Rotten Apple

50 Cent protegee and G-Unit crew member Lloyd Banks returns with ROTTEN APPLE, the follow-up to his successful 2004 debut. With beats from 9th Wonder, Havoc, Needlz, Dave Morris, Fatin, Midi Mafia, Timbaland, and Eminem, and a controlled flow that at times outdoes his mentor in sheer slickness, the Queens native shines here. The album rigidly adheres to the same "commercial-but-street" blueprint followed by virtually every G-Unit, Dipset, and Roc-A-Fella solo release. Banks gets help from an impressive guest list that includes Mobb Deep, Scarface, Young Buck, Tony Yayo, Musiq Soulchild, 8Ball, 50 Cent, and Rakim.