Lloyd Banks - Cake Video

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"Cake" Video Review

Lloyd Banks largely underachieves on his sophomore set; he over-raps, under-raps and never really makes his heroic escape from the villainous, if not down-right suspect, production. Banks completely ignores the implications and importance of his own album title. Rather, he elects to talk of himself (and how he carries “his niiiiine” and his worldly exploits (“Playboy”), and his emerging Blue Heffner persona (“I’m not camera shy /We can do it anywhere”). You’d expect the album, as indicative of its title, to be an ode to his birthplace–-New York.

The big apple, home of the legendary rappers, and yet Banks wants to have his “pockets right, his rocks bright, and the drop blue”. Self-indulgent lines demonstrate Banks’ reluctance to ease away from his comfort zone, his typical lyrical matter, and his status as a solid but not great rapper.

Banks, admittedly, is faced with a grand undertaking–-to rescue New York rap. Well, even if that wasn’t his intention he should have renamed the album or issued a proper disclaimer. But, neither has to be made clear to the listener, as each subsequent track serves as a preemptive disclaimer.

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