Happy 28th Birthday, Lloyd Banks!
Posted by adminApr 30
By Rahman Dukes
Happy Born Day to the “Punch Line King” Lloyd Banks, who turns 28 today. Banks, aka Boy Wonder, aka Blue Hefner, has a lot to celebrate this year. He has a smash record, “Beamer, Benz or Bentley,” arguably the hottest independent record label, G-Unit Records, and he’s in the midst of a bidding war between labels who are vying to release the follow-up to his 2004 debut classic, Hunger For More.
As a Southside, Jamaica Queens native, I’ve had the pleasure of watching Banks’ career blossom. His success is nothing new to any cat from Queens, who will tell ya we breed Kings from the borough (Run DMC, LL Cool J, Nas, 50 Cent, Lost Boyz, Onyx, Kool G. Rap, The Juice Crew, to name a few.)
In my early days at MTV, I had the pleasure of receiving frequent visits from famed producer Sha Money, who would bring me early G-Unit mixtapes. That relationship led to myself and MTV breaking the news that 50 Cent had made a major move by signing on with Eminem. My history with the Unit goes back like beads on Stevie Wonder’s braids in the 70’s.
One guy that’s always stuck out in the Unit was Banks, thanks to that voice and impeccable flow, a signature sign of any great rapper. A legend, as we call it in the game.
Me and big homey S. Dot had the pleasure of visiting Banks and Whoo Kid on Thursday (April 29) night just before LB tore down the Nokia Theater. “Beamer, Benz and Bentley” has the god set up perfectly. I couldn’t have said it better than how PLK put it last night onstage, “I’m the hottest n—a in New York right now.”
So again, happy born day to the god Lloyd Banks, who today, is celebrating Wisdom, Build and Destroy. Salute!
