The Hunger for More in 2004 and Rotten Apple in 2006 were Lloyd Banks‘ first two solo albums to be released before his 2009 mixtape The Cold Corner.
Critics who believed the rapper from Queens, New York had lost his desire to make street-approved bangers gave the latter project mixed reviews.
With the mixtape The Cold Corner, hosted by DJ Whoo Kid as part of DJ’s 5 and Better Series, Blue Hefner returns to the old school and delivers what the streets want. It’s his only guest appearance on the 14-song project, with Eminem doing the final countdown before Banks kicks off with the first track, “Increase the Gritty.”
On “New Pu$$y,” which samples Boss’s 1993 song “Deeper,” a soldier from his unit boasts about his wealth and street fame.
“Pay more where I go, the crew go/Tell me what I ain’t doing my thing, are you you?/Me hanging out with me Catch me, I’m dropping sumo/Sooner or later, one question I’m sure we’ll all learn/The snitch dies a thousand times.
Other standouts include the sombre “Be That Way Sometimes,” the warning “On My Way,” and the majestic-sounding “Do It for the Block,” in which Banks explains why he still has a strong affection for the neighbourhood.
When detractors claimed that Lloyd Banks had lost his appeal for creating a soundtrack for the streets in 2009, he showed them with the mixtape The Cold Corner that he was still capable of making the neighbourhood hot.
