The Chip on His Shoulder Grows, As Lloyd Banks Drops the Shock ‘Halloween Havoc IV, the 72nd Hour’ EP

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The timing for Lloyd Banks’ newest mixtape couldn’t have been higher. Inside the final two weeks, there’s been social media chatter praising the veteran rapper’s rhyming supremacy throughout G-Unit’s dominant mixtape period. The general sentiment was laudatory, however the underpinning message was that his days of being an elite emcee had been lengthy gone. Often not one to have interaction in on-line chit-chat, Banks truly chimed in and stated, “Ain’t no one outrapping me now.” After which proper on cue, he dropped a brand new installment of his Halloween mixtape collection – Halloween Havoc IV, the 72nd Hour and cheekily despatched a tweet asking, “Let me guess, there’s a bunch of ppl rapping like this, huh?” A rhetorical query to make sure, however after soaking in his new opus, the reply to that may be a terse “No.” Lloyd Banks is presently in uncommon type, and is maybe the sharpest he’s ever been over his prolonged profession.

HH4 is the second Banks launch of 2023. One thing monumental will need to have occurred in the course of the six-month hole since The Course of the Inevitable 3: Items of My Achedropped, as a result of the perennial chip on his shoulder has grown to boulder-size proportions. His voice sounds fiercer and extra gravelly (if that’s even potential), the supply is extra pointed and unapologetic, his rhyme couplets are denser and laced with extra venom, and his Southside Jamaica, Queens braggadocio is extra pronounced than ever. There’s a sense of hazard enveloping your complete album that matches completely with the “Halloween” theme of the challenge.

Though Banks’ unmistakable microphone presence shines all through, the accompanying manufacturing deserves tons of adulation. Over the past decade, Banks has curated an distinctive cadre of go-to producers (Cartune Beatz, George Getson, Haas Almahdi) who know precisely the kind of darkish, textured, murky but melodic soundbeds he prefers for his verbal calisthenics — and as soon as once more, this trusted band of boardsmen ship flawlessly.

The challenge begins ferociously with a deadly triplet of tracks. “Above the Legislation”, “Convoy”, and “Acquainted Scars.” The observe “Convoy,” produced by Haas Almahdi, is among the standouts of your complete challenge. On the valiant refrain, Banks proclaims, “All people’s fiendin’, it’s time that I feed the streets / All y’all relaxation in peace after I launch / North, south, west to east, I bought the attain / Again to again six’s just like the mark of the beast.” When requested concerning the track’s ominous bass-laden sound, producer Almahdi states, “I envisioned these darkish, dirty nights of police sirens screeching, deserted buildings and decrepit roads. I used to dwell in Queens, New York, so it’s straightforward to narrate to Banks’ vibe on what he needs on his tasks.”

The mid-section of the 15-track opus heats up once more with the upbeat reduce “Clubbin & Chaos.” It’s instantly adopted by the Vado-featured “Diamond Heist” the place two-thirds of The Council skate effortlessly over the George Getson-produced thumper. “Entice Cube” presents a luxurious storytelling masterclass that places his vivid narrative capacity on full show. Suppose “Quick Life” by Nas and Kool G. Rap, however subtle via Banks’ trademark shadowy, underworld lens.

The final stanza of the challenge presents a extra introspective facet of Banks, epitomized by songs like “Damaged Arrows,” “You Shouldn’t Be Right here” and “Take Me Below.” He’s very a lot a road poet, pushed by conflicting moods that momentarily reveal his inside ideas and insecurities. On the mixtape nearer, “Condolences,” he laments the passing of his father and rhymes wistfully about assembly him once more within the afterlife. There may be an optimistic notice to this track although, with Banks promising to drop a brand new challenge each quarter. Whether or not it is for his personal self-therapy or to feed his cult following, that’s excellent news for each true fan of the tradition.

A hardened survivor of the fickle rap recreation, it’s refreshing to see Lloyd Banks having fun with a much-deserved victory lap at this stage in his profession. “He’s dropped 4 albums in three years, and his wordplay, metaphors, and storytelling are past elite,“ Almahdi, his trusted producer says, “His run proper now can’t be matched.”

If the true measure of an artist is their dedication to completely mastering their present, then Lloyd Banks is on the absolute pinnacle of his craft. Lengthy dwell the PLK, and extra of this please; HH4 is strictly the kind of defiant, full-throated creativity the rap recreation wants proper now.

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