Hate it or love it, every crew would love to have a Lloyd Banks in its
corner. Fierce loyalty means he will ride for the team no matter what.
To quote Slim Charles on The Wire: “It’s what war is you know?
Once you in it, you in it. If it’s a lie, then we fight on that lie but
we got to fight.” But since Banks’ squad at least is supposed to focus
on rapping, it means loading his punchlines into the mic and blasting
the lyrical vitriol at any of the G-Unit’s sworn enemies. Here is more
from of Gang Green from our extensive sit down with The Unit. AllHipHop.com: Banks let me ask you this question, G-Unit as far as the music, what do you bring?Lloyd
Banks: I bring a lot. I bring that lyrical side, the energy. I’ve been
doing the mixtape thing for so long just, I try to balance that out
with the actual recording process ‘cause people have their views and
they fall in love with the material that leads into the album. I feel
like it’s necessary though, it’s like going to watch a movie without a
trailer, you know what I’m sayin’, so that’s what the mixtapes did.Before Return of the Body Snatchers
came out I was saying it’s hard to get recognized on the mixtape market
because people are not zeroed into looking for artists no more; they
did that three or four years ago. Now name an artist that actually came
out on the mixtape market since G-Unit, any artist since G-Unit that
has success. Like Joe Budden had an album that came out but it wasn’t
as successful as he wanted to be. His first project, he got his record
deal through the mixtape market. But since then it’s been five or six
more that’s been signed but it’s hard.50 Cent: It is because they actually have to figure out how to write songs.Lloyd Banks: Songs, right.AllHipHop.com: I was going to ask do you’re overlooked in the game? It’s not like Banks was away because he got wack..Lloyd
Banks: Yeah, time is everything. The person that’s in front of the
camera everyday is the person that automatic can get freestyles at
AllHipHop. As long as they consistently got something to look at,
listen to it that’s when it becomes number one, number two. Me
unfortunately I was going through some things unfortunately, but now
I’m back on the market, look at the reviews, they say how many times
it’s being played and how many comments is on that. If I’m not number
one up there I’m number two up there.AllHipHop.com: On “I’m
Back (Another 70 Bars)” you said, “N***a knocked off, like Obama if he
wins.” So you think Obama is a marked man?Lloyd Banks: And
Obama yeah name a black leader who in some way if he hasn’t been
assassinated he was assassinated you know by character or through
whatever. It’s just happened [throughout] history and I’m 25 years old
and I know that. Whenever they see something out there that’s
stronger…and Obama already looks like the president .You know how
Jordan got the symbol, I see the Obama poster half of his face black,
half of his face white he look like the president already. Time will
tell but it’s not ignorant of me to say that ‘cause the s**t happen.
That’s like saying I got diamonds, in my neighborhood you’re gonna get
robbed, s**t. It happens a lot of times people get robbed, how many
more references do you need before you understand that this s**t is
real. We still live in a society that everything’s not 100% patient,
Racism still exists.
“Name a five-star general with a mohawk?” – Tony Yayo
AllHipHop.com: The love for the music that hasn’t changed, as far as the game what wears on y’all the most?Yayo: B***h a** n***as. Swagger jackin.50 Cent: That s**t don’t even bother me no more.Lloyd
Banks: It bothers the f**k out of me though, it bothers me. When you an
artist at home…think about an aspiring artist. Somebody that’s right
now with the pad and he had Biggie and Pac, he had 50, he had Snoop and
then the s**t changes up and is filled with the s**t you never see.50 Cent: You don’t know what it’s supposed to be right now.Lloyd Banks: The n***a’s wearing glitter belts and tight a** pants and dating back even in history…50: It’s backwards, it is backwards.Lloyd Banks: S**t is going away like…they’re influencing what we wear opposed to what we make them wear. 50 Cent: Yeah, urban clothing has rock ‘n’ roll inspired stuff on it instead of being urban.Lloyd Banks: I’m not with it.50
Cent: They dress like skateboarders now. For example it feels like you
got a hell of a confusion going on man you got motherf***ers running
around looking like Gumby still right now….retro…man still that’s ill.Lloyd Banks: “Man bags” and s**t like that.50
Cent: Retro..but you know what happens? This is what’s ill. Where I’m
from you get f***ed up doing that s**t wearing your hair like that,
like that n***as is gonna identify with that as ok he’s not really
knowing what the f**k is going on. [Makes smack sound]Lloyd Banks: A n***a will snatch your girl right off your arm, what’s up shorty?AllHipHop.com:
It seems like cats is slidin’ with that though. Stuff where you might
have got snatched up in the 80’s or 90’s is being given a pass now. Yayo: Agree to disagree man. 50 Cent: But that’s that s**t that confuses n***as, like with the mohawk. Diddy can wear the mohawk, not Game. [For The Game’s Take On G-Unit , Click Here]
Yayo: Name a five-star general with a mohawk?Lloyd Banks: …a butterfly50
Cent: I don’t believe these n***as man, he’s in a different space. Like
the mohawk is cool you gotta think about who he’s in a meeting with
talkin’ about Diddy like he’s in a space where he’s established himself
as a businessman. When you go to MTV the majority of the artists go in
there just to do promotions for their little CD when he [Diddy] has
three television shows on the network, see what I’m sayin’. They feel
like they’re in the same lane; if their CD just sold a million copies
they think they in the same range as in when his business portfolio is
way longer.
“People always say where would you be without 50? I don’t think about
s**t like that that. That discredits all work that I really did, the
s**t is over my head.” -Lloyd Banks
AllHipHop.com:
We interviewed Game and he said, it’s only going to be Tony Yayo and 50, Banks is going too, do you want to respond?Lloyd Banks:
The story for the people at home that don’t know no better… what irks
me the most is that knowing the s**t I got and the opportunities that
I had…like people always say where would you be without 50? I don’t
think about s**t like that that. That discredits all work that I really
did, the s**t is over my head. Now Game…like average pair of
jeans got five pockets right, two in the front two in the back now
word, one right here [coin pocket]. But [Game] had a n***a in everyone
of them pockets. [Laughs] Now you think that I’m joking. The reason why
Game didn’t work is 50 is looking out for his interest not Henchman or
D-Mack or whoever else was in them pockets. They knew they couldn’t get
it like that.50 Cent: And convinced him to go on his own.Lloyd
Banks: So let’s take Game over here, this n***a think he 50 and get
the money hopefully before he falls on his face now they got
him…listen, he said he wanted to kill himself…Yayo: Pull the trigger!Lloyd Banks: Two times in the last two years he wanted to kill himself.Yayo: Pull the trigger what is he waiting for?! Just pull the g###### trigger. I’ll celebrate.Llloyd
Banks: Look at me [looks at camera], next time you’re in your crib in
the dark, right, and you got that joint to your head, just do it. Blow
your noodles out all over the nice wall and get it over with. That’s
not even a good message to be puttin’ out their either, what the f**k
kind of s**t is that? Kill yourself?50 Cent: I don’t understand why that would be a topic…Additional reporting by Steve Julien.
