Hunger For More, The - Lloyd Banks

...of awful, gun-oriented lyrics. The Hunger For More, despite having an ill title, turns out to be nothing more than trash... with just a couple of saving moments.

In celebration of Tony Yayo's recent release from prison, he has returned with his G-Unit buddies once again, and helps Lloyd Banks set the album up with the opener: "Ain't No Click". Once you hear the beat, you can obviously come to the conclusion that it's another ...
...title for Fat Joe, The Hunger for More doesn't exactly coincide with the messages that Banks is giving us. First of all, I don't feel that Lloyd is hungry at all. For you see, if Mr. Bank of America were as half as hungry as he claims, he would actually spit something with some creativity, substance, and try to distance himself from everybody else, despite the fact that his buddies are all apart of the collective that I call "trash". This ... more

In 2002, G-Unit has invaded radio stations nationwide and hereby cursed us once again with their brand of idiotic, overly-dramatic gangsta rap. Their whackness has been showcased again and again, starting with leader 50 Cent's first major label release: 2003's Get Rich or Die Tryin'. This album simultaneously managed to not only unleash the vile, gruesome stench of 50 Cent upon the world, but opened the doors for his cronies to appear. With Tony Yayo of G-Unit incarcerated, 50 and original member Banks recruited southern rapper Young Buc into their collective and the trio released Beg for Mercy last November. Who would've thought that this resurgence in whackness would've catapulted G-Unit into making 2004 their year.

The first of the four G-Unit idiots hitting the forefront is Lloyd Banks, probably the most lyrically acclaimed member. I won't lie to you, Lloyd Banks is unbelievably overrated and all he's got is one of two clever punches, and an array of awful, gun-oriented lyrics. The Hunger For More, despite having an ill title, turns out to be nothing more than trash... with just a couple of saving moments.

In celebration of Tony Yayo's recent release from prison, he has returned with his G-Unit buddies once again, and helps Lloyd Banks set the album up with the opener: "Ain't No Click". Once you hear the beat, you can obviously come to the conclusion that it's another Shady / Aftermath production, because all of their beats sound the same. The drums mixed with violins and synthesizers is a tad bit strange, but not bad whatsoever. Lloyd Banks comes on the track for the first two verses, composed of the typical rhyming style that you'll be hearing for the duration of this CD. I'm not a fan of Banks shallow attempt at being funny with his whack punchlines, trying too hard to be gangsta. The verses are all composed of flashing jewelry, pulling triggers, killing people, and rolling in fast cars, like every single other commercial rapper out there right now. For those of you naysayers who think Banks is clever, spitting punchlines like "We got guns like Popeye's arm" seriously need to remove your head from the crevices of your ass-hole. I mean, what type of garbage is "You'll be in a black bag like grasshopper lawnmowers"... wow. After Banks, Yayo hits the track. Yayo's mic presence is pretty nice, but his commercialized lyrics are nothing to gaze at. They're whack... plain and simple.

"Playboy" actually manages to be even MORE commercial than the last track. Don't expect anything clever here folks, because Banks comes on the track with his bullshit lyrics about all of the women he has sex with, all the ice he owns, etc etc etc... I'm so sick of it. I vented my frustrations on this matter on my recent article (The Byte), and this is a prime example. Oh yeah, besides the lyrics, the beat is awfully annoying. Simply Terrible.

As much as this is hard for me to admit, I'm actually sort of halfway feeling "Warrior". The beat isn't as unlistenable as one would think. The synthesized guitars and over-use of bass (like all of Sha Money XL's beats) is actually quite nice here, and not skippable material like seemingly everything else released by G-Unit. Lyrically, the song is about how "powerful" Lloyd Banks is, and gives him and excuse to strut about the size of his testicles. Claiming he's a "warrior" many times on the track, Banks acts as if he has something to prove when fact is, he's just another run-of-the-mill commercial rapper who happens to look like a Ninja Turtle (did I say that?). A few lines hit me pretty hard and are easily relatable: "I'm a grown man dawg, I ain't no bitch". That sort of sums up my personality online and offline... regardless of whether you believe or not. Anyways, this song isn't as whack as one would percieve, but hey... it's still bad.

