Proclaimed the number one street artist in 2003, Lloyd Banks was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. Born to a Puerto Rican mother and a father who was often in and out of prison, Banks took solace in writing rap lyrics. His inspirations include rappers such as Slick Rick and Big Daddy Kane; his favorite tracks are ‘Young World’ by Slick Rick and Kane’s ‘Smooth Operator’ and ‘Ain’t No Half-Stepping’.
Currently the youngest member of hip-hop honor troupe G-Unit, Banks has known 50 Cent and Tony Yayo, since his childhood. Banks dropped out for high school before his sixteenth birthday and soon began appearing on local mixed tapes. His mixed tape grew in popularity; it contained original tracks and quality art work. Banks appeared on 50 Cents, high successful debut album ‘Get Rich or Die Trying’ and also on G-Unit’s album ‘Beg for Mercy’, both albums were released in 2003.
In 2004, he released his solo album titled ‘Hunger for More’. Since its debut at the number one spot on the Us Billboard Charts, this album has sold over a million copies. The album featured rapper juggernauts such as Snoop Dog, 50 Cent, The Game, Young Buck and Eminem. Among the tracks on this album the most popular include ‘When the Chips Are Down’, ‘Til the End’, ‘Playboy’, ‘South Side Story’, and ‘I Get High’. On his official website he is quoted saying “I take pride in that, 'cause I'm not qualified for an MTV Award or a Vibe Award or a Grammy or any of that yet. I got my name through the mix tapes. That's why people know Lloyd Banks today. That's where it built from.” Since his success, Banks has toured the world more than once and was recently anointed Mixtape Artist of the Year 2003. |
