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Lloyd Banks - Rotten AppleAlbum Review by:
William E. Ketchum III
Monday, October 9, 2006
Interestingly, Lloyd Banks' new disc, 'Rotten Apple', may be one of G-Unit's most important releases in recent memory. The group's first run of the solo releases—50 Cent's 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin' and 'The Massacre', Banks' 'Hunger For More', Young Buck's 'Straight Outta Cashville', former member Game's 'The Documentary'—succeeded both among the streets and the billboards, helping give them credibility as the industry's new premier rap crew. But after duds by Tony Yayo and Mobb Deep failed to make waves with fans and critics alike, many are expecting the downfall of 50 Cent and company. With his sophomore set, Banks delivers a solid album that manages to pull the Unit out of its rut, but fails to break any new ground for Banks himself.
'Rotten Apple' is a standard, run-of-the-mill G-Unit release in many regards; but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Banks is still running through blocks, broads and shopping centers over G-Unit's glossy, top notch production, with plenty of witty punchlines and alluring hooks to boot. Banks is a highly capable MC—“Playboy 2” exhibits wordplay that competes with his early mixtape work, “Get Clapped” and “Stranger” shine as he spits murderous bars over venomous backdrops, and both “Help” and the 9th Wonder-laced “One Night Stand” are sure to satisfy the ladies with their smooth beats and Banks equally smooth rhymes. Also worth mentioning are the title track and “The Cake,” which each feature an invigorated 50 Cent spitting some of his hottest verses in years. The problem is, Banks doesn't do anything different at all this time around. Nothing's broken, so he doesn't want to fix it; this makes for an LP that's high in actual quality, but sparse in excitement and replay value.
There are a few surprises on the disc, but each of them is underwhelming in their own right. “Addicted” aims to wax poetic about Banks' addiction to his neighborhood, but aside from the great Musiq Soulchild hook and an ill beat, not much seperates this from Banks' other hood tales. “You Know The Deal” is dope, but dismally misleads listeners with its “featuring Rakim” tag with a mere sample from the God MC instead of an actual verse. “Iceman” features solid cameo verses by Scarface, 8Ball and Young Buck, but a track with those three artists would've worked much better as a gutter down-the-line joint, which becomes evident upon hearing its insipid beat and worthless chorus.
Despite Rotten Apple's missteps, it's still evident that Banks is the most talented MC in his crew; but he seems too content with that. The disc's “stick to the script” attitude shows that Banks is more focused on playing his part on the team than building his own legacy. But every squad needs its role players, and Banks is a consistent starter.
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