By Odeisel

It’s been a while since we looked at G-Unit with any formidable momentum. A certified gold single in a drowning market says much for gaining traction and that’s just what Lloyd Banks has done with his scorching hot “Beemer Benz or Bentley”. Banks is no stranger to commercial success, but after an unceremonious release from Interscope and a lingering limbo for G-Unit Records (prior to recently announced EMI distribution deal), it seemed like Banks and brethren were treading water following disappointing sales from 50’s Before I Self Destruct.

With a new label deal and certified success, Lloyd Banks readies for a new chapter in his almost decade long career. He sat down with Planet Ill to discuss  his growing maturity as an artist, working with artists outside te G-Unit umbrella, his personal life, his relationship with 50, Youngbuck, Fat Joe and more. Here’s Part One of the interview. Back to the beat.

Planet Ill: “Beemer Benz Bentley” just got a certified gold single. Not an easy thing to do in this market. Does it feel like the “oomph” is back? Like the momentum is coming back?

Lloyd Banks: It’s definitely a good feeling. It’s one thing to be successful when everyone expects you to. It’s an added bonus when people expect you to not do good and then you have a record like that come out and be successful. I think that was a record that made even the biggest hater had to realize that you don’t have to be supportive of it, but you can’t ignore it.Even me. If I’m in a club, and somebody I don’t get along with in Hip-Hop, they got a big record, it is what it is. I’m not gonna be standing, not moving with the pout face.

It was a beautiful thing man, like you said it’s a different time right now, climate wise as far as the economy goes. So a gold record, independent, is really a platinum record. A platinum record is a double platinum record when you coming from an independent standpoint. This record was recorded in my home, mixed and mastered out the pocket. G-Unit as a record label worked it, and here we are. 500,000 copies sold a few months later.

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Planet Ill: Now is that EMI?

Lloyd Banks: Nah that happened before. The success of that record took off while we were in the talks with EMI, we were still discussing some things with Def Jam and a few other labels. EMI just picked up on the “Any Girl” record, my new single. They moved in on that field but the “Beemer Benz or Bently” the success of that record is all G-Unit Records.

Planet Ill: Having everybody and their mama remixing the record, do you think that helped it or hurt it?

Lloyd Banks: I think it helped it. Like I said it’s one thing to be respected by your supporters, your fans, the people who fight for you everyday. Who want you to do good. And then it’s another thing to have that and the support of your fans. Like if you at the slam dunk contest, you see Vince carter throw it through his legs and do some crazy shit, and you see all the people that he probably looked up to, Dominique and Jordan, and people like that in the crowd going crazy to it. You expect the fans to go crazy but when you see legends, even competition say, “Man that shit is dope.” it’s a good feeling.

Planet Ill: How’d you end up hooking up with Juelz? At a certain point the leaders of your groups were involved n a little tet e tet. How did you get around the politics?

Lloyd Banks: I think time does a lot for people. It’s some things now that I probably wouldn’t have paid attention to now that I look back on it. First off, through mutual fiends, me and Juelz have been cool, we keep in contact. From prior situations they haven’t seen me spread my actions too much so a lot of the features I do would be considered controversial or if not controversial, just surprising. Because you haven’t extended yourself that much. And it wasn’t because you didn’t want to, it’s just that G-Unit records, at some point, had over 10 artists so you really didn’t have to look too far for something that you needed to get done.

In the Juelz situation I think that you have to be a leader of your own at the end of the day. Sometimes even leaders learn from they student and I think it was something we had to do; that we needed for the sake of the city. I think the city rapped on it immediately and it just goes to show you can be one thing,you could be big, have your own entity and then it’s just time to get out there and just form something bigger than us. Let’s do it for the fans, and on top of that let’s just do it because we have respect for each other’s music.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ4Enu-vGIY&feature=player_embedded[/pro-player]

I’m not waking up on my high horse anymore. You know when you first come in the game, you’re a little naive, you’re on top of the world and you feel like you’re the only one with an album out. That time is over for me. I’m going on almost ten years in this business. My maturity level is high and you start appreciating. Even when I go to different places now, be it Puerto Rico or Jamaica, wherever I’m at, and don’t really even go outside the hotel. Now it’s a little different and you realize that nobody’s story is written to be here all the time to always have that success so you gotta appreciate it when you have it.

