It’s not every day Lloyd Banks is casually brought up in a conversation. After all, the G-Unit rapper hasn’t dropped a proper solo album since 2010’s H.F.M. 2 (The Hunger for More 2).
But during a recent Instagram Live session between Fatman Scoop and DMX, his name popped up. After Scoop said X was one of the Top 20 MCs of all time, the “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” OG wondered why he wasn’t ranked higher.
He asked Scoop to give him some examples of who he considered to be great “lyrically.” After naming Chuck D, Eminem, Rakim, Nas, Black Thought, Big Daddy Kane, Nas, LL Cool J, Slick Rick and The Notorious B.I.G., Scoop threw in “Lloyd Banks.”
X replied, “Lloyd Banks?” Lloyd Banks? Lloyd Banks? “Seriously?!”
He then asked Scoop to “impress me with four bars,” which never happened even though X insisted it “shouldn’t be hard” if Banks was such a supreme wordsmith like Scoop said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhr-G-J7PyU&feature=youtu.be
Of course, Banks eventually caught wind of the conversation and he had a few thoughts about the situation. When a fan asked “Wth DMX” was taking about, Banks tweeted, “I have no clue … god bless him.”
He later added, “So because I didn’t come to the studio to work when HE reached out…I’m not that good?” He threw in a laughing emoji to emphasize his point.
Banks’ fans then wondered why he would turn down a legend like DMX, but he denied doing such a thing, explaining, “I didn’t…I had a flight to catch.”
Banks was a topic of conversation earlier this month after 50 Cent’s recent book Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter hit the shelves. In the book, the television mogul takes responsibility for both Banks and Tony Yayo’s “unfulfilled potential.”
“I always felt that if I had maybe done a better job teaching Banks and Yayo how to evolve and change their habits, they each would be in better places right now,” he writes. “While I was out hustling, Banks was more content staying on his porch and watching the world from there.
50 Cent Blames Himself For Lloyd Banks & Tony Yayo's 'Unfulfilled Potential'
“Banks wanted things to come to him, as opposed to going out and getting them for himself. That’s not me trying to assassinate his character—the guy has ‘Lazy Lloyd’ tattooed on his arm. He literally wears his laziness on his sleeve.”
Watch Scoop and X’s conversation above. The Banks segment beings around the 9:30-minute mark.
To be fair, Lloyd Banks is a weird name to drop in that list. He’s good but he’s not really in anyone’s GOAT list and doesn’t have the career highs that DMX has. Banks at his best is nowhere close to X’s first three albums.
I agree. although we all kno banks was/is a beast on the mic, his lack of mainstream success kinda forces him off that list. if we just talkin bout bars tho banks is a superior mc to dmx imo. dmx is the better overall artist just to be clear.
I agree LB better lyricist than DMX who has much better mic skills. Do we think LB wrote for 50, at least some of 50’s bars?
Atleast some. Buck, Banks, and Eminem for sure wrote for 50. Just listening to him in GRODT compared to Animal Ambition is proof enough. I feel like DMX is like a T.I. where they have very lyrical standouts but we don’t look at you as a pure lyricist.
couldn’t agree more. especially with DMX his great appeal is more about the energy he brings to the mic and less about what he is actually saying.
Cmon X had a wide range of concepts with Let Me Fly, Slippin, One More to Cross, You Could Be Blind & My Life
couldn’t agree more. especially with DMX his great appeal is more about the energy he brings to the mic and less about what he is actually saying.
That’s that crack head energy!
“ Do we think LB wrote for 50, at least some of 50’s bars?” Are you kidding? Banks wrote the hook for In Da Club AND got quoted by 50 in the song: “Banks told me to go head and switch the style up, and if they hate, then let em hate, and watch the money pile up.” Kanye even requoted that Banks line on Can’t Tell Me Nothing. in Kanye’s artistic prime (MBDTF era), he put Banks in his top 5! I am a Banks stan and admit 50 is the better entertainer and star, and that DMX was the bigger artist, but Banks is a legend and a top tier emcee. His name is absolutely not out of place in a GOAT list. The fact Banks ghost wrote the hook on one of the biggest songs of the 21st century thus far shows how hard DMX is tripping. He is your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper but too humble and quiet to let the world know.
