Send "Lloyd Banks " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Of all the New York sequels lined up in the wake of Only Built for Cuban Linx… 2, I’m fairly certain Hunger for More 2 ranks near the bottom of the anticipation list. Lloyd Banks was always the G-Unit member that promised the longest longevity - unable to create a real pop hit and too self-conscious to go full on pop - and he’s done an admirable job over the past decade avoiding a taint on his legacy. But this is still more of an indictment on 50 Cent than Lloyd Banks. No one else in the crew was painted as a savior of hardcore NYC hip-hop, and as G-Unit releases over the years have proved none of the group’s MCs seem up to the challenge. We will always remember fondly the months following Eminem’s Eminem Show during which Lloyd Banks made Ja Rule his personal whipping boy, emphasizing one of the last moments rap beef was powerful enough to mark and end careers. But whether you consider Banks an extremely limited MC trapped in the muck of late-90’s gangster posturing or a guy upholding one of the last “real rap” crews in hip-hop, Hunger for More 2 is probably hard to take as an album that barely meets if not underperforms on expectations.First of all, there’s “Beamer, Benz or Bentley”. While “Warrior, Pt. 2” and “On Fire” were big-time on street radio, they’re nothing compared to the fire that ignited Banks’ latest hit. It was as if the guy had never had a chance to burst onto the scene yet. While much of the song is propelled by SoundZ’s manic take on club rap, filling the beat with timebomb 808’s and glass-clearing bass, it’s not like Banks and guest Juelz Santana go soft on it. The song has dominated national radio since its debut in early-summer, but mostly acts as a red herring for most of the album that surrounds it....full text |
| Diversehiphop |
| Turkey Day review people! That’s how hard I go haha. HFM2 is in stores, and its time I give it the review it deserves. Did Lloyd Banks spit enough hot fire? Time to find out! Hunger For More 2 is another installment by Lloyd Banks, that adds that fire, and that classic Hip Hop/Rap feel we have all been waiting for. This album doesn’t disappoint. We finally have a rapper who has stepped up, and showed, you don’t need to promote so much, just to get your album rockin. Lets go in on these tracks and see what’s hot! 1. Take Em To War Feat Tony Yayo: This is the way you open an album. You get a sick beat that is original, upbeat and gives crazy chills. I was never really a Yayo fan I’ll be honest, but he ripped this shit up. Sick song and great way to open the album. Got me intrigued to go to track 2. Favorite Line: ”Fuck talking, lets take it to war.” 2. Unexplainable feat Styles P: A while back, I remember hearing this song as a radio rip, and I remember being so excited. I couldn’t wait to blast this on my speakers with the bass I got, crazy song. The hook is just plain addicting. My favorite thing about this song is, it felt like a part two to track 1. They both sound so familiar, which really isn’t a bad thing. Favorite line: ”my hunger is unexplainable cool people, Kenevil in my alter-ego zero tolerance, we strapped wherever we go.” 3. Payback feat 50 Cent: I don’t know if its just me, but from track 1 and track 3, the beat has got that same beat, which I love. As soon as I saw 50 was on this track, I got excited. There is not one 50 cent, Banks track that is wack. These guys together always deliver, whether it was G-Unit or out of G-Unit. It’s great to see Banks collab with some of his old friends from G-Unit. Favorite line: ”And my hearts so cold I dont trust a soul it’s funny how the bullshit goes you never know” 4. Home Sweet Home feat Pusha T: I love what Pusha is saying in his verse in this song, and both Banks and Pusha are sending out some pretty important messages in this song. That’s the best part. It isn’t all about the fame. Banks pretty much tells everyone, ”I’m on top and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Love the attitude. Favorite line: F*ck being humble in the jungle where they fumble dreams.”...full text |
| Onethirtybpm |
| To say 2010 has been a banner year for Lloyd Banks wouldn’t be saying quite enough. Let’s go back in time: first, what was supposed to be Banks’ sophomore effort was stolen from him following a ménage à trios (there are certainly worse ways for this to have happened), and the subsequent leak forced the MC to entirely re-record, dropping the understandably inferior Rotten Apple. Yet, the lukewarm reception that album received gradually led to Banks being dropped from his label. Now he returns with The Hunger for More 2, hoping to rekindle the flame his platinum debut created. It’s been quite the road: Banks began to rebuild his reputation with the “5 & Better” series of mixtapes (listen to any one of them if you doubt Banks’ abilities), then dropped “Beamer, Benz & Bentley,” the buzz from it carrying us to this point. The story behind that single has become a bit of a fairy tale: Banks needed a hit, and despite being a former Dipset foe, so did Juelz Santana. The two hopped on the beat, and with no real major backing, the cut blew up. Banks rode the wave and got to gloat at Interscope coming back tail between the legs, only to stay independent with distribution through EMI. The album’s taken a little too long to come, allowing some of the single buzz to subside, but Banks has had another ace up his sleeve: Kanye West. Yeezy famously tweeted that he regarded Banks as among the Top 5 MCs living, and a G.O.O.D. Friday appearance followed. In rebuilding his career, Banks has been reconnecting rap: first with Dipset, then G.O.O.D. Music, and then the Young Money-affiliated Lloyd. Despite the period they spent dominating, G-Unit left what amounts to a mess behind, and with 50 seeming to be confused as to whether he wants to remain a pop star, rap, or act (and Yayo not having too many thoughts of his own), Banks seems to be the man to clean it up. Due to all this, this album almost plays more as a mission statement than anything, each song aggressively reasserting the rapper. It’s just about what you’d expect from Banks, but being a sequel, it’s achieving exactly what it set out to. Banks is far more alive than he was on Apple, and it shows in his return to lyrical form. G-Unit takes the back seat as Banks establishes himself, Yayo popping up on the album opener (and – ghasp – he seems to have figured out how to rap) and 50 only dropping in for a solitary chorus on “Payback.” Banks wants to extend beyond his family more than anything, and it actually leads the album to be too guest-laden. Still, it’s easy enough to forgive him. The production is tight, and Raekwon’s own sequel aside, this is the most vibrant a mainstream New York record has sounded in some time. They may take some of the spotlight from Banks, but is anyone going to complain about having the likes of Pusha T, Kanye, Raekwon, and Styles P around? Banks’ hunger must have rubbed off, because even Juelz and Fabolous manage to make an impression. Look out of for the bonus tracks, including the too smooth “Kill It” and the Eminem featuring, Boi-1da produced, “Where I’m At”: both are perhaps stronger than much of the album, good luck figuring out why they didn’t make the cut (also seek out Banks’ Blue Fridays, some should have appeared here). Album opener “Take ‘Em to War” is appropriately epic, and while “Father Time” may serve as something of a high point, if anything, this record is remarkably even. No single track is going to blow you away, but near every single one of them is equally solid. This is one of those albums to throw on and leave on while you accomplish something: it won’t demand too much of your attention, but none of it will bore you....full text |
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