Rap Radar: Lloyd Banks

Thank you. Ready to get the ball rolling because you shocked you shocked this by you know, popping out last year with the course of inevitable right we didn't us didn't see that ship coming. And then right back at us with number two, like what what's the motivation? Like you just you outside outside it feels like you know, it's it's that's a good question. I always been motivated, you know what I mean to be honest with you,

self motivated. And I'm always working, you know, so even when I'm you know, not actively out there and putting music out like this is what I do as a as a mused for me you know, um, damn, I know I forgot something on my way here, I told myself I was gonna bring my books. Yeah, I want to talk about that. You you're that traditional MC that you literally have the wrong books I have back before spirals like composition books, the black and white, and I swear I had it in my mind, but you know,

I got a wear out of hat. So I had to get all my murders together carrying boxes, getting it ready for the concert, and kind of it slipped my mom. But yeah, I was gonna bring my books because even when, like I said, I'm not actually working on something, I'm still like, yeah, getting my effort. He told me one time when he was doing a verse for Bemon Benson Bailing like a remix, and he was like, so I'm

gonna hit you back later, player. Let you know how my pen is cooperating with me, you know what I mean. So that's that's kind of been on my mind before, but he kind of put it in perspective, and I just feel like repetition and that pen is like a superstitious type of thing for me. I don't want to lay it down and fear I'll pick it up and it doesn't cooperate with me the way I wanted to. We had a lot once you said something that you caught some of your old stuff, old demos and maybe

relapse from one of those. I had so much material that I never actually put out. But I'm the words that like crumbling papers up. So it's our older versions you've heard. It's been versions of those verses that I've ripped up and crumbled up. You know. That's how I make references to like, uh got you know, records better than things I've heard in my in my garbage scan,

you know what I mean. I'm a big but that's because I write maybe like a verse or two per day, especially when I'm on toll and know, you know, just keeping things around me that would bring me back to that that comfort zone in my career, whether it's like DVDs or magazine means, you know, source magazines, double xcel magazines, flipping through pages because you know, when you're really young, you gotta fight for the television. And that's kind of like you know how you got like the Instagram and

you got like the explore page. It just kind of give you, uh, what do you call the algorithm of just a bunch of different things that you like to see that was my cheek code, like flipping through pages and see like all right, Mercedes bends at Okay Boom, bad Boy Records at Boom, No Limit at Boom, Hennessey Boom. And then I would find ways to flip those metaphors in between the content that I would keep them, you

know what I mean. You know, it's crazy about it because like I think the way you came in the game, and we'll go back to a little more, but like you know, you obviously was this young cessation, like you

just took off about the gate. But knowing you more and more the years go on, to understand how much a student of the game you are, how much respect you have for the culture, how knowledgeable you are to the things that came before you, like how important is that and how does that continue to shape your art. Sometimes I feel like I'm on the island by myself,

to be honest, you know what I mean. And I feel like it's it's expected when you like one, I came in the game nine saying so you know, you're like super duper smooth and you don't make no mistakes and I get money between the rain drops, and you know what I mean, like you know, but then as you go on, you start to put things back in the perspective. We all came in this game, not all, but from my generation, and prior to that, I believe they all wanted to be a dope m C, you

know what I mean. So my early, my early inspirations were like you know, ranging from rock Kim, Big Daddy Cane and then like Slick Rip. Right, so now you got like rock Kim is like the ultimate EMC, you know what I mean, And then you got Kane. To me, it was dopees m C. But he had like a style tune, I mean yeah yeah, So like my my Pops was like a big Kane fan, so that I was consistently hearing that. So when I hear like smooth Operator and certain things like that, that's kind of like

where I got that type of swag. And then you got Slick Rick, which was like the more colorful artists, you know what I mean. And then and then it kind of branched off from that to like Nas which was like rock Cam to point though. Right then you got Biggie, which is like Kane because he's a dope lyricist a lot of flows and he got the style and then thanks and then Slick Rick turned in the Snoop dog And you think about it, it's not a coincidence that Snoop Dogg has a record Gloody Dotty doing

his rendition of that, you know what I mean. So it's like each of those generations I found the dominant influences and I merged myself in between those people. It seems like be influencing yourself with the course of an inevitable what's the meaning behind that title? The course of the inevitable? Um man? Alright, so you know we're back, Yeah, yeah, yeah, because you know it's the short answer. And then it's like,

what's really going on in my mind? You know? Man plays God laughs, right, And you hear a lot of people say, well, you know, you should be here in your career, or you should be here, or you should could have done this or whatever, but they don't factor

in like real life, you know what I mean. So this whole they're just of this concept that's just like staying in the course, right, Like regardless of what maybe a fad or you know, going on around you, they feel like they should sway you into a different direction, like stay focused on what you want to do, you know, and it's gonna be a hectic road most of the time, you know, especially the way we come into the industry.

Like so whether it's a left turn, right turn, potholes might have to busting you turn sometimes get forking the rule. And I said on the record, you know it would be cold de sacts, you know what I mean. You want to see people throughout your life in similar places, you know what I mean, And you might start off head and see them. So it's constant references in your life to wild things that will humble you at certain points.

And I feel like my goal as an m C. And while I see myself in my career when it's all over, it's inevitable and the work actor that I put in and that's what anything. If you do negative things consistently, it's gonna heighten your chances to go ahead, you know, if you stay the course. I can't control everything. I know. I see a fan of the sequel, So why I wasn't important to make this one of sequel because um and and it's crazy because the last project

at eighteen records on it. But I feel like, like I said, I spent so much time, like while in the crowd, you know what I mean, getting oos and eyes with the punch lines and things. But as I'm getting older, my fan base are getting older as well, you know what I mean. And my messages are starting to change, My d M s are changing, you know when I do concerts or you know, my fans have children. Now, you know what I mean. She seems like that because well I listened to it. It It feels like Cody two

was a little bit more legacy. Mind that's opposed to Cody one. It felt like you were trying to separate yourself from your peers. And on this one, I intentionally try to be a little up front and straightforward in the beginning as far as the aggression in the in the temple to remind use because but that come in the head, that all goes into what I was saying, like no path is the same, you know what I mean.

