Lloyd Banks Talks About the Art of Making a Real Rap Album

Lloyd Banks recently shared his opinion on how albums are being made now- how artists just focus on making one hit, and then hope that one hit sells the whole album, which would just basically have album fillers all round. I think that is what hiphop got to in the last couple of years, but i think it has gradually made a turn around for the better in the last 28months or so. In fact, i could not believe Raekown's Only Built For Cuban Linx2 would sell that  much.

Read below on what he said.
"The game turned into a singles game where you just drop your single and make a dance to it and go. But then you have artists like myself who can put together a whole album to where 1-14 tracks on the record will have a different feel. One record might be towards the females, one is about my neighborhood, one is a concept record, then you have a weed record, a drunk record, you got an in love record, and you got a fuck a girl record. It has to be every kind of thing in order to make it a classic." (The Well Versed)
"Sometimes people get out of reality and they want to just party and wear skinny jeans like you said or whatever it is. But I think everything comes back around full circle in due time and I think that everybody has their movement. So the same way people may get exhausted with gangsta rap or party music -- it's up to artists like myself and Jay-Z, Eminem, Raekwon, 50 Cent and artists like that who put together great albums and every song is different that makes people respect the album." (The Well Versed)

Lloyd Banks Talks About Making His First Million at 20

I think Lloyd banks was 20 when they did that G-Unit album, Beg For Mercy, so i know where the million must have come from. If he had as much as just a little percentage off that album, eh could have easily made a lot of money from it. The album sold like 3.5 million copies in America alone, and he must have made a lot from touring.

Below is what he had to say:
"I think every artist, you make mistakes when you come into the game," Banks said in an interview. "I made my first million dollars when I was 20-years-old and I was too scared to touch it. I eat humble pie every morning so I really didn't have the temptation to go out there and live beyond my means. And being around someone like 50 [Cent] made it easier because if you see him shine then I'm shining right next to him. I was smart enough to know that. We're from the hood. If that's 50 car and I'm in it, who are they to know. That's our car. Or if we pull up to the awards in the Phantom, that's our Phantom." (Hip Hop Wired)

Okay, now i know where he had just one old Chevy S.UV back in the day. I hope he put the money to good use. I think he made a lot from his beemer benz and bentley single, so, he is still good- even though his album didn't do so good.

Game Being Sacarstic About Lloyd Bank's First Week Sales

The first week sales of Lloyd Banks latest album, Hunger For More2 just came in and it did 45,118, and below is what GAME had to say about it on twitter-

"Shout out to @lloydbanks for coming in #25 on soundscan the 1st week selling 45,188 copies with the new album. I knew u could do it champ !," Game tweeted Wednesday (December 1). (Game's Twitter)

Although game reached out to 50cent a few weeks ago, wanting to squash their long time beef, it is clear that game is still not ready for a G-Unit re-union, because his recent remarks, which is clearly sacarstic, shows that he is still not in good terms with them.

How can you be commending a rapper for selling 45k, when other rappers that came out the same week as him, KANYE WEST and Nicki Minaj, did 497k and 375k respectively in first week sales; that is 10 times what banks did, so it is clear he is just making fun of banks.

Well, game is a man of his own, and he can talk and do what ever he want, although i just feel he need to leave the issue alone. But i think he is just taunting banks because of some remark banks made about him last month

"I always catch wind of what's going on and somebody brought my attention to it, I saw it on Twitter but I don't really got too much negative to say about the situation because I've dedicated so much time to myself, to get somebody else attention due to negativity but what I can say is we did that dance already," Banks said in an interview with radio host Suava. "We did that dance where we formed the group G-Unit to establish ourselves as solo artists and I think it's time for us to pay 50 [Cent] back. It's reverse now. I'm out here trying to better myself as an individual so that when we do form the monster known as the group G-Unit, it'll be that much easier on us. So, if anything, that situation would be going backwards. It's too late to cry over spilled milk. I would be interested to see if those same attempts to reach out to 50 Cent would be happening if he had a number one record on the 
 radio." (Hot 105.5)

I think game was just checking banks; lol!

Kanye West says Lloyd Banks Should be Ranked Amongst top 5 Rappers

Okay, i do agree that Lloyd Banks is good, and is a bit unde-rated, but i ain't buying that he deserves to be mentioned amongst top five emcees. I think what Kanye is doing right now is a little "ass-kissing" here and there to get some cosigns, and some new fans (his album is about to drop)...Some buzz basically. That is the new trick in the bag. That is why he recently said Eminem is the best ever, and that Nicki Minaj had the most potential to be the 2nd greatest rapper of all time. I think i am ashamed at Mr West for saying something like that. You wouldn't have caught Kanye saying stuff like that when his 3rd albums was riding the charts. Now that he is on very shaky grounds (from the Taylor Swift incidence), and he is scared of being compared to Eminem (in the sales department), he has to result to this.

But that is just his opinion, and if you look up at the heading of this blog, you would read that i basically pour out MY opinion, so it is left to you, the readers, to make up yout mind. But there is one thing, the main reason i set up this blog; the fact that people like Kanye West have ears of a lot of people...the masses...the media chop up what people like that say, and everybody believes and use them as yardsticks, so you have people like me giving you a second opinion. I am not saying i am always right, but there is one thing i don't do, i never comment on things i am not sure of. If i know i am going to get emotional with it, i would rather leave the matter.

I would just like people to do their own thinking a little more...Okay, back to the topic, Kanye made that comment on twitter;
"Yo man Loyd Banks prolly the most underrated MC in the game... Man he deserve to be top 5 at least!," West tweeted Wednesday (September 8) night.