Planet Ill: how did it feel being on Interscope these last couple years? Do you feel that they maybe sabotaged a bit of your [G-Unit’s] progress, beginning with the face-off between Kanye and 50?

Lloyd Banks: I think that nobody wants to let you leave sparkling. When renegotiation times and things like that are coming up nobody wants you to walk out shining. It ust makes sense to have a renegotiation to want to come back. Give you a little stink. So it’s like, “Oh you need us to a certain extent.” I think that that’s something only experience can teach you.

You know when my album came, we could probably sell shit on a stick and you’re blind so you think everybody else is making this shit happen for you. You thank everybody but yourself. I remember that distinctively (-sic) when my first album came I I remember just thanking everybody and just forgetting that I put all the work in. I think that now, looking back on it, I realize this is a business, and from a business man you should not expect anything more than business. You want it to be a family. It’s just like Lebron’s situation. When you join and organization, you become used to it, you’re there for four to five years or whatever the extent may be. If within that duration they wasn’t happy with you, you would be let go. Sometimes you have to leave before that point happens.

I think me being independent was a beautiful situation. I never gave up on myself. Yeah it was times when I felt they didn’t want me, they didn’t want us to move to a situation when your energy is at an all-time high. It’s like, “Let’s step on your neck a little bit.” But me, I play possum. I built a studio in my home, one of the first things I did because I didn’t want…

Planet Ill: You gotta pay for that studio time daddy…

Lloyd Banks: That’s for one, you gotta pay for it then they gotta massage the artist and make him feel like the bigger the room, the bigger the record. They have you up in these big studios in Manhattan, they got the names. You got 15 people with you, and then you don’t spent more money eating than on the record itself. I built my own studio, I didn’t want too many ears into what I was doing. And they didn’t know I had those records, you know? They didn’t know I had records like “Beemer Benz or Bentley” sitting there in my basement. I don’t want that fake love anyway. I realize it’s a business so let’s keep it business.

Planet Ill: Piggy backing on that, how does your G-Unit relationship differ? I know you were all down from young age, but when that money comes, and different things manifest, it IS a business. How does that change? We’ve had where Young Buck went left instead of falling under the umbrella and ended up outside. How does it differ between you and 50 and you and G-Unit from you and Interscope?

Lloyd Banks: It’s probably easier to fall out with people you grew up with, or people tha tyou’re used to being around all the time. Sometimes when you know somebody, you take advantage of certain situations. If you’re an artist from a specific neighborhood, and you show your face a lot and you extend your hand a lot, sometimes it becomes expected.

Planet Ill: “Yo Banks I’m from Southside, what’s good! Hop on this record!”

Lloyd Banks: If you don’t show your face, the less expectancy. People are just happy to see you. Sometimes when you’re just close knit like that, it leaves room for error; it leaves room for comfortability. For people to take advantage sometimes. Because a support figure like 50 doesn’t come around too often.

It’s one thing I can say about 50, all his artists have sat on his couch at one point in time. All of the artists have been in this man’s home, where he lays his head at. But he didn’t have to have a close knit relationship with his artists that way. At the same time the comfortability allows you to do things because you’re being helped.

In Buck situation, he had money issues, and 50 extended his hand. These were things that didn’t have to happen. When I had the situation in Canada, 50 put that bail money up immediately, and then I was home. You gotta ask yourself, how many people have that crutch; that security on your side that always got your back. Money does change things and a lot of it has to do with how you manage yourself. You can’t live beyond your means. You gotta separate your wants from your needs. You need food, water and shelter. You want a Bentley. It’s a difference.

PART 2

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