So I'm that's why you got records like uh, not to speed up the process, but like dead roses because like I don't wanna I don't want to be that uh, that perfect person no more. That's some mystique that comes along with you know, that provido and just being adult rapper, but I wanted to be more relatable you know, to my peer into and too the audience. You know what I'm saying. That's on the album, right, it switches up.

But yeah, that that's my favorite, just because I actually had that when I'm recording or writing, rather I put records that kind of don't belong, meaning like they could kind of go anywhere, right because their roses kind of feels like a companion that don't switch up even a little bit vice versa. It could have went on Cold Corner too, you know what I mean. You know, you get those heat seekers, You're like, this is the one. So I was kind of holding that, holding off with that,

but it just made sense going intaid. Of course the inevitable because it's continuing on and there's so much I have to talk about, and I felt like this is why I'm at in life right now, So why I get off that topic so quickly? And there's so many

different things to touch on. What's your thing? That was like giving people their flowers whatever, like you said, like something that doesn't feel authentically rather you say the sympathy of stage like a the whole well, meaning that is it's basically like you know, sometimes people show up to the concert, right, sometimes people show up to the funeral,

you know what I mean. And in the event, sometimes that happens for people to make amends, like sometimes people make amends at funerals, Like you know, we gotta stop this ship, you know what I mean. You didn't realize that before this, you know what I'm saying. So you know the sympathy of stage I mean we come from. It's not too much empathy where we come from, you know what I mean, And especially now with the Internet,

Like you know what I mean. You see somebody get stabbed in the neck, niggas walk over him, film them, don't even try to help, you know what I mean. It's just more like okay, that happened, and they're finding humor and the most funked up ship even with the young uns, you know what I mean, Like rappers be nineteen twenty years old getting killed, and they'll find a way to make like a joke out of whatever his

name is, you know what I mean. When when when we lose all this in particular like rap artists, that ship starts hitting me like in a different way, you know what I mean, Like I feel like we was like, uh, you know, like shocking them when they be in the you know, like it's like like we're part of this thing of alls saying. I really feel that way, Like if I was in the NBA, Like we don't have a a ballroom, you know what I mean. We don't go sit to the table the players and be like, yeah,

we need to change this or change that. But I feel that way, you know what I'm saying. So when I see all this past, whoever it is, I feel like I gotta pay my respects because I genuinely feel like I lost up here, you know what I mean. That's why at the end of the end of the record you about talking about how you want to have the roads. That is why you can still smell them

right right right. I'm pretty sure it's a lot of flowers up dead, bro, you know what I mean, Like say it now, and that's just that go for everybody. That's not just like, uh, I'm not expecting it from just like uh, you know, supporters and things like that, but just between your peer too, you know what I mean. Because like I said, when we come into this, you know how they say you're like institutional lives. We are

kind of the same way with these record labels. You know what I'm saying, So you want you got fifteen ortis on Depth Jam fifteen, ortis on ter Scope fifteen over here over here, coming in the game. You start looking at that side like the ops. You know what I mean that this is the best interest for the

overseas to make it like that. I understand being competitive, you know, but at a certain time it's like, come on, but you come on the track on impact kind of like that with that mentality talking about how you want to get back? Do you feel like you're old something right now? Game? I feel like I be honest with you, I'm this is my selfish moment because you know I I talked to people and they'd be like, you know,

what else do you want to do? You know what I mean that hit records, You've had all these things, those moments, Yeah, I mean I have to have some type of get back mentality and my mom because I've took breaks. You exceed other people's expectations before your own, you feel me. So when the first mixtapes would come out, people in the neighborhood might have thought you either were rich, already, or or you reach your ceiling in your own mind and your eyes, you're like, I'm not really on until

our self platinum. But that wasn't the reality. Maybe back then you had all this coming out with gold albums that will consider classics, you know, but going into the early two thousand's all them crazy numbers started having, you know, I mean, I didn't realize that what the time we differently into the future. You got into an incident. You guys got shot around that time. I didn't realize that

at the time. So you're thinking like, oh this young boys on fire with the unit and everything's taken off, and then you're in the club and queens and things to go a certain way. And I literally was sounding myself like yo, what are you doing? Like I can't die. I believe in like manifesting things, you know what I mean, And I put so much, not just me, you know,

all of us, you know what I mean. Like we were sitting talk about who we were as a as a personality, as a character, and and really like dream on it, you know what I mean, even though we even though we were still like we're a dope. You don't get me wrong, Like I felt the energy there that lightning instruct three times and within the same three block radius, you know what I mean, Like that energy was different. But what you mean in that sense of free block radius, we grew up right here, you know

what I'm saying. So it's like you really have to go too far to look, you know what I mean. And but uh, like I said, we all had the innocence of wanting to be a dope rapp or dope MC, you know what I mean. But we felt the need to do it. What else You're gonna donna go ahead and go here and act like this is not really what's our main objective? To sit and think about how this is how we're gonna perform. You know, this is who you are? Who are you Banks? All right? You

you got this draw to the females or whatever. This is what you should lean into, you know what I mean? What's your name? Is that adult name? You know what I mean? Like counting Lloyd Banks? But now but now hip hop is like Floyd Banks? How does that authoritative? Now? It's like ohip Lloyd Banks is like when you think about all of the names, you know what I'm saying, they all kind of just fits in the names out like he would shot him out like on the mixtape.

Like strategy, I was like the artists w stabbers themselves. Like you felt when you heard those tapes, you knew where everybody was. He was being set up like this is Lloyd banksment you had to know who you know. They didn't really don't have artists development like that too too much, now you know what I mean. You know, I was able to have a real good reference to um, to that how you should lean, whether left right or whatever.

So it was like I did have like a you know, a very good cheat code to be able to sit and know how to develop records. You know, she wasn't young Savage back there. Yeah, but if you look at my verses, they were all like fifty ball cadences, Yeah, you know, forty eight balls, you know, three verses put together, because that was my strategy. Like rapping on the street.

