Key Takeaways
- Lloyd Banks celebrated the 20th anniversary of his sophomore album, Rotten Apple, and named "Cake," "Survival," "Help," and "Get Clapped" among his favorite tracks.
- Released through G-Unit and Interscope on October 10, 2006, the album explored the darker side of New York and replaced Banks' scrapped project The Big Withdrawal after an unmastered copy leaked.
- Rotten Apple debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 143,000 copies sold and featured 50 Cent, Rakim, Scarface, Mobb Deep, Keri Hilson, and other major collaborators.
Lloyd Banks has taken a moment to look back and celebrate the 20th anniversary of his sophomore album, Rotten Apple.
On Saturday (October 10), the Queens rapper took to Instagram to show some love to the follow-up to his debut, Hunger for More, sharing some of his favorite cuts from the G-Unit LP.
"Happy 20th Year!!! Anniversary!!! To My Sophomore Album 'Rotten Apple' Time Flies!!" he wrote. "Some Of My Favorites are 'Cake' 'Survival' 'Help' & Get Clapped' what’re yours?"
Released October 10, 2006 through G-Unit and Interscope, the project's title twisted New York City's "Big Apple" nickname into something bleaker. Banks said he wanted the record to show the darker side of New York and capture what growing up in South Jamaica, Queens actually felt like.
However, Rotten Apple might never have seen the light of day had it not been for a setback. Banks' sophomore album was actually supposed to be The Big Withdrawal until an unmastered copy leaked, allegedly obtained by two women after a sexual encounter. The project was ultimately scrapped.
The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 143,000 copies sold, and it went on to top both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts.
"Hands Up" featuring 50 Cent was the album's lead single, and it features a lineup that includes Rakim, Scarface, Mobb Deep, 8Ball, Young Buck, and Tony Yayo, with Keri Hilson and Musiq Soulchild handling hooks.
Behind the boards, Eminem, Havoc, 9th Wonder, Needlz, Sha Money XL, Younglord, and Ron Browz all contributed.