"We On Fire" is the unbelievably whack lead single that is currently blasting away on your radios all over the place. The overly produced Eminem beat is annoying and stupid, sounding a bit too much like "Stunt 101". In fact, lyrically, the song is a lot like "Stunt 101". The exact same ideals of "blowing the roof off the club" and the same tired, and played subject matter that we've heard over and over again from these people. Cliche is the keyword as Banks spits cliche after cliche about being a "baller", and how if he doesn't have sex on a particular night, he's not calling the girl again. Jesus Christ. Complete lack of morality, or responsibility. Then again, it's a gimmick, so we know why it sells so much. Garbage... simply garbage.

Here we go again. Does every album these idiots put out have a weed song? A huh... that's right sunshine, all of them do. What's this? Snoop Dogg? On a weed song? Geez... that's unheard of!

Alright let me wipe the sarcasm from my mouth.

Dr. Dre drops the beat for "I Get High", and features Bankypoo, Dr. 9-Shots, and Snoopy. Despite the fact that I honestly enjoyed the beat (brought be back to the days of the 2001 album), the song is whack... plain and simple. This is meant to be one of those laid-back joints where the emcees rap about their love for the green, but is unbelievably cliched with the same rhymes spat over and over and over and over again. I'm quite sick of this, but sadly it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Young Buc, the last member of G-Unit, drops in for a guest spot on "Work Magic". Immediately upon first listen you'll care to notice that the beat is, in my opinion, the worst beat on this entire album. For some strange reason, whackness haunts Buc wherever he goes and besides the fact that his lyrics are awful, for some reason he can never get a good beat. Buc is the worst member of G-Unit due to the fact that he's the most bling-bling-oriented of the bunch, and that every single one of his rhymes are sloppy, tired, and cliche. Originality is obviously a word that isn't in Buc's dictionary, as everything he spits has to do with him killing his enemies and flashing his jewelry. This track, as expected, is no different from anything else he's put out. Lloyd Banks comes on the track only slightly better, with an upped mic presence and flow. However, we still hear the same tired punchlines about how Banks has "more Cake than Birthdays". Clever... for a twelve year-old. Punchline King my ass.

Eminem's continuining journey down the road of commercial hits another stop with "Warrior Part 2", which is honestly the worst song Eminem has ever been on, or produced... and that is quite a statement. Surpassing everything on D-12 World in terms of whackness, we're given a tasty dish of garbage from 50 Cent, Eminem, Lloyd Banks, and Nate Dogg on the hook. Of course, we are treated to the obligatory Eminem redneckish screaming of "Remix!"... like he's P. Diddy. Oh wait, where have I been? Eminem is a complete, 100% sell-out.

First, let me tell you about this incredibly whack beat. Like EVERY SINGLE other beat Eminem has done, he uses the EXACT SAME synthesizers and instrumentals that he always uses, recycled over and over again. The over-exagerrated bass and claps and synthesizers which sound just so tired and played out that not only does it put me to sleep, but it makes me want to break anything that's close to me. The instrumental just sounds so annoying, with it's use of synthesized violins it's almost as bad as watching an episode of Dragon Ball Z Dubbed in English. That's right folks... Eminem is coming close to achieving the "Bruce Faulconer" level of production whackness. Well anyways, Eminem is awful when it comes to rapping, actually adopting the "Freeway" style of flowing (skipping bars), for the first 4 bars or so, and adopting a simple, mono-syllable flow. His lyrics are terrible, but the unlistenable beat overshadows everything. Nate Dogg's chorus is a complete bore as well, as it's obvious to many fans that Nate's time as one who spits "hot choruses" has definitely gone WAY past it's prime. As for the G-Unit crew, 50 and Banks are awful, as expected.