It was like the average dude, well, nobody really knew what the sixteen was, just I kind of didn't didn't and I would just purposely make victory is probably if not fifty balls for the balls thanks workout the same thing. So the whole goal was to try to keep people

entertained and not get drowned out. I'll get into that game, but I was gonna say, it's like, you know, speaking about the early days, you know, like this ship marks the anniversary of the Genie to mixtapes No Mercy, No FA and playing like if you take us back to two thousand and two, what was it like for you during that time? Ship? Oh? Man, we got time was not till later, I promise that was man, Honestly, honestly, I was like the best does it feel like twenty years? Yeah?

And noo, Yeah and no. That was like I can honestly say, like probably my favorite yeah O to yeah, even like more than like my solo album, because you know, going into that time, like I said, you know, from sitting in the house literally like you know, eight o'clock at night, the six in the morning, just talking, you know what I mean, just talking about how it's gonna be what they expect, you know what I mean, like

really preparing for this ship. You know, we would like to say we were like gearing up for the long run, but that would be a lie. Like Niggas was talking about how to be like a tornado, like not, hey, we're from moving hit like tornado. Everything stopped with like that type of energy, that urgency. I mean, it was interesting because we were talking about the future drop front and center, Like was that strategic because I think I read somewhere that fifty said that you were supposed to

be the first solo act or what. It was a little too early at that point. I just think, you know, um, I was the youngest, you know what I mean, and he was just pushing me in the front. Uh, not even just there like other magazine shoots and things like that. Like even after that, you know, he would make me the focal point, put me in the front and ship. Um and like you know, even going into like the album, the first albums and stuff like to come off that

many records sold on the first album. Like I'll be lying to you if I thought that the contracts would have been presented to us that quick, you know, to be going from get rich to die trying to beg for Mergency that fast, right, and then could be going from Beg for Mercy to my solo album. I was happy with the guys and what we were doing. That ship was super fun, you know what I mean. And then when it turns into who you are as artist. It's like, Okay, sit down and all him talk should

be had nigger, you know what I mean? About who you were and how dope you were as a solo act. Now was signing to prove it. So he said to my guy Joe Button a hunger for more, like you would make some changes to that record. But I don't know if he was just specific about it, Like what do you mean when you make chase it? Because it's it's pretty Uh, it's pretty solid. I mean, I don't know if it's if it's not classic, it's borderline classic, right,

Like it's that level of quality of it. But when you look back at it, being a perfecttionist you are, you said you might want to make some changes. Certain

things I will probably change. Um. I feel like I covered a lot of points on it, but um, it's just you know, I'm pretty sure every artist probably has a record that day would want, you know what I mean, like in particular like shoot Ones South Side Story alone, though even the South Side Story, I can't really pinpoint why what made me do that, But I just think it's from being a fan of so many different artists,

you know what I mean. So ship is happening in my head I have no control over because you know, I've literally then my closet doors. You still have every logo in hip hop cut out and taped on that ship, you know, from cash Money records to fucking uh hieroglyphics me. So my my range is all the way from like Spice one and fucking uh Souls and Mischief's putting the playlists together together, almost saving Boss Boss. That was man. To this day, I still go back and just get

a vibe off that ball. She was like she was nice Trump to me. Oh my god, they sold us West Coast, right, So all of that then you know Cougie Brack and Hello Coo J. But when you would you would you cons into that again, because again you're like goddamn Lebron Like you came into Golden Child and you took off right, So like how are you dealing with that? Like I don't know the one's like he's like j one, you become a millionaire, Like how are

you dealing with all that? Like attention and like fifty set you up and then you knocking you knocking out the park and you really looked at it like you're the new sensation in airpo Yo. It was crazy, Like my album was recorded, well, Beg for Mercy was recorded on the tour bus, right, so we're already moving, you know, seeing different cities and just endless content, right, and then I remember like just laying on the bunk and in the tour bus and just coming up with that with

Hunger for More, just piecing and piecing. But I did have ideas from writing on my you know, in my neighborhood, like on my stoop in front of my house, like yeah, whenever we were stopped. So that was like the blessing to have material that I started when I before I had any money, you know what I mean. It's not like I wrote Hunger for More rich you had a lot of that, those lyrics and contents and ideas already.

The ideas, yeah, like south Side Story, certain things I had from when I was still in that mindset, you know what I mean. That's why I like, it wasn't like to like you know, Gordy talk, you know what I mean. It was still like on me, fatigues. This is what it is. I'm still learning on the job. But to answer your question, it's the certain songs that I would have tweaked. Yeah, you know, if I could go back and do it. That's why I asked you that question. But I felt like a shift happened, like

during Victory freestyle. I felt like that was like a watershed moment for your career, right. I remember asking about that one time, like you talk about that, how do you do a classic freestyle for classic record? And like both things have their own dope identity, right, Like it doesn't take away from inspiration, Like victory is still victory, but your freestyle is its own classic. In this situation, it's crazy, man, what are you write? Where are you

writing that? A million dollars studio? No? No, I definitely was not point where I wrote it. Yeah, I have that. Actually, I might have it on my phone. So when it's about you know, I send you the shot. You could put it up to something, but I really have that. But oh man, just um alright. What it really was was because I had banks workout already. I was getting

off of that. It's like damn, you know because even prior to that, when we was doing like you went through it for All Star tapes, we still were doing like six team alls, you know what I mean, I couldn't really get much more than that. Everybody had to get it. Yeah, So that was my introduction to that

cadence or whatever. So I just tried to follow up and going through instrumentals because before I was writing over niggas wraps, you know what I mean, Before I actually got my hands on instrumentals, I was just literally blocked whatever they were saying out and get to it. And that was the first record I was able to perform like as a solo, like my my moment, you know what I mean. Everybody gets behind me. You know, they'll leave this the artist will leave the stage and just

leave me up there. And I was you don't have to going over and over. I would just get better and better at performing because you know, I started off like, but when you're writing it, does it feel like this is this is extra? Yeah? Hell yeah, that's no. I mean, you know it's a um it's an audacity at that time, right, because um, there's a lot of dope mc s that I was looking at at that time. Yeah, I felt it.