And the comment on Eminem and Nicki Minaj came a little before that;
Kanye said Young Money star Nicki Minaj could be one of the greatest hip-hop stars ever. "This is gonna be such a big statement, and such a big thing to fill: The scariest artist right now is definitely Nicki Minaj. I think she has the most potential to be the number-two rapper of all time. Nobody's gonna be bigger than Eminem." When asked what being the "number-two rapper of all-time" meant, he said, "Everything! Having a whole network one day. Everything that comes with it." He also confirmed that Nicki is on his album, as is G.O.O.D. Music artist Kid Cudi. (MTV)

I would like to say a little about Banks; he is a good rapper, but i do not think he is well rounded. He has a nice delivery, and good with the punchlines(which you rarely hear because he does too much mumbling in his raps)...just my opinion. And if he goes out of 50 cent's shadow(which he has started doing recently), and put out more GOOD albums, then he can move higher up the ranking.

Okay, that is all i have to say. Enjoy the Ramadan.

LLOYD BANKS'S BEAMER, BENZ or BENTLY GOES GOLD

I think i am really happy for this G-UNIT soldier, and i hope he made the must of the money. Lloyd Banks latest single, BEAMER, BENZ, or BENTLEY has gone GOLD; that means it has sold 500,000 digital copies. WOW! That is cool. Let me do the math, if he made 1 dollar off each sale, that is an equivalent of 500k dollars to his name; that is so cool.Even if he made 50 cents off each one...lol! He is still cool.

READ BELOW

G-Unit's Banks scored a Juelz Santana-assisted smash in his days between leaving Interscope Records and signing to EMI.

Lloyd Banks' song "Beamer, Benz Or Bentley" has officially reached gold. Banks' longtime friend and bandmate confirmed the news yesterday on Twitter. 
Released in February of 2010, the Juelz Santana-assisted record produced by Prime became a radio and commercial success without major label backing. During the time of the heavily-remixed song's climb on the charts, Banks was renegotiating a contract at Interscope Records. Earlier this month, the G-Unit emcee finally reached an agreement with EMI Records to distribute his next album. That release, The Hunger For More 2, is planned for November, and is said to carry "Beamer, Benz or Bentley" with it, as well as the Lloyd-assisted "Any Girl."

what do you think about jadakiss working with lloyd banks

I just read up that there is a new remix of lloyd banks latest single, "beamers benz and bentlys", featuring "ludacris" and "jadakiss". WOW! Sure, i know there is no more beef between g-unit and d-block, but it just kinda feels odd that banks would go and get jada on his song. But i think it is all good for hip hop; spread the love.

I know jada and GAME are really cool, and i wonder if game would react to this. Of cos i know it would be childish to react negatively to something like, but the funny thing is that that is the same thing that caused the beef in the first place.

In 2005, game was asked what he felt about "nas", "fat joe" and "jadakiss" and he said he respected them as rappers and would like to work with them sometime in the future (which he did do), and then "50 cent" felt offended and kicked game off g-nuit before he even made it home from the interview. Now, i am just saying, just letting y'all know...more like i am reminding you guys, lol!

Anyway, that is that; i hope it is some great music; infact, i know it would be great, because anything luda gets on turns out great. I am going off to listen to it right now.

WHAT IS YOUNG BUCK'S FATE WITH G-UNIT?

YOUNG BUCK, former G-UNIT member, is asking for a "one on one' with 50 CENT. I remember when buck was kicked out of the unit sometime in 2008, and he started making a lot of noise about how he would make it on his own, how g-unit was all "show money". He even made a couple of diss records, and was always dissing the unit at his concerts/shows. He was quick to appear in THE GAME'S video, MY LIFE. It is just funny that he now wants to have a one on one with 50 to iron out his matter.

I think buck wasn't thinking well when he made his decision, cos he would have thought of the fact that 50 has his contract, and as long as 50 does not let him go, he would just be a frustrated artist. And knowing 50 for the kind of cruel person he can be at times, buck would probably be hanging for a long time to come. I don't think there is anything more frustrating than that.

Buck must have thought he could go the "game" route, but he should have realized that they were not in the same situation. Compton rapper, GAME, was signed directly to DR DRE, and just got linked with g-unit to get some buzz for his upcoming debut album(the documentary), back then in 2005; That is why game could get off that easy and still make music. Looking back, i think game did a pretty unbelievable thing going against 50, and not even having any of his label's backing.

As for buck, i feel the dude, and i like him, and i think he made the decision based on how frustrated an artist he was at the time. Think about it, how can you be a well known international rap artist, and yet you live on show money, and do not have much to call your own. The must of the cars you drive, and the chains you wear belong to the boss, 50. How can you be living to make someone Else's life better; that person being 50. I can remember buck saying he never got any check while he was at the unit, and the management at g-unit made some claims that he had made in excess of 10 million while with them.

I just feel for buck right now, because time is ticking, and the longer 50 holds him down, and stops him from putting out anything new, the more forgotten he would be. Hell, 50 himself doesn't even have the kind of clout he had from about 4 years ago.

But i have to say buck has to keep a low profile and think of the best actions to take before making a move. I remember seeing a movie where this girl wanted to run away from her mom cos the mom was always giving her a tough time, and this cop caught her and brought her back, and on the way to meet the mom, the cop told her this "you will live her, but make your move at the right time; not now, not like this". What that means is that buck would have thought of a better way to leave the u-nit and not by the outburst that got him to be stranded till date.

A couple of weeks ago, he dropped another diss attacking 50, LLOYD BANKS and TONY YAYO; and then a couple of days later, he is begging for a one on one with 50. He is hot and cold, he needs to sit down and plan how he can come out of his contract, whether he would have to drop the stipulated number of albums that are on the contract or find someone to buy him off, that is if 50 allows that.

I just wish him luck, cos after game left, he became my favorite on the unit.