.G. My all-time favorite. That's why I started the tape off with that." "Shine Through." "The J-Rock record 'All My Life,' I did that over," Banks said. "I saw the video, heard the song. I said, 'I like this right here.' I'm not biased towards anybody. If I like the music, I'll put my twist to it. It was something I did for me. My grandmother just passed of cancer. I was kinda dealing with that since my pops passed. It was one thing after the next. When she finally passed, it was hard for me. I wanted to find a way to express myself through the music. That's what I did, as well as pay tribute to the homies that are gone. I'm 26 years old now. But when I got my deal, me and my homies was running wild. Unfortunately, I was the only one who could rap. I didn't really have the finances to hold up my whole crew at that point when I'm 19 years old. I lost a lot of friends, as well as family. I wanted to dedicate that to them. That record means a lot to me." "Beneath Me." "How you gonna put me in a category that came on the train when it was moving?" Banks says about a line in the song, in which he implores people to not compare him to two of his former G-Unit mates. Game caught the train in L.A. Buck caught the train in Cashville. "That's smacking me [in the face] for everything I did," he said about his loyalty and long tenure with the Unit. "I worked hard at this. I had to get from a point when they was calling me 50 on mixtapes." Don't Sleep: Other Notable ********** This Week » Crooked I - The Block Obama 2 » DJ 31 Degreez and Fabolous - Mr. Fab » DJ 4Sho - Yes We Can » DJ Skee and Evidence - The Layover Mixtape » Mick Boogie and DJ Treats - Leaders of the New Cool 'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar » Common - "Changes" » Crooked I - "Sunshine" » Jadakiss (featuring Max B) - "When I Grow Up" » Jay-Z - "History" » Sheek Louch - "I Like It" » Styles P (featuring Snyp Life) - "Fly Like an Eagle" » T-Pain (featuring Justin Timberlake) - "Can't Believe It" remix Source: MTV __________________ JBanksblog.com - check it out __________________

11-10-2008, 09:30 AM	#2
GMNRecordsCT3 Macaroni wit the Cheeesse Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wash Heights, NYC Posts: 17,615 Repped: 6,784 Repped 2,310 Times in 619 Posts Neg Reps: 203 Neg Repped at 50 Times in 40 Posts	Jada and Max got a hit on they hands... __________________ myspace.com/bummydavis - soundclick.com/gmnproductions "The name on my car insurance is YOUR FUKIN FAULT!!"

11-10-2008, 10:54 AM	#4
L.Smalls Super Moderator Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chicago Posts: 864 Repped: 145 Repped 645 Times in 142 Posts Neg Reps: 7 Neg Repped at 7 Times in 6 Posts	i hope they just set a date for his album already __________________

11-10-2008, 11:04 AM	#6
Black Superman Show Time Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,588 Repped: 259 Repped 5,423 Times in 619 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 11 Times in 9 Posts	damn i hope banks does work with Fab __________________ HH Board's Top 5 or Better... Who Hotter Than Me? HIT DA REP OR CLICK THE GREEN

11-10-2008, 01:54 PM	#10
G-uNIT!!4 LYFE OG Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: LOS ANGELES,CALI Posts: 3,838 Repped: 1,512 Repped 107 Times in 88 Posts Neg Reps: 30 Neg Repped at 13 Times in 10 Posts	thats good for banks i hope he gets recognition for his mixtapes...i feel like hes underrated these days.... __________________

11-10-2008, 09:35 AM	#3
SlimShady1836 Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 198 Repped: 38 Repped 446 Times in 21 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 3 Times in 2 Posts	great another wack rapper thinking he has talent....

11-10-2008, 12:51 PM	#7
Tha Unit On Top BISD November 23rd Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,196 Repped: 640 Repped 2,457 Times in 353 Posts Neg Reps: 78 Neg Repped at 123 Times in 85 Posts	Good shit, HH is a dope ass tape, Banks putting that work in. I wonder if he is gonna keep doing solo tapes, no features and shit. Didnt on Shadyville.biz they said about HH that he will have features that are lyrically skilled as him, and that you wont believe who it is or some shit? He didnt have any features. I wonder if he will have anything on the next tape, or will it just be him doing this series, i guess its what, 5 tapes, all just him to get him back into that grind, get people on the streets to rock with him and shit. I guess the next tape will drop in Dec, maybe a Christmas or New Years tape we could see?

11-10-2008, 01:46 PM	#9
YGeeza Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: L.A. Posts: 2,111 Repped: 1,399 Repped 521 Times in 118 Posts Neg Reps: 40 Neg Repped at 15 Times in 11 Posts	vol. 3 in 30 days

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