Lloyd Banks

Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks on the set of the "Rider Pt.2" video.
Background information
Also known as	Livin' Lloyd
Born	April 30, 1982 (1982-04-30) (age 27) Queens, New York, United States
Genres	Rap
Occupations	Rapper
Years active	1999 – present
Labels	G-Unit
Associated acts	G-Unit, Tony Yayo, 50 Cent, Eminem, Dr. Dre, DJ Whoo Kid
Website	www.lloydbanks.com

Christopher Lloyd aka Lloyd Banks (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name, Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Born in Queens, he dropped out of high school and joined G-Unit in 2003 with fellow rappers 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight) in 2008. Banks released his first solo album The Hunger for More in 2004 with the top ten single "On Fire". He followed with Rotten Apple in 2006 and left Interscope Records in 2009.

Solo career

The Hunger for More (2004)

Lloyd Banks released his solo debut album The Hunger for More in June 2004. The first single was the summer smash hit "On Fire" which featured 50 Cent, however he was uncredited.

Banks explained the reasoning behind the album's title:

The album was a critical and commercial success, receiving positive reviews, it debuted at number 1 on the Billboard charts with 433,000 copies sold in the first week. The album has since sold over two million copies and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. ^[2][3]

During an interview, Lloyd Banks commented on his first week sales:

Two other singles were also released from The Hunger For More, "I'm So Fly" & "Karma", the latter was a hit reaching number 17 on the Hot 100, number 9 on the R&B charts and number 6 on the rap charts. "I'm So Fly" received little attention only reaching 102 on the Hot 100 and peaking at 32 & 21 on the R&B and rap charts respectively.

Rotten Apple (2006)

The Big Withdraw was intended to be Lloyd Banks's second album. The album was leaked to the internet after Banks had a ménage à trois encounter with two women and left the CD album behind.^[4] The leaked version of the album contained 23 tracks.^[5]

During an interview, Lloyd Banks commented on the issue, he said:

It's truth to that rumor. That comes from me doing too much. I was just lost in my ways, fucked two women at one time. It's the little things you don't pay attention to. I had the CD in an actual DJ Whoo Kid mixtape cover. It was just a blank CD with just tracks. I got over 70, 80 tracks, so you can't get them all on one CD. So I might have had 14 tracks of the last two weeks or something like that. Next thing I know, [I] can't find the CD. I'm assuming it had to be from one of those situations when you got too much going on around you. Maybe I'mma just stick to one girl from now on. That's the only explanation that makes sense. Sticky fingers.^[4]

Lloyd Banks at the 2006 Monster Jam concert.

Due to the leak, Lloyd Banks began work on Rotten Apple. "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. Rotten Apple was not considered as a commercial success because his debut album sold a significantly higher number of copies in its first week. He has released three singles from Rotten Apple: "Hands Up", "The Cake", and "Help".^[6]

Departure from Interscope

Banks left Interscope Records in 2009.^{[7] [8]} He is still signed to G-Unit Records, which will release his new album.^[8] Banks released a mixtape on his 27th birthday, which fell on April 30, 2009; it included the track "Officer Down" that dissed ex-correctional officer Rick Ross.^[9][10]

Awards

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 judging what I deserve... that's actually my most proudest trophy right now.^[11]

IN 2005, ("On Fire") was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Rap Solo Performance. In 2006, "Touch It [Remix]" was nominated for Hip-Hop Video of the Year, and won for Best Collaboration at the BET Awards. The award was shared by Banks and his collaborators, Busta Rhymes, Mary J. Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliott, Papoose, & DMX.

Discography

• The Hunger for More (2004)
• Rotten Apple (2006)

Filmography

References