I knew what the four ball. I don't want to give away all my secrets, but my goal was to hit every four balls right, every four balls, so a set up punch and then boom. But if you go

back to those freestyles, they're still out there. You can look them up, you know wyofore All Star tapes when I'm like sixteen seven seen years old, and I always had bouncy cadences, So I figured out how to hit with the with the heavy metaphors, but then switch the flows up so it's not just the same punchline punch line, but the old way through it was never that. That's why victory was tolerable. That's why you can listen to it,

because it just wasn't that listen to things workout. I was trying to try to think, what is it kind of compared to if you really think about it, maybe in Meek Mills Dream a Night Man, like the energy of it, like you're gonna put a fair comparison. Like I was like, why is it so special? I was like really trying to figure out, you know what I'm saying, Like, oh yeah, that that ship is like I said, that

was the one that I could perform. It's crazy shout out the masterpea man, Oh yeah, I was gonna say that he haven't we the first tour we did was with masterpe. You said that, but it was coming from uh that was I love I love Master people, but they didn't take a lot of thought. Yeah, like I said, this is me flipping through pages and magazines, you know what I mean. At that time, he had a lot

of ads, you know what I mean? But then I think about go back to Cody too, because it's like, how do you drop a classic without going through the controversy banks? How do you do it? I was always wired like that. You know, everybody can't be the same, you know what I mean. Like I didn't lean on being controversial. I wanted to be Like I said, at that time, it was a lot of smoke thered because you're a part of this big record label. You know.

It's times I've been in some of my first studio sessions. Was like Snooper is right here. I man, he got his man rolling up like ten bunts in like twenty minutes, right and you got Dre right there. You got fifty right here. Real life life and ships crazy, you know what I'm saying. Like the ship was listening. Wait, baash out of high school? What a masterpiece? Say? I'm sorry.

He was just like yo, that ship is dope. That dope I forgot exactly, not even It's been a lot of people that was, you know, at the opposite end of those punch lines. But it didn't. It didn't come from a place of howice, and and I had super respect for these guys, like like even rest in Peace, a big mode I believe his name was, is Like I had a line and one of them thinking the soldier, right, and I didn't, yeah, exactly, And the last thing I wanted to do was disrespect that man. That was not

my intentions. And I had I hadn't even been to these markets yet to even know what that music meant in certain places, you know what I mean? Yeah, like I've seen something was about with the forty and like Biggie like, yeah, you gotta understand. We only know first of all, hip hop is dominated by New York in that time frame, right, So that's what you come up on. So when you start hearing different styles and accents and ship, you know, it could come across like what he said,

what do you say? You know what I mean? And they're probably looking at us like that too, you know, be what up? B So it was it wasn't coming back you know what I mean? Yeah? Competitive? How competitive was it with you guys during that between us? So? But competitive? You listened to the freestyle when you bring Games four? I mean not really because we didn't. We didn't have a lot of time recording amongst each other, like maybe like two or three times giming at radio days.

But before that, oh, it was real. It was like is this my is this my nigger? You? Because YE brought you in, right, that's how you got But we were me and he was already doing like freestyle, That's what That's what got me into the mix. Was like it didn't take a lot of convincing, you know what I mean, the g and the Soldiers. That freestyle was done on a mixtape prior my rest in piece of Fast Shot. So I went I went over there to fifty with the idea that I had to like rap

for like thirty minutes, you know what I mean. And it wasn't. It was like, you know, what, did you say? That ship TV is hanging from the seal? And I said it and I was like, well I got more. I'm cool. I don't need no more. Like I didn't really know what to think at that that end, but yeah, after that, they don't think I'm nice. What you know?

The competitive ship was crazy to give us what was it was the most stands out here as a super competitive moment, all right, everybody, Well, every day was like that because those mixtapes you name, God's Playing the Future Automatic was all done in like two days. Wow, you

know what, man? So it was like fifty goes in and does uh the chorus you're already knowing at verse, He's probably that verse is gonna get done in within ten minutes, right, So then you got ten minutes to make your eight balls, and then I got ten minutes to do mine. So if you missed that rotation, you're just gonna miss that song. Ain't know going back because we're already driving to Long Island to the studio. I ain't got no call a double back and be shot.

I'm it wasn't like that we done here, you ain't getting on the record. So and that determined who went first, who went last, and ship like that. It wasn't like no swapping versus moved this head maybe once in a blue for the most part in the order we recorded. You know what I'm saying, I would say such a zone with them hooks and melodies like it was happening. It was insane getting a haircut, you know what I mean, getting the process is getting a haircut. You just never know.

Some should have just happened right there and that work ethic. I had like to to Best of Banks tapes before my album, like not like fifteen, so I'm talking about like and that was crazy for me because you know, the gun was in my face on the first coup, so people didn't really know what I looked like, right, So I was still going to the bootleggers and getting

away with that. I'll go to the bootleggers and kind of air hustle because literally ninety percent of people that was coming into that mixtape store was coming and get that g unit take. Definitely the South Side getting right that was like didn't get enough at the time. It was crazy, man, And I probably wasn't even supposed to be there, but that ship just felt like, oh man,

you know what. It kind of reminds because I'm sitting here in this venue, Like imagine like sitting here and seeing all the people filling Yeah, like that ain't usually how it happens. Like you get here and everybody's already there, like, oh ship, Yeah, that was kind of like the you see them all joining and guilty pleasure I had was going to the spot and just being a fly on the wall when people explaining that, I tried to explaining being the excel with the hope of extent unit thing.

