Lloyd Banks and Nas squash beef coutesy of Kanye West

[bigted]

G-Unit's Lloyd Banks and rap veteran Nas will reportedly have their differences placed aside to exchange bars on an upcoming collaboration track.

According to the "Punch Line King," Kanye West is aiming to bring them together on wax.

Lloyd Banks came up to the XXL offices this afternoon as the latest guest on our weekly Wednesday UStream show, Spotlight, and during the engaging interview he spoke on the possibility of he and 50 Cent rival Nas appearing together on one of Kanye West's upcoming G.O.O.D. Friday tracks. Banks said that he was in the studio with our October cover star two nights ago, along with John Legend and Kid Cudi and worked on two cuts--one for The Hunger for More 2 and one for 'Ye's upcoming, still unnamed LP. "The record I had did for Kanye, he was saying he was putting Nas on it, so you may be seeing that in the future," The Punchline King told XXLMag.com. (XXL Mag)

In addition to dissing Nas on "Piggy Bank," 50 Cent previously spoke on his issues with the fellow Queens, New York rapper.

"You know what, me and Nas, we was cool, we used to be good," Fif said in a 2005 interview. "I didn't understand his actions. The first thing that started feeling a little off with him was the Jennifer Lopez sh*t. I had done a record on the Jennifer Lopez album right and this after I got shot this is the first thing I'm doing trying to come back out. Irv [Gotti] was running around calling everybody and saying don't do business with these guys you do business with him we are not f*cking with you. At the time they were selling records so people weigh there value by what you can do for them and they were leaning towards Irv and them and they actually took me off the record and put Nas on the record cause she was on Columbia and Nas is on Columbia." (Six Shot)

Last year, G-Unit producer DJ Whoo Kid said Nas used 50 Cent as an excuse to avoid being interviewed.

"I respect Nas and all the sh*t he's done," Kid explained. "But personally, what he did to me was p*ssy. It was a p*ssy thing. But I was telling [Rick Ross' baby's mother] Tia that, but the [online video footage] kept that. He refused to come on my show because of 50 Cent and he told my boy that. And my boy, I had my boy, I could understand if your A&R is playing around with me like 'I don't want to come to your show blah blah blah' but I had my boy personally go ask him and he personally said 'Nah I can't do it man, I just can't do it.' Well you know everybody on my show, I really wanted Nas on my show. I was with him even before the It Was Written and crap like, when he was beefing with Jay-Z I was there. I bought him the bean pie and all that stuff. If it wasn't for that beef with Jay-Z, he would not be who he is today. That was the personal anger that I had to put out there. But other than that, I'm not dissing Nas." (True Stories TV)

Aside from the possible Nas and Banks mash-up, West recently complimented the G-Unit rapper.

"Yo man Loyd Banks prolly the most underrated MC in the game... Man he deserve to be top 5 at least!," West tweeted Wednesday (September 8) night. (Kanye West's Twitter)

[VIsqo]

I dont think Banks is underrated at all.. Top 5? Are u serious Kanye? Maybe he was sipping on something he shouldnt have when he wrote that on twitter..

[bigted]

Too many people hate on Lloyd Banks 'cause he's in G-Unit, from time to time he could spit some hot rhymes but on the other hand he ain't close to being a top 5 hip hop legend, hell to n-izzo, he ain't even top 100, Nas and Kanye should collaborate with real rappers like Kel Spencer instead of commercial rappers like Lloyd Banks, in fact I think Kel should write some rhymes for Kanye since most of his rhymes been weak the past few years... But the main point of this article which is about the G-Unit beefing with Nas and other rappers they know they have to squash their beefs 'cause the public has grown tired of them doing it, they need to get back to making good music again, in the early 2000s G-Unit was dope, it's hard to believe that but you can't sleep on what they did back then but once they started acting like children their music and career went downhill and they lost respect from the streets....

Edited September 30, 2010 by bigted

[VIsqo]

Lol, I would add banks in the top 100 man.. lol

[bigted]

Well where was Lloyd Banks mentioned when we named over 100 rappers for who's the best rapper of all time tournament we had here? That's not to say that he's wack but clearly he ain't one of the greatest

[Guest lambertj3]

Well where was Lloyd Banks mentioned when we named over 100 rappers for who's the best rapper of all time tournament we had here? That's not to say that he's wack but clearly he ain't one of the greatest

Its all a matter of ones opinion because he is top 5 and just because he wasn't in this "Boards" 100 greatest rappers dosen't mean anything and to say he isn't respected or hot on the streets is ludacris i respect you a great deal but please note that what you say is just an opinion please

[bigted]