He had the potential to be. Like 50 said, he was too comfortable.
X must be sucking that crack pipe again, Banks is one of the illest muthafuckas the game has ever seen!!
Lol…stop it! He’s nice but not Top 20 Nice
He’s top 5 nice. Anyone with an ear to the game knows.
man he musta been smokin rocks again at the homeless center with the other hobos
dmx isn’t on my goat list after his first two albums it was all down hill from there to be honest
It’s not really up to you. History speaks for itself. He was the hottest rapper in the game for about as long as the guys mentioned as the GOATS often, Pac and Bi.I.G., did it. About as long as Eminem’s time as a top shelf dude. About as much time as Lil Wayne at the top. About as long as 50 at the top. Twice as long as Ja Rule. You can go down the list. He was absolutely that guy everyone waited to drop from 1998 to 2001. Jay wasn’t even on that level back then, and he was pretty big, and before you try to revision history, that’s actually come out of Jay’s own mouth.
Ah, the stupefication of the hip hop fanbase over time. Back in the day people used to talk about verse, then over time they got dumber and started only being able to focus on punchlines, and now they can only pay attention to the percussion and ad libs. So to the fanbase from the punchline generation lloyd banks is great, but from the generation before he just doesnt register as anything more than just another mediocre mc.
Well said, completely on point. Banks’ first album Hunger for More was good, I don’t think he put out anything worth listening to after that. Fif speaks to his work ethic, or lack therefore. I would agree with him there. Banks doesn’t appear to put much effort into generating and building his own career. He was capable of bars when the unit was hot and he was given a platform, but he never put much energy into building that platform for himself after the Units run was over.
DMX vs. Lloyd Banks is kind of like Allen Iverson vs. Stephon Marbury in the NBA. Both talented, have highlights, chaotic careers and no rings, but one AI achieved way more than Marbury.
How would you figure DMX has “no rings”? Or Banks for that matter as well? That comparison suits Jadakiss and Fabolous better.
I know, right. DMX was that dude from his debut until around his third album, and even then, he still was dropping #1 hits.
DMX was the top rapper in 98 and the top 5 rapper overall between 99 until 2002. Banks had a run from 02 to 06 but did get overshadowed by fellow members Game and Young Buck. My point is that Banks, though very talented, wasn’t on the same category of the other rappers that Fat Man Scoop mentioned and I felt like that was a bit of a set up on FMS’s part.
@The Science. DMX was the top rapper in 98 and the top 5 rapper overall between 99 until 2002. Banks had a run from 02 to 06 but did get overshadowed by fellow members Game and Young Buck. My point is that Banks, though very talented, wasn’t on the same category of the other rappers that Fat Man Scoop mentioned and I felt like that was a bit of a set up on FMS’s part.
DMX is beyond Lloyd Banks!!!!!!!!!!!!
A couple of years ago X went in on R Kelly for snubbing him when he was trying to put that gospel album together, it was funny as hell. So Banks don’t be surprised that he barks at you even though he reached out to work with you way back when. When legends present an opportunity to get in the lab, most people don’t snub them. If you wanted to get on a track with him I’m sure schedules could’ve been coordinated. Claiming you had to catch a flight is a very official response. Remember you gave yourself a title of punchline king, but your not an elite all time lyricist Nobody will ever quote a Banks verse. X has a place on that list, you don’t.
Dmx is wack banks spit harder shit damn him straight fact’s
DMX is a legend. Banks was a hot artist in 2004. X’s run lasted for 5 albums and he was an icon in the culture up until 2005ish when he got messed up with drugs and left Def Jam. Banks was never on that level. 50 Cent vs. DMX would make more sense. Banks was like DMX if X decided to quit after his debut.