It's like you guys were like running the underground and then took over the main stream, but then still with the kings of the underground at the same time. We've never seen that in the hip hop and then when do the hun kar k and it's like I'm saying it was the hottest in the hood still and the nationwide, worldwide phenomenon at the same time. Like I said, he

wasn't too far remove. Everything happened so fast. But I don't know, man, I guess we were like turned out from uh the response man and just coming through the hood and just you know, seeing the records get played in the live reaction and what it meant to be like uh um respected in that way, right, like I Love on Fire, like the record was fantastic four movie

huge um shout out to Quamate. But you know, you start to question yourself sometimes because you know you know you have records like I got five on it, you know what I mean, records that was just like organically like classic, you know what I mean. So like if a question is like what I wanna do is like I just want to tap back into being dope, you know what I mean. I don't want to follow the rules no more like you know, put your hands up or choreograph records and ship like that. I just kind

of want to do what this comes off. It's dope to me. Not although you know had album success obviously the fans are gonna love Cody too. It seems like the fans love you more for the mixtape thanks, Like, why do you think they gravitate more to that style of because that was all right because that's when they could get away with They had an excuse to be ignorant at that time, you know what I mean. You

gotta post the boy for that ignorance. So if you were twenty at that time, I'm twenty, that's excuse to you know, still be Like I'm talking about it bas something about co Corner, like those like the co Corner, which which one because they have very different That's what I'm saying, Like the co corner too V six FNLA. Alright, so the order was two thousand nine. This is after like um uh like hip Hop b X and oh hip Hop, all those sites ship where you can first

read the blogs see comments. Yeah, we're about to start two for the first time you can see a nigger say you all stuck. Think about before before that you're not gonna get that. We're gonna get to that, you are. We don't go like that, so wead in comments like okay, then you gotta grasp the idea that they're comfortable because they in front of the laptop, you know. So part of it could be this is really how you feel. Oh he's trolling, trolling, didn't even have a name yet

he's getting it off. So I just took it as that's how he feels. Oh you feel like what? All right? So that gave me that drive. My goal was to turn as many of those people into saying I did think that at this point, but he's shown improven now reading them comments. You know what I'm saying for commentators mixtape mixtape catalog because this is before box and all that. This is before like the same comments. You know how the comments now you could be that that's not even

a real person. These are real niggas, man. Yeah, it was so I was like, funk that, my goal is to change all that. Two thousand and nine, returning to p Okay, how doween have it? Cold Corner? The first one the Birthday tape for two, which was to double CD and then V five which led into being so a lot of people. That's what I mean about the Manifestation ship, Like I felt like I had to strike five times? Which take? Do you are the most problem? Cold Corner? Yeah, that seems to be the fan favorite.

That love shots. Oh man, keep I think shocked the world was on that ship. I like the drink my flight that that's my flight. This is my flight. See but like I said before, like when I put that tape, they weren't ready for it. Yeah, they wasn't ready for it. Like all my tape started off aggressive. You know what I mean? Prodigy type My mom's I gotta get p You know, you make some great music together. Remember the drink on rotten Apple clap back, that was my ship.

Get Clapp, Get Clapp, fund on me and get Clapp. That's crazy, yo, man, one of your favorites actually come on now. Prodigy was like after you know, after the NAS wave and all that, it was just like Man, so shout out the Red Spider. At that time, I went to the studio, you know, Yeah, he had a link with Prodigy. That's the first person that I went to to get a record with. And it was over. I was bugging, but my request was to do it over one of their beats. So it was over my beat.

Get dealt with? Yeah, right, feel me? And he was like, Yo, it's like your banks. I'll funk with you. So I'll do it just because as you that's like somebody go to me now like yo, let's do I'm so flower nah you know what I mean. So that was crazy to me. Man, Like I said before, like that ship rest in piece of Prodigy. Man, that should hit me like a ton of bricks. The fans are still upset at you though. Man said he was about to put out Cold Corner three. It's no Cold Corner three? Um?

Is that still happening? Dude? That's the tricky part. How do they not know Cody is Cold Corner? Don't know? What's your name? You don't know. But the reason why I say that is it's the Brandon is what I learned by not accident, but just I guess, just you know, repetition, like just what we were bred to do, you know what I mean. So those logos and ship eventually turned into into a mystique of his own, like you know

what I mean, like the silhouettes. If you look, I got mixed tapes with me as a silhouette because I was trying to reverse the cycle. I was trying to how do you like, how do you go back to being when you didn't know what I look like? Right? But you're actually a private person, right And I noticed, like you have your son featured on the cover, right, Why was that like a decision that you chose to

put them on there? My kids and my son is that's that's my world right there, Like I just like when I just look at him, I just look at you know. If I didn't get anything else, right, you know, I got that right right there. And like I said, I know my fans, man, they're in a different space, and I think it's important to show uh me as a father, you know what I'm saying, Your kids the

only thing keeping you alive? Yeah, right, yeah, because it's like regardless of what goes on, you know in this world. Like that's what I got a reason to go home now, you know what I mean. Like I didn't know I was toning man from sucking, you know, nineteen years old to thirty four years old, I didn't have nothing to come home to four right, It's just like we're going over here, We're going here. I bet I'm going now.

I was like job done, Like I'm going home. Like my first when my daughter was like my first flight I took was probably like she probably was six seven months. I was like breaking down on the plane, like you know what I'm saying, I couldn't control the ship. Like the person sitting next to me. I probably thought it was what I was watching on TV or whatever. You know what I'm saying, it's a good movie. But you

know what, but it wasn't that. It was just the thought that I can't protect her right now, you know what I mean. Like I was always scared about rolling over and all that ship. So it was time for me to take that first flight. That's the first time in my career. While I look forward, they're coming back home. I know. He dealt with a lot of losses to speaking to a family, like I remember on coding to just give me a cody one, don't break me down.

You talked about how you lost your your grandmother, your father, best friend, Like how did you even cope before those losses? I don't know if it's the right way to do it. You know, it's just played out for me the way it played out. Sometimes I wonder I'll be like, damn, you know, I'll be feeling like losses hit me harder thing now. You know, it's not a good mold of being, you know what I mean. You start wondering, like how what kind of impact you would have? Like am I

the only one that's tripping like this? Like you know what I mean, Like why is it enough for me to like be devastated like that? You know what I'm saying. And then I think it's a mixture of how busy I was too, you know, at the same trying time, trying to keep a lot of things in position and around me. When you're moving, you think you have time,

you know what I mean. When you're young and ship and making money and touring and different cities every day, you start feeling like you're more powerful than you actually all you know, what I mean, like you could just leave something there and when you come back, it's gonna be there. And then you start getting phone calls like yo, your best friend got killed. You know what I'm saying.