If you read my statement you'd see that I said that I don't think that Lloyd Banks is wack, in fact he's a good rapper but there's a thin line between being good and being a legend, saying Lloyd Banks is on the same level as those like LL Cool J and Fresh Prince is like saying Dwight Howard is on the same level as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, Penny Hardaway on the same level as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, etc, basketball's coming again I can't wait, lol, hip hop is like the NBA, there's a long history of legends, just because a player or a rapper ain't in the top 50 or top 100 doesn't mean they ain't good, there's million of them in all these years, just the fact that we heard of them means something, whoever's the 12th man on the Knicks and the worst rapper on the radio are better than the millions of armchair quarterbacks who don't make it and player hate, now that's what's opinion.... If G-Unit squash all their silly beefs and start making better music than yes one day they could be legends but not yet... Now they're the ones who've been acting ludacris since they always would make fun of other rappers 'cause they outsold them when they first came out, pride kills baby since the karma has come back to them when it's a fact that I said that the public don't respect them that much since their record sales went way down the past few years, you wanna debate me come with FACTS man: 50 Cent went from selling 10 million his first album(can't player hate that at all) to just selling 500,000 his last album, Lloyd Banks sold about 2 million on his first album and only sold 200,000 on his last album, the first G-Unit album sold 3 million and the last one about 500,000, the public has spoken, not just me, their careers are on thin ice, I hope they step up and make better music 'cause they were dope back in the days, I usually don't diss rappers for having lower sales 'cause even my favorite rappers don't sell much anymore but when you ain't humble then you deserve to be dissed... 50's line is coming back to him "Damn homie you was the man homie, What the f happened to you?", well it's like what the bible says pride kills, hopefully Lloyd Banks and Nas squashing beef is the start of something positive for hip hop 'cause I'm tired of the game being on life support like this, we need better music for everybody in general, I'm done with this topic btw so peace to all the rappers...

Edited October 1, 2010 by bigted

[VIsqo]

I agree on the Karma stuff there Bigted.. They just made fun of everybody out there and now they are the funny ones..

[Guest lambertj3]

If you read my statement you'd see that I said that I don't think that Lloyd Banks is wack, in fact he's a good rapper but there's a thin line between being good and being a legend, saying Lloyd Banks is on the same level as those like LL Cool J and Fresh Prince is like saying Dwight Howard is on the same level as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, Penny Hardaway on the same level as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, etc, basketball's coming again I can't wait, lol, hip hop is like the NBA, there's a long history of legends, just because a player or a rapper ain't in the top 50 or top 100 doesn't mean they ain't good, there's million of them in all these years, just the fact that we heard of them means something, whoever's the 12th man on the Knicks and the worst rapper on the radio are better than the millions of armchair quarterbacks who don't make it and player hate, now that's what's opinion.... If G-Unit squash all their silly beefs and start making better music than yes one day they could be legends but not yet... Now they're the ones who've been acting ludacris since they always would make fun of other rappers 'cause they outsold them when they first came out, pride kills baby since the karma has come back to them when it's a fact that I said that the public don't respect them that much since their record sales went way down the past few years, you wanna debate me come with FACTS man: 50 Cent went from selling 10 million his first album(can't player hate that at all) to just selling 500,000 his last album, Lloyd Banks sold about 2 million on his first album and only sold 200,000 on his last album, the first G-Unit album sold 3 million and the last one about 500,000, the public has spoken, not just me, their careers are on thin ice, I hope they step up and make better music 'cause they were dope back in the days, I usually don't diss rappers for having lower sales 'cause even my favorite rappers don't sell much anymore but when you ain't humble then you deserve to be dissed... 50's line is coming back to him "Damn homie you was the man homie, What the f happened to you?", well it's like what the bible says pride kills, hopefully Lloyd Banks and Nas squashing beef is the start of something positive for hip hop 'cause I'm tired of the game being on life support like this, we need better music for everybody in general, I'm done with this topic btw so peace to all the rappers...

First and foremost i respect you but i gotta ask who do you know who has an album out now that hasn't sold less albums than their previous? every rapper has that dosen't not make someone a legend just because they sold albums less than their previous. And heres a qustion if that was fact how is the people you call legends legends when they clearly sell less than other "Hot" rappers that clearly proves its ones opinion who is or isn't a legend and thats a fact.