Banks had a ton of potential. Better lyricist then 50. But only 3 solo albums since what 2003? Underachieved just doesnt seem interested
I agree Banks my be a better metaphor/ punch- line rapper; X is more a vocalist , maybe one of the best of all time. Overall , X is a bigger face in rap far as hits, sales , charisma, delivery, etc. despite his lows.
You know what? NY Niggas are so damn shady
He got lyrics. You just might fall asleep trying to catch them.
Hey I’m not a banks fan I’m a die hard x man but I can say this x is the only rapper in fuckin history to sell out a fuckin continent so I would put him in the top 20
I have to agree with X on this one. Banks is cool as a MC but I wouldn’t put him in the top 20.
Crack is one hell of a drug! DMX is definitely back on crack if for 1 second he thinks Banks isn’t lyrical. There is a reason THE STREETS call him The PLK (Punch Line King)… Lost the little bit of respect I had for X with that one. Smh! He sounds salty too!
He didn’t say Banks is lyrical. He said banks isn’t a top tier lyricist, which he is not. Banks is dope but he is not top tier…#GiveMeJESUS
Bank’s definitely top tier lyricist were not talking about who’s sold the most real hip hop fans know he is and ten times better than 50 and dmx as a lyricist x isn’t a lyricist he makes hits and shit you could feel if you struggled in life
To compare X to banks is laughable to say the least , X had 5 number one albums! how many has Banks had? How many #1 tours has Banks headlined? At one point Dark man X held the number one position in HIP-HOP and it was undisputed! X brought the streets back! (Bad Boy had to chill with them shinny suits) DMX wasn’t hating on banks, he was answering a question of TOP LYRICIST! If you think Banks name is in the top lyricist category then you don’t know hiphop history! DMX is not an ALL TIME LYRICIST.
Search that YouTube video that dropped a couple of days ago if Banks is one of the greatest of all time. Its worth a listen.
If we’re keeping it thoro, DMX isn’t one of the top 20 lyricists of all time either. He’s one of the GOATs without a doubt, made some of the hypest shit ever. Carried NY(the entire hip hop game actually) on his back for good little minute and had Ruff Ryders on top of the world but X did not elevate the game lyrically.
DMX story telling influenced hip hop for the next decade.
False. Hip Hop was fresh of the BIG murder, who was one of hip hop’s greatest story tellers and we still had Slick Rick, Nas in his prime, Naughty By Nature, Rakim, EPMD, Wu Tang etc dropping joints during that era as well. It was they who influenced DMX and everybody who came after, not the other way around. Besides, you don’t hear hardly anybody talking about DMX as their inspiration from a lyrical/story telling POV.
DMX is one of my fave rappers, I put him up there with the Jay Z, Nas, Pac, Guru but lately his really starting to feel like the crackhead of the rap game, really finicky and downright annoying with his persona
The hell you talking about, he LITERALLY IS the crack hea of the rap game.
Who knows where he would be right now if it were not for that shit.
old man Earl talking that crazy talk again and it sure as hell does sound like he been suckin on that glass d!ck once again, that’s when the crazy talk begin. I swear this guy is to the hiphop game like Bling Bling is to Bumfights series.
always a goofy nigga that has done nothing in life poppin shit. Other than being a professional fuck nigga, what have you accomplished worth mentioning? Thought so.
Uh-hyuck!
banks is straight…at times dope…but definitely not in the top 20 as far as lyricists go….neither is X….but X can be considered top 20 rap artists of all time….and top 10 live performers of all time
Lol how does he question Banks but not Drake or Nicki Minaj being on those lists?! Drake is real outta place on that entire list of emcees that were mentioned
Depends on your opinion on how the your conversation goes.. top artists? Top mc? Top lyrical? No real true answer. Let the answer speak to the listener…
When it comes to line for line not many people out there can top banks’s pen game. For me Its remarkale to listen to him when you enjoy complex rhymes and delivery. I barely listen to rap anymore but i got banks songs that wont leave my playlist…
Out of interest what type of music do you now listen 2?
Lately a lot of Nickelback mostly.
Hey at least Banks ain’t a crackhead like Dmx