It's like God, damn so my And I'm telling myself, when I get enough money, you could come with me, when I probably didn't need enough money, you know what I mean, Like what you thought you needed, you probably didn't need that. So then I turned into you know, I was in Vegas when I got the news about my father and ship, and it was just like, uh, you know, I kicked myself hard because um, when I

was young and Ship. I guess just in my mind it was playing back like a payback type of thing, you know what I mean, just a dip like I love my dad, you know what I mean. So I was like subconsciously like making him game back our relationship, if that makes sense, you know what I mean. You've been going for this amount of time, so I'm gonna make you wait this amount of time for us to go kick it as as regular as you would like to,

you know what I mean. And before he passed, he told me that like to a voice man like it was an angry moment like yo, you think you could control ship, you can't control time, and that ship just kind of like stuck with me. So when he passed, it had like a real hard effect on me because it was a moment where I resented music, Like I felt like, you know, this is the ship that took that front, right. I know he said that he put you on the thig that it came and when you

met think that it came. He told that you were dope. No, I didn't need him. He said it on Instagram. Yeah, he was like, you know, Banks' is bananas And I was like, oh ship, Yeah. I was like my moment like Yo, did you hear that? And what I'm saying like what because when you really think about it, right, like we're talking about like a twenty year eight, like you know what I mean, Like that's a big guy fifteen years the old drunking generation and who my dad

thought was dope things. I'm oh, and then I'm bumped in the slick right in the airport a couple of times and he just tell I'm trying to tell him how He was like listen right, whatever you bust in peace, heavy d I'll never forget you crazy, yo. I met a heavy d same thing. I'm trying to tell him, you know how much you know I loved what he did and how big of an influence he was. And he literally told me shut up, like shut up, get over, give me a hug get, hugged his shot out of me.

I was like, oh, ship, you know what I mean. And they would just always bring me back down to my you know, my childhood busch the rhynd too, and shout out to bust the rounds like he always do my career. He would, you know, grab me up. Yeah, I don't you know, this is before you know. Now it was cameras all over. I felt weak a few times, but outside of the side of your piers on track touched on a little bit. He said, I think we'll talk about your grandmother. He said, yea o G. You

know you got to see before she passed. I guess she's proud. What are you referring to? Yeah, well both of my grandmother's past my mother's mother. When she passed, she she was able to see my daughter through picture. Um, so I was happy for that part right there. You know, you can't get those times back, you know, I learned so much, you know, principles and morals you know, from my grandmother's And it's a superstitious type of thing with me.

I keep the chains on like she had one. My other grandmother had one, and I had one to match those two. And to this day I don't take them off, you know what I mean? Because, like I said, when when you're moving around like that and life is happening so fast, man, you just you literally have flashbacks like why you're up type ship. The further you get away

from home, the more you think about whom. But it's interesting to someone that you that really caught like fame early in your life, you still have this foundation of family like manifested from before you and now you're manifesting now with your kids, Like why do you think that's still so much of probably your essence of who you are? I mean, you know that's just who I am, you know what I mean? My friends too, like you know

that was um. I don't know, man, maybe just where we come from, you know, we uh to a certain extent, we appreciate the times because a lot of people will be passing, you know what I mean, a lot of funerals I've been a lot of funerals, our first funerals probably like ten years old and so from seeing that early, but when you start experiencing it with your homies, it

just really sets the reality check. So um, whenever we could go, I would go eat, you know what I mean, people, I enjoy stuff like that, just the moments, even we did that last night, that those times, you know, those times you need something, you know what, so just try to like, like I said, now I've come to know like what an intro bird is. I'm kind of was

that all along. Like even when I was younger, like fourteen fifteen, I wouldn't come outside so like nighttime I would be on my shift, you know what I mean, literally like I'm gonna get these these balls in and I really feel like them what they say. Like I tripped that sticking with that theme of like unity and family. It felt good to hear you and Yayo together and don't switch up, Like what was the inspiration behind that song?

Just I don't know. I just think it's it happened organic, Like I got so many records, but just playing him records, playing them I always do that though I drive, you know, play thirty Records, but he actually picked that song, you know what I mean. And I just feels like it feels like oh three to me, you know what I mean, even though like a shout out to my man Germ who did the beat, but it just feels like high tech ship or something like, you know what I mean.

It's something that would have just been like even when I did Can I get high with Snoop? I don't know why I like certain beasts that I like, but I'm a fan of like Daylight Soul and you know what I mean, so many different groups so that you know what you would think I like is like it's way broader than what you think. I like, so many different productions, you know what I'm saying. It feels like Ye was like the glue. Is that fair to say? Yeah? YEAHO is the one that he's just energetic, you know

what I mean. Yeah, he always he always checked me, if that makes sense, Like you always tell me like you don't know who you want man, like I think I do. Nah, Nah, you don't know who you are, Nigga like being shoot dumbing down, like dumped down when I'm on some rap rap rap ship like he likes the pockets, you know, but he he says, that's the dumb down version of which is like the punch lines and just straightforward. But he understands why. You know, I

inspired it be like super lyrical and Ship. You know, I gotta blame that on like rock Kimming and you know, I mean Black Kim told me I'm dope. Goddamn what once you get once you get them type of co signs. Man, I'm still kill with these kids in the end that they say. It's like, it's like, Yo, I don't care, I'm good snoop dope. You know what I mean. When he told me I'm dope, he used to LB that's

what he's going. That Ship was crazy to me. Man, that's like, like I said, top three influences on my career, so to actually have them on my first album and Ship, I'm still excited. I'm still like a student of this Ship, and I feel like it's so much room to grow still as an artist. I'm gonna get doper than I am now talking about that growth now. It's like you're independent.

