Tony Yayo: Lloyd Banks Is A Mix Of Biggie's Bars & Tupac's Work Ethic

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2004 Vibe Awards - Show
Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks during 2004 Vibe Awards - Show at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage for Vibe Magazine)
Tony Yayo praises Lloyd Banks following their collaboration on "The Loyal."

Lloyd Banks remains one of the fiercest lyricists to emerge out of the East Coast. Though he never became a mainstream success in the same way as 50 Cent, he never held back whenever he stepped in the booth with his G-Unit peers. Unfortunately, his relationship with Fif deteriorated over time and it took a minute for him to return to the spotlight. In recent years, he’s dished out collaborations alongside members of Griselda and dropped off two of his own projects, firmly reminding the masses that he still holds the title of the Punch Line King.

Despite his distance from 50 Cent, his relationship with other members of the G-Unit camp isn’t as fractured. Tony Yayo, for instance, recently tapped Banks for his latest project, The Loyal. Banks shows out on the project for the record, “Rocket Chamber,” which dropped as a single. The two clearly haven’t lost their chemistry in the booth and brought forth an excellent collab that hopefully leads to more music from the G-Unit rappers in the future.

Tony Yayo Compares Lloyd Banks To The GOATs

Lloyd Banks might not occupy the spotlight but he never disappoints when he steps in front of the mic. Tony Yayo recently sat down with DJ Vlad who, despite his differences with Banks, had nothing but praise for the Rotten Apple MC’s contributions to The Loyal. “Banks is a show-and-prove type of guy,” Yayo explained to Vlad. In terms of his reclusive nature, Yayo described his collaborator as an “anti-industry” individual who is far more focused on the music than the business-side of things.

Though he might be quiet for the most part, Yayo explained that Banks has no shortage of music sitting in his vault. “I go to the studio, he’ll play me 100 records,” he explained before comparing Banks to both Biggie and ‘Pac. “It’s like his bars are something like Biggie but he writes like Tupac. I never met a guy like that besides [Eminem].” It seems as though there could be more music from Yayo and Banks soon as the former said he has another project coming out shortly.

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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