What puzzles me is that Banks has always been protrayed as a punchline master. Many fans (dickriders) have blatantly said that he spits hot punchlines on all his songs, but I've heard... pretty much none. I mean, all he does is brag about his riches and guns. Where are all the punchlines? Where are all of the battle raps? Nowhere. Why? Because they don't exist. One thing I hate is an argument with no backing (as you may know), and saying that Banks is the king of punchlines is bull.

Anyways, back to the review.

The Game has been a highly publicized addition to G-Unit records and the Aftermath camp, and now he is finally getting his first shot at mainstream exposure with "When the Chips are Down". Don't be fooled by the cool song title. The song is far from being anything introspective or with subject matter, and simply turns into another gun-toting, violence-oriented, soiled underwear of a song. I'm sort of feeling the beat, as it has a bit of an underground edge to it. The organization is really nice, with it's use of a nice haunting piano melody which has just the right textures and overall feel to make it a good song, but is completely ruined by the rapping of Floyd Stanks (not a typo), and The Game. What? Does he think he's Triple H? Regardless, The Game is hyped up like 50 and turns out to be very whack. His rhymes consist of the typical "shoot em in the club", "come back get revenge for my dead homie", "I can't live without my gun" bull that we've heard over and over again like a virus. Granted, The Game does indeed have a knack for telling street stories ala Banks, they decide to ignore that skill and just brag. BOOOOOORRRRRRIIIIINNNGGGG.

At last we have reached a good song. "Til The End" actually expresses the true talent inside of Lloyd Banks, sounding more like Mobb Deep in 1995 than 50 Cent in 2003. The beat is the first truly extraordinary thing here, as the use of pianos is enough to spark any mind. The beat is minimalistic, melancholy, and truly unique. What separates this song from anything else on the album is that Lloyd doesn't try too hard to brag or to spit a punchline, but is actually honest in his street storytelling. His words and rhymes actually contain substance and underlining messages that everything else he has released was void of. Granted the song has the makings of a true masterpiece, it doesn't make it. Why? Well for starters, the song suffers from being yet ANOTHER song about loyalty. Let's face it, Banks is no Cormega. We can't expect that kind of honest and passion in his music. Besides just the fact that it's fake, the lyrics are nothing special. Once again, people need to quit making a big deal about Banks and accept his whackness. His mono-syllable rhymes and complete lack of vocabulary is just like everything else found here. I can't give the song anything higher than a 3.5 for this reason.

It doesn't end. I mean talk about a complete lack of originality. The last two songs on the album, "Die One Day" and "South Side Story" are the same exact thing as everything else ever spat by this guy. More gunplay. More false stories about being a bad-ass, etc etc. It's unbelievably tiring. One thing I have noticed though is that Banks is much more street-influenced than his boy 50. 50 is a lot more about flashing jewelry and bragging about his riches. Oh well... both are whack.

Besides being a much more fitting title for Fat Joe, The Hunger for More doesn't exactly coincide with the messages that Banks is giving us. First of all, I don't feel that Lloyd is hungry at all. For you see, if Mr. Bank of America were as half as hungry as he claims, he would actually spit something with some creativity, substance, and try to distance himself from everybody else, despite the fact that his buddies are all apart of the collective that I call "trash". This album has incredibly whack beats (with the exception of about 2, maybe 3), unlistenable lyrics, and the same subject matter for 14 songs. I'm not even kidding either. Whereas the 50 Cent and G-Unit albums actually varied in subject matter from time to time (gangsta, love song, weed, love song, gangsta, introspection, gangsta... okay maybe not), Lloyd feels it's proper to spit about shooting people in cold blood for all 14 tracks of this garbage. I'm telling you ahead of time folks, don't spend your hard earned money on this. You just as well buy yourself colon cancer in a cup than hear this... that's probably less painful.

1 Star 

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