Even mentioned that on Menace, like how everything's independent, that you don't need a permission, right was it was being called the major label system fund or do you enjoy kind of doing things on your I don't want to take away from many of them times we had. We had some some good times, you know what I mean. And we always had the creative freedom, you know what

I mean. It wasn't like it wasn't like fifty it was like over us like no, I don't do it wasn't like that, Like I had full creative you know, creative um COTL yeah, my projects. So it's not too much of a difference. The only difference is the way the system rolled out now. Like back then, solid album would probably last two years in order for you to tour domestic and then go overseas and hit another footy shows and then come back and catch the rest like

it would take two years. It guys that tours off mixtapes. Prior to that we catching flashbacks. H But you had like the first mixtape toil and go into like uh anger management and then rock the mic tools and g unit tools and then solo album tools and like I've done like shows in a year, you know, just like because like most of my junior like something. Sometimes people like Unit as a brand, like Recoll labels, of the movement as a trademark, like what does it look like

when people really think about it? And like what's it like being part of that? And how do you view it? And then how do you deal with when it's like you're kind of honestly stop over run and then you know, inevitably hit a little turbulence, right, Like how does that

affect you? Like I told you it put me in that moment to where you know, for the first time you're getting like, h some sort of a doubt, you know what I mean, Like it's over Like they was pinning that like early on, probably like oh seven, after my second album, Like it felt like that was when things were starting to slow little backlash and then and then it was welcoming the Internet, the blogs and stuff, all these what happened, you know what I mean. So

it was like, damn that ship lit a fire. Lit fire. Even to this day, you know what I mean. I look through my Twitter, Oh, I look through you know these comments and people say ship you know what I mean, Like, Okay, watch this, you know what I mean. I'm going I'm gonna change your opinion, Like even this guy, like I'm gonna change this Nigga's list. I'm gonna change because because I'm gonna. I'm gonna, I'm gonna list. Yeah, this guy,

I love. I love that he does that. I love I love that he does that because it's necessary, you know what I mean. You got a line that stood out to me. He said, been underrated too long? She we're talking to me? Thanks? I mean, you know he did like that, No, because I know he I know how he feels about me as an artist. You know what, I don't feel like um underrated to that level. But like I said, it's been gaps and shipped in between. That's you know, understandable. Only I could correct it. What

was going on? To go back to the Ranapoli, What was going on with the second album? Your mentality? We look back at it, like what's going on with you? And how do you get that body of work? Like I said, things were like shifting a little bit, you know, just like within the label. And you know it was big contracts, you know what I mean. My advance for my second album was like a million hours those days over. Yeah. I never told nobody that, but yeah, it was a big sigh. You know, I cut it. So now you

heard it. You heard it a little thing, you know, But then imagine what the third one was supposed to be, see what I'm saying. Then it all kind of made sense to me. But you know, I can't cryd with that spilled milk because you know, I'm in a position now to put out two or three projects a year if I wanted to. Like I said, I gave them five mixtapes in the one year, right, and one of my most you know revealed projects, Cold Corner too, form from that energy, you know what I mean. So if

I wasn't in that zone, who knows. We get the mixtapes on his DSPs. Man, we gotta figure out how to get that work. You know. Just more is more now again like when we came in the game, more was more. How do you think I had the best of banks? Take? Yeah, nobody was telling me not as too many you know freestyles to tell you that he's gotta have another album this year, That's what I heard.

But you approach music differently now because I read when you made be Benza Bentley, you were forced to make an album out of that, right, So you approach it different like I make the bulk of it, right, See those records like Beam Benza Bentley, I write them very fast, like maybe thirty minutes tops. Right, I would have to beat for a while prior to be rapp into it.

But I know what comes with that, right, So like the whole Batman ship just goes away, right, you know, like Batman just pops up when some ship is going down. When you gotta hit record, it's more than popping up when it is going down. You got to do a lot. Yeah, immediately, you know what I'm saying. So you could imagine delivering that joint and don't have the bulk of what should come after it, and didn't after the pressure of making

another one, then another one and another one. Say a lot of artists that will come with a record and have three of them after that. Sound like the same producer did it? Yeah, do the same thing? Replicated I didn't. Yeah, I didn't really do that. Maybe I should have been. Do you feel better now with your catalog that it's like almost like this like what is this next? What is this next? Run me for you? It's just look at it. Do you feel like it's a thing of

like we'd all respect the fifty or g unit. This is like Lloyd Bank's time and like a very singular way of like yeah, because it's a different banks, you know what I mean. I'm in a comfortable zone now, so where it's like, uh, like I said, it's my selfish moment. I got so many stories in my head. I got so many things that I want to do, you know, conceptually, like I'm gonna sun people up, you know what I mean, because I don't want to, you know,

give too much away. But they'll see, you know, in the next few times they see me, They're gonna understand what I mean, you know. And it's funny, like, um, I had put a tweet up responding to somebody saying, like anybody checking for banks? Right, I understand like to know me, you know why, I do have a sense of humor, right. I never thought that they would take that literal like you know what I mean, Like when

I'm saying, and I'm saying, like anybody checking for banks? Yeah, but that's not how you see them on Yeah, I'm like, damn, they read that wrong. Yeah, Like that's all I know. What they got spread like wildfire. It made me look like you're like I'm a season Like yeah, I'm too fucking dope. You think you think I meant that I'll bought you up. So what does that Monica Lazy Lloyd come from? I think you had the tattooed on. Yeah's

with you? It came from Lazy Bone Really. Yeah. I never told nobody except I actually met him for the first time. I had like a little toil in Texas with with Bone Thugs and Slim Doug. Shout out to slimp Doug always showed me love from this again. But yeah, when I when I bumped into I told him, I said, Yo, you know my name came from you. Wow, So you like the seventh member. Everybody don't sit here act like banks with that cad and stuff. Man, you got to

hit him with that. Man, that's a lot they don't know. You gotta go back to those old mixtapes. Different a lot of different flows. And it was crazy how like everything will come like three sixty because the rest in peace to night Tupac passed. I was at that concert and I'm that so called sing and Bone Dogs was performing Bone Dogs the Firm Keep Sweat, which was like weird. He was like the only yeah, but I remember like them.

Their production was crazy man, they had like they had like paybe like fifty people twenty five people on east side with the big pickets with the skeletons on the top post the boards and smoke and she looked like the up and smoke tool like it was. And I was like, damn from flipping books and just watching on h I missed my uncle Choge. Yeah, I'm the coming away this knowing what like a student of the game you are and like to respect you have for the coast. Man.