[bigted]

Well you got the point there about how we're all gonna like certain artists more than others, it's healthy to have debates, that's what this discussion forum is for... Now we could agree to disagree to how we feel about G-Unit, you clearly like them more than me, I try not to be a hater like some fans on the artists that I don't like much when I look at things at a realistic point of view, like I was saying earlier I like to give credit to all artists to a point 'cause I look at it from the way I'm artist trying to make it myself that it's hard work to get in the game and just the fact that they made it means something, only a select few have hits and have people recognize them so credit's due there... Now to answer your question clearly the thin line between legends and the "Hot" rappers is that the legends made a positive and original impact on the way their music has been present while the "Hot" rappers just copy what was previously done and do what the record company tells them to do to sell records, basically it's like the "Lost & Found" song that Will made, he has too much class to disrespect anybody but you could basically insert most of today's radio rappers under the lost bin while the found artists are the legends like Rakim, Lauryn Hill, Nas Esco, and Dead Prez, clearly most of today's rappers are lost and that's why the state of hip hop is at a dire level, I made a comparison from hip hop to the NBA earlier but at least the NBA's still watchable even though there aren't that many legends playing anymore like Jordan-Pippen-Barkley-Ewing were playing when I was growing up but really though time tells all maybe there will be more legends to emerge in hip hop, the final book hasn't been written but maybe if artists like G-Unit do something more original then they will be legends one day... Now clearly record sales don't make legends, people don't buy much music these days in general across the board, the only reason I brought them up is 'cause G-Unit was making it look like they were untouchable and that they were bigger there bigger than hip hop when they bring up record sales as the main criteria to judge artists....

Btw, the criteria to judge the value of an hip hop artist should be viewed the way Kool Moe Dee evaluated it when he made the top 50 MC list for his "There's A God On The Mic" book, there's many elements to a great mc, it's all about the artistry, I just felt like copy and pasting from the topic about his book so you could understand this a little better, peace:

Elements Of An MC:
Originality: How original is the MC? Did the MC create anything or bring anything new to the game that wasn't there before?

Concepts: Rewards MCs for their ability to paint pictures and concepts that are multi-dimensional, and who conceptualize on an album, or during their career.

Versatility:
Rewards artists that have a range of work that varies and who experiment with their rhymes.

Vocabulary:
An artist must be able to utilize vocabulary, and that doesn't mean that you have to constantly inundate the audience with big words, but as Big Daddy Kane once said, "It's alright to send someone to the dictionary every now and then."

Substance:
Rewards MCs whose albums have some kind of social relevance or meaning.

Flow:
Flow has a lot to do with syncopation, how an artist's cadence flows in and out of multiple records, beats, or tempos. Those artists who are most versatile with their flow, or that have a flow that absolutely sucks people in get higher scores.

Flavor: This is about an artist's ability to break out, have fun, and have some kind of signature energy to their rhyme style.

Freestyle: This rates an MCs ability to be able to come off the top of their head with thymes, spontaneously, on any given subject.

Vocal Presence: This category looks at how recognizable an artists voice is the moment someone hears it on a record.

Live Performance: Lots of MCs make great records, lots of MCs travel around and do rhymes, but when it comes down to doing a performance live, lots of MCs fall short.

Poetic Value:
A lot of MCs rhyme, but don't add poetic value where the metaphor itself is a story within the metaphor is actually profound.

Body Of Work:
Based on the sum total of the artists work and the level of excellence in that work.

Industry Impact:
Industry impact has to do with Grammys, music awards, radio airplay, and all the things that the 'streets' frowned on at one point, but was very, very necessary for the hip-hop game to become the integral part of the music business that it is now.

Social Impact:
Recognizes and rewards artists who try to better the community, better the environment, and better the country.

Longevity:
Recognizes thoses who can last long in the chaos and confusion known as the music business.

Lyrics:
Lyrics, otherwise known as an MCs paradise, are the reason all MCs started rhyming, it's the essence of the MC.

Battle skills:
Battle skills are about the combination of wit and attack. Attack and set yourself up as the pinnacle, and create threats. It has to do with not only lyrical skills, but also the ability to be witty, funny, and to insult.

Edited October 4, 2010 by bigted

[Turntable]

I think Lloyd Banks is not underrated. People that hate on G-Unit because they are The Game fans underrated him, but normal Hip Hop heads give him credit for being a pertty good rapper from time to time, not more, not less, like Ted said. I do not like his new singles, wack production, but I did like his Rotten Apple album.

[Guest lambertj3]

I see your point ted and turntable i have to say i didn't really feel bank's last album rotten apple but the new stuff is bangin but i guess to each his own when it comes to likes and dislike. Now Banks is still to green to be called a legend right now but we will see in a few years, and i see unlike me you and turntable are not enamored with banks or g-unit's subject matter which is good and again i see your point ted, i like the neww stuff you guys don't end of story, but i wonder how long will they last?

[Turntable]

I think Banks will last, but he'll be more underground eventualy, I think 50 will last for a long time, he'll go more pop and maybe do more entertainment outside music and drop a raw mixtape whenever he feels like it.