Lloyd Banks was raised in Jamaica, Queens, by his Puerto Rican mother; his father spent much of his son's childhood behind bars. Like many young men amid the poverty and ruin of his community, he found solace through ghetto poetry and the work of rappers like Big Daddy Kane and Slick Rick. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16, finding the structured environment a hindrance to his developing talent for rhyming. After appearing on numerous local mixtapes, Banks, along with childhood friends Tony Yayo and 50 Cent, formed a crew called G-Unit, a group that proceeded to redefine the term "street marketing" with a series of self-released albums that included original numbers and quality artwork. Banks stayed on with 50 Cent, appearing on the artist's now classic 2003 debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. November of that same year saw the release of G-Unit's Beg for Mercy. Banks' long-awaited solo debut for G-Unit/Interscope Records, Hunger for More, was released in June 2004. He followed it two years later with Rotten Apple. In 2010, G-Unit announced they were leaving Interscope and partnering with EMI for Banks' third album, H.F.M., Vol. 2 (The Hunger for More, Vol. 2). ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi
Rapper Lloyd Banks was arrested in Canada during the weekend after he and three associates allegedly assaulted and robbed a concert promoter. Accordin...
over Banks' track, but the G-Unit MC was tight-lipped about Slim Shady possibly appearing on the new track. He did reveal, though, that he'll be joine...
] Yayo got a project, there's plenty of projects and space for it to happen. On my album, we got 'Start It Up' to set it off." Have Banks and fellow Q...
changed everything. Up until that point, I wasn't thinking about an album. I was just thinking, 'Let me get the respect from my fans.' " And respect h...
, every song should have a different mood," he said. "When I heard the certain notes that was played, it just brought me into the nightlife. It sound ...
ended up going with the record 'Where I'm At.' " Banks allowed Sway to cue up a snippet of the song, and on it, we heard Em spit, "I'm moving on, don'...
Photo by Chris Tuite Action Bronson: "Strictly 4 My Jeeps" (Remix) [ft. LL Cool J and Lloyd Banks] (via SoundCloud) On June 11, Action Bronson is shar...
Action Bronson has turned "Strictly 4 My Jeeps" into a Queens affair by enlisting LL Cool J and Lloyd Banks for the remix. The original track is featu...