I loved. I loved the game part of our lives. Man. I remember I remember exactly the moment doing that record, like the studio, the vibe up everything. We just came back off the road and we touched the studio. That excitement, man, and probably still to this day. Yeah, the studio was like that. It was ship. Yeah, I get to like get my voice out. I remember the first time heard my voice cut through the mic West in Peace, my man, rough fans, fans. We was in a studio, First Choice Studios.

It was almost like remember on Hustling Flow. It was like that, like that's me because I never heard how deep my voice was to me, My man is crazy. We used to like recording ourselves on like I don't know, like a little tape players day and just pressed play and record or however, and then we had a little examples of it, but it was rough. It still was sounding like I'm tending feet away. Now, I'm like, Who's Who's that? That's how my voice sound, so the voice

that they know today. It was like I was experiencing it for the first time and ever since that, I was like, yeah, we gotta get back to the studio. Is ill? Yeah with you guys that other people's instrumentals, like the eight More Mile, that particular record, I didn't it was unfamiliar with Eminem's version, but I knew you guys version. Yeah, So countless joint m Show felt like the template to a lot of the early mixtapes. Eminem Show was the first concert that that's what I met Eminem.

I think it was in Jersey and I watched it with Paul Rosenberg from like the The Sounds. That ship was incredible to me to see that production, the clowns and a table Wow ship that was the one right with the Yeah that's crazy rest in piece of proof um. The way he used to be on that stage is crazy. Man. But yeah, and um he has some dope production that it was crazy, Yeah until I collapsed. Was on that project. Oh yeah, that was the freestyle that let off when

the deal happened. That was on a big h that was was unpopular some classic Times remembers everything, remembers everything, right, he remembers everything in detail. It me it comes back a little ship, you know what I mean. But when we get to talking, the times was just like I just remembered something too. I heard a room. I don't know if you could confirm or denied, but there was a moment he was supposed to sign with Good Music.

Was that happening. It was a time after being bents, like going into whatever would have happened after that, um Rest in peace, Chris Lidy. He was kind of like the person that was linking that together. So it was at one point it was supposed to be a g unit music music type of situation. He's on a Christian dr Denim Flow and all that stuff. Person Denim Flow I was on. I was on other records too that

never came out or whatever. Business didn't get you know done. Yeah, that was probably like what two thousand, ten eleven, yea aund that time, it was some dope times. Man going in the studio and you know, Kanyev there, John Legend be over there, Kate Putty. Yeah, you know what I mean. I never well since I was in there with like the whole Shady Aftermath days. That was like my first time being in with a crew that had different Yeah, Bryan Leslie on the keys over here, push your te

you know what I mean? You know it was a fun home Sweet Home that was hard to sweet Homes. Crazy. We shot that video because of push your teeth, Like, yo, we gotta shoot this, you know what I mean? That was crazy. It's funny because it's like, you have so much admiration for Piers, but at the same time, you hate being compared to niggas you said on Propane. He was like, how you don't compare me to niggas without a classic album? How many people we get out of?

How many classes do you have banks off hand? How many unique that's why? How many do you need? And like I I don't feel like I made my best album. Yeah I don't still, Yeah, no, I know I haven't. I am though it's inevitable, it's inevitable. That's a promise I am and and like I said, it's coming back to more is more now? Yeah? Right? So if you dropped one project a year and I dropped two or

vice versa, doesn't that play into your list? You get that, let's get it together, be that I want to rank you. I don't have the audacity to rak you with the style that you invented things. You know, you know what I would you know what? I would love to see? What's that? Because I always I think I might have

said this once. What like if you niggas knew or could see some of your favorite artists in the room with me, Oh, it might change your perception because it's a difference between like, all right, this is your preference. Let's just keep things in perspective. You preference him as your favorite, but do you know what he thinks of me? So if you take that top ten whist right, and you put us all in the studio, how many verses are gonna come from me? How many is gonna come

from him? Him him him him. I'm gonna be the last one walking out that room. Shoo. That's just a fact, that's not you know what I mean. So if you're the p ok who's the pop what's that the point line? Prince my son the Queen's energy. Man, Thanks, thank you, brother Special brought us back outside. I appreciate anybody that brought the album that's streaming inevitable to the inevitable too. It was done in four sessions, might get another one

fourth quarter yo, be I'm telling you they're not. That's the beauty of you know this ever right now right because people will be going to freestyle. They think it's all phones are okay these days. Jada Kids did it again? Nigger go collect Now that's it. That's another one of like man ever since the beginning. You know, he always had some positive ship to say to me. Man, Yeah, yeah, of course you know what I mean. The collaborator. Uh, just just all these notes if they're still in here

and they just not record it yet. Those rhymes, yeah, these all rhyme sham freestyles that should like to take commandments. Man, it's like just goes just keeps going and goings're still going. That's how you feel, you know what I'm saying. That's how you feel like. It's really just about you know, you could buy you can buy five shoes with different color ways but it might rain, you know what I mean, and you just maybe you get two of them, all

three of them all. But the main thing is you ain't getting low like this is there where you can banks. That's the thing. Even when I'm low, You're gonna pay for what was going on in my mind at the time I was low. That's my mutes, that's my therapycause I'm still right and I'm still staying shock ye. You know what I mean that I'm preserving myself and with the with the intentions to come back like I never left.

And I'm excited more now than ever. I appreciate guys like yourself, you know, for giving me this platform, and I just want I want the newer generation to stay honest, you know what I mean. Let's let's let's keep going. Shout out to Bobby Smdo bumped in him last night. So Jack pot man, let's stay young man. There you go. Yeah,

I love it right up. Podcast rapp rator As an Interval presents original production from hyper House, produced by Laura Wasser, hosts and producers Elliot Wilson and Brian B. Dot Miller. Her Medival presents executive producers Alan Coy and Jay Kleinberg, executive producer Paul Rosenberg, editing his sound design by Dylan Alexander Freeman, recording engineer Mike Urban, visual director Josh Perez, operations lead Sarah You, business development lead Chef e Ellen Swagg,

and marketing lead Samara Still. Make sure to follow Rapperator or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts