Lloyd Banks
Queens emcee and G-Unit co-founder Lloyd Banks was part of the wave of rappers who found mainstream success with hard-nosed, street-ready rap styles in the early 2000s. Along with other G-Unit cohorts, Banks enjoyed charting hits and platinum album sales, both as a part of the crew and with solo albums like his 2004 debut, The Hunger for More. After a string of high-profile releases, Banks focused on mixtapes and stand-alone tracks for most of the 2010s. After parting ways with G-Unit, he cracked the Top 100 of the Billboard 200 with 2021's The Course of the Inevitable, which he followed with 2022's The Course of the Inevitable 2 and 2023's The Course of the Inevitable III: Pieces of My Pain.
Banks was born Christopher Lloyd and 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 growing up in 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, The Hunger for More, was released in June 2004. He followed it two years later with Rotten Apple. In 2006, Banks also scored one of his biggest hits with the song "You Don't Know," from the Eminem-curated compilation album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. The song was the lead single from the compilation and featured guest appearances from 50 Cent, Eminem, and vocalist Cashis. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard charts.
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). Banks remained active primarily with mixtapes and a few acting roles throughout the rest of the decade. He released a steady trickle of mixtapes, like 2011's The Cold Corner 2 and 2016's Halloween Havoc 3: Four Days of Fury. Throughout this time period, G-Unit was in turmoil, with shifts in its activity and lineup. In 2018, Banks parted ways with G-Unit and ceased to work with G-Unit Records.
He returned independently in 2021 with his fourth proper studio album, The Course of the Inevitable. Released on independent imprint Money by Any Means, the album featured guest appearances from Freddie Gibbs, Benny the Butcher, Ransom and debuted in the Top 100 of the Billboard charts. A sequel, The Course of the Inevitable 2, appeared the following year and featured more guest spots, including Benny the Butcher ("Living Proof"), Conway the Machine ("Menace"), Jadakiss ("Power Steering"), and others. Banks then continued the project with The Course of the Inevitable III: Pieces of My Pain, which arrived in April 2023.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
Similar artists
-
The Course Of The Inevitable 3: Pieces Of My Pain
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means Inc. - EMPIRE on Apr 21, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Course of the Inevitable 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means Inc. - EMPIRE on Jul 15, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Halloween Havoc IV: The 72nd Hr
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means, INC. on Oct 31, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Course of the Inevitable
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means Inc. - EMPIRE on May 24, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Hunger For More
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by G-Unit Records on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rotten Apple
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by G-Unit Records on Jan 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
H.F.M. 2 (Hunger For More 2)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Caroline Records on Jan 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Hunger For More
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by G-Unit Records on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
101 Razors (feat. Method Man)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means Inc. - EMPIRE on Mar 24, 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
H.F.M. 2 (Hunger For More 2) (Deluxe)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Caroline Records on Jan 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Course Of The Inevitable 3: Pieces Of My Pain
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means Inc. - EMPIRE on Apr 21, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
H.F.M. 2 (Hunger For More 2)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Caroline Records on Jan 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Halloween Havoc 3: Four Days of Fury
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Four Days Of Fury on Oct 31, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Halloween Havoc 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Four Days Of Fury on Oct 31, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Latex Gloves
38 Spesh, Conway The Machine, Lloyd Banks
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by T.C.F. Music Group on Aug 25, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Menace
Lloyd Banks, Conway The Machine
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means Inc. - EMPIRE on Jun 29, 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Cold Corner 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Lloyd Banks on Dec 21, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mo Money in the Bank
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Lloyd Banks on Oct 30, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Course of the Inevitable 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means Inc. - EMPIRE on Jul 15, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rotten Apple
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by G-Unit Records on Jan 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
101 Razors (feat. Method Man)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Money By Any Means Inc. - EMPIRE on Mar 24, 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo