The Hunger For More (Vinyl)

It's a 50 Cent world, and we're just living in it. Lloyd Banks's solo debut is one in an upcoming series of G Unit-affiliated releases coming to a hood near you. With his understated raspy flows and gift for penning clever punch lines, Banks has long been considered the crew's nicest lyricist. He might also be the most braggadocious. On choice cut "Warrior," the narcissism begins: "I'm smooth as the Isleys, sometimes I surprise me." Then there's the self-explanatory "I’m So Fly," produced by Timbaland, and "If You So Gangsta," where he informs his fellow hood dwellers why they can't compete with the "rap Lebron." As with all G Unit productions, the beats are first-rate. Remarkable backing tracks supplied by underrated producers Hi-Tek and Baby Grand ("I Get High," "Die One Day") act as a much needed counterweight to Banks's clichéd thug-guns-girls-jewelry banter. A better reason to cop this album is to hear Banks's introspective take on the flipside of thug living. R&B-tinged ballad "Karma" demos his ability to serenade the hotties in more, um, gentlemanly fashion. When he raps "if it wasn't for 50, I probably wouldn't be around," he might be right. But the rap world's no worse off with this capable debut in our midst. --Dalton Higgins