The story of Lloyd Banks really isn’t that different from every other East Coast rapper in the game. He was born in one of the five boroughs…his pops was never around…and by the time he reached high school, he no longer had use for any of the “three R’s”, instead hoping that rhymes would pave his way to riches.
And here’s something else you’ve probably heard before: big name rapper drops multi-platinum album and the first thing he does is take care of the crew he came up with.
Proving once again that it’s not how you flow, but who you know, 50 Cent has parlayed the crazy sales of his debut commercial LP Get Rich or Die Tryin’ into record deals for the members of his G-Unit outfit. After assaulting our eardrums with the posse release Beg for Mercy, Banks is the first affiliate to score his own solo joint.
Let’s just get it out of the way up front…Banks is not without talent. He makes up for his so-so lyrical stylings with quietly strong mic presence and a sandpaper delivery.
Ain’t No Click is the opening cut and it’s one of those rare occasions where a mediocre beat isn’t a bad thing. Banks spits some generic “we run the streets” material over some flat Havoc-laced production. Still, the beat is soft enough for Banks to completely take this one over. It’s not enough to save it, but the effort’s certainly there.
The first single, On Fire, is one of those hook-heavy reaches for radio airplay that would probably check in at about 60 seconds of actual rapping. But, damned if it’s not a catchy little throwaway cut. The problem is that the unoriginality spills into the very next track, I Get High. Hi-Tek is behind the boards on this one and brings a beat that was apparently inspired by the West Coast circa 1996. As if on cue, Snoop Dogg pops up and channels his mumbling Doggfather persona, while actually rhyming “face off” with…”face off”.
Now, didn’t we say that Banks had skills?
It’s definitely going to play like an acquired taste, but Work Magic, well…works. The Scram Jones beat sounds like that usual Down South monotony, but Banks bookends a strong cameo by Young Buck with some fire of his own. Hey, what can I say…I’m a sucker for references to Michigan’s Fab Five and making the top your enemies’ head look like a pistachio.
Two versions of the cut Warrior are here, as well. On the original, Banks thumps his chest and brings the belligerence. It’s one of the lyrically stronger efforts, though, and, to his credit, Banks is able to carry this one past cookie-cutter status.
But, it’s the remix that blows everything else away on this album. I can almost smell y’alls hate mail, but the Eminem beat is a perfectly layered foundation for the efforts of all involved. Em has the first verse, while Banks and 50 Cent handle the second and third, respectively. Everyone brings heat and the Nate Dogg hook brings it all together. It’s not the deepest joint you’ll ever hear, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts on this one.
Slim Shady also gets production credits on Til The End. It’s a slow and meandering ode to hood loyalty, which probably shouldn’t be listened to while operating heavy machinery. And if anyone wants proof that not everything Nate Dogg touches turns to gold…well, here ya go.
