Lloyd Banks: New York State of Mind

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ith visibility ever-important for record sales, Lloyd Banks knows there’s no better marketing machine than himself. With his sophomore release, Rotten Apple on track for a September 19 release, Banks wants to unveil some of his album to the very city that inspired it in.

Lloyd Banks breaks from his busy schedule to discuss touring, performing with his peers, and how he’s showing that G-Unit is also on their “New York S**t.”

AllHipHop.com: So you’re back in New York?

Lloyd Banks: Yeah, I’m actually just back doing radio and a few TV things.

AllHipHop.com: It just happens to coincide with the AllHipHop Week and the concert at Hammerstein?

Lloyd Banks: Oh yeah, definitely, this week I’m getting a few things together. A lot of us stay in New York, so you never know who’s going to drop through there. I look forward to it. The whole AllHipHop Week… it’s bananas, man.

AllHipHop.com: One artist on there, Papoose, he’s kinda like you in a way – young, and expected by some to pull New York up. How do you feel about sharing the stage with someone like that? Are you going to give him some advice backstage?

Lloyd Banks: We cool. I’ve seen him a few times, when we did the BET Awards, and in the studio and things like that. So of course, I’m sure he’s been waiting for this for sometime, he didn’t start rapping yesterday. I’m sure he’s been waiting on this for a while. He’s going to be ready to put on a good show.

AllHipHop.com: Have you been any interesting places lately?

Lloyd Banks: Nah, I’ve been home, I’ve been recording, been working on my mixtape. The album is completed, but I’m working on mixtape material. I actually have a CD out right now with DJ Whoo Kid entitled “More Money in the Bank, Volume 4” and I’m actually putting another Volume 5 and that’ll be out in about a week. I’ve really been in the crib and recording. The last few stops on the tour were Taipei and Bangkok, and the last performance I did was in Bangkok.

AllHipHop.com: So what about your big project, The Rotten Apple. I wanted to ask, I don’t know of any artists who’ve used that title. Can you talk about the project and how it will be about the “rotten apple?”

Lloyd Banks: It’s just everybody in New York City… they know it’s called “The Big Apple.” I just wanted to show the people more than they can see, when they come from other cities, they see the big buildings, the bright city lights, the yellow cabs – I just want to take them to the boroughs to give them a better idea and understanding of where I come from. I grew up in Southside Jamaica, Queens, it’s not an easy upbringing, but it prepares you for life.

AllHipHop.com: What’s on the album as far as production?

Lloyd Banks: Well, as far as production goes, I got Eminem, I got two from him, I got two beats from Havoc from Mobb Deep, I got Timbaland on the project … I have Jeruz, Nick Speed out Detroit, Black Milk out of Detroit. It’s a lot of new producers also, you know, I’d rather make a big-time producer than a big-time producer make me, because they will make another excuse for why you sell the record. I kind of keep that to a minimum. I like to dictate my own pace, I like to go to all the cities. I don’t have an A&R, you know, so I pick my music out. I don’t want the people to know I produced the record before they read the credits. As far as features go, I got, of course everybody in the crew is there. 50 is there, Buck is there, Yayo is there, Mobb Deep is on the album, I got Scarface on the album … Musiq Soulchild and Rakim on the record.

So when does the Rotten Apple drop?

Lloyd Banks: It’s slated for September 19th. <br<

AllHipHop.com: Is there going to be a supporting tour?

Lloyd Banks: Actually, the promotion tour, I leave this Sunday. I’ll be gone from this weekend until the actual album is released. Buck is going to be on promo tour with me because he has an album coming in the near future also, entitled Buck the World. I love to perform, so even though it’s a promotional tour, I’ll stop in the clubs and lay it down. Look out for a full-fledged tour, I did over 170 shows as a solo artist on my first album. They can expect me to get out there and every city can expect to see me at least two times – ‘cause I’m not going home.