Lloyd Banks – The Course Of The Inevitable (Album Review)
Lloyd Banks makes his triumphant return with “The Course Of The Inevitable.”
Lloyd Banks makes his triumphant return with “The Course Of The Inevitable.”
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TOP 5
5. PAIN PRESSURE PARANOIA
Do you know how Drake always has that one song on an album of his in which he vents about some real s**t? I feel like “Pain Pressure Paranoia” is Lloyd Banks’ version of that.
“Pain Pressure Paranoia” is a pretty deep track. In it, Lloyd Banks talks about losing both family members and friends, his resiliency, and attracting haters over a hard-hitting/soulful beat. While Banks doesn’t bring out his heftiest punchlines in the song, he does bring out a side to him that makes him come across as human.
4. FORMALDEHYDE
“Formaldehyde” is meaner than a Chipotle worker after you ask them for extra rice.
No, “Formaldehyde” isn’t the most exciting track. It features a sluggish beat, zero melodies, and raps that sound like they were delivered by two dudes that are allergic to smiling. So, with everything that I just mentioned, why did I decide to put the song in my top 5? I like how Benny The Butcher and Lloyd Banks’ different but heinous rapping styles blend, the cold-ass Griselda-inspired beat, Benny’s very dynamic flows, and how the two rappers play anti-heroes in the song.
3. SIDEWALKS
People forget how tough Lloyd Banks was when he was rolling with G-Unit. If you are too young to remember, “Sidewalks” will remind you.
Throughout “Sidewalks,” Lloyd raps about his unflappable demeanor, the hood rules that he follows, and his willingness to pull up on his opps. Even though the content that he blesses us with is pretty compelling, he sounds like he recorded the track with his feet up in an office desk somewhere in the hood.
2. EMPATHY
Lloyd Banks and Freddie Gibbs go back and forth in the dark “Empathy.”
“Empathy” was probably written in the same sewer that all of Michael Jackson’s goons from the “Thriller” music video came out of. For starters, the song features this scary-ass instrumental that sounds like it has yet to have its coffee. Over it, both Lloyd Banks and Freddie Gibbs drop bars about turning opps to track stars, about turning decent women into rollers, and about turning illegal work into serious money. While the former sounds like he’s all about his business, the latter sounds like he enjoys dabbling in toxic-ass s**t.
1. PROPANE
Do you know what I love about “Propane?” It’s the intro to The Course Of The Inevitable. What that means is that you get an immediate reminder of how cold of an MC Lloyd Banks is.
There are so many impressive punchlines in “Propane,” (That Fendi line is amazing) at a certain point, I grabbed a pen and pad out and started writing them down so that I can decipher them later. Aside from all of the amazing punchlines Banks dishes out, I also f**k with the sly-ass flows he raps with and how he makes it a mission to remind us all that he is as gutter as it gets.
SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN
1. PROPANE (4/5)
2. SIDEWALKS (4/5)
3. EMPATHY (4/5)
4. EARLY EXIT (3/5)
5. FORMALDEHYDE (4/5)
6. DEATH BY DESIGN (3/5)
7. FOOD (4/5)
8. CROWN (3/5)
9. FALSIFIED (3/5)
10. BREAK ME DOWN (3/5)
11. COMMITMENT (3/5)
12. PAIN PRESSURE PARANOIA (4/5)
13. STRANGER THINGS (3/5)
14. DROP 5 (4/5)
15. PANIC (4/5)
16. SMOKE AND MIRRORS (3/5)
17. DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE (3/5)
18. C O T I (4/5)
RGM RATING
(C+)
I am old enough to remember when Lloyd Banks was a dude that everybody was high on. While he came out the gate hot as s**t, unfortunately, the last couple of years, he has been M.I.A. What The Course Of The Inevitable tells me is that his disappearance has nothing to do with his skills diminishing.
I probably like The Course Of The Inevitable too much. I love the beats that Lloyd Banks chooses to rap over on the album (They are cold, riveting, and sound like some old-school s**t. Lloyd and Griselda definitely rap over similar beats), I think that the punchlines that he dishes out are f**king phenomenal, and content-wise, he talks about s**t that you have to respect like overcoming odds, being resilient, bullying folks, making money, and growth (Interestingly, he doesn’t mention 50 Cent or G-Unit much in the album). At the end of the day, the only thing that didn’t blow me away about the album is Lloyd’s energy level (I can tell that Lloyd is naturally a dull guy. It’s too bad that his dull demeanor hinders how appealing his songs are). At the end of the day, if you are someone that respects intricate bars and strong beats, you may enjoy The Course Of The Inevitable.
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Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
Honestly, I’m a huge Banks fan! PLK all day! Though he came with the lines and the gritty beats, it lacked versatility of tempo. This official album sounds more like a mix tape as far as song selection is concerned. Maybe he just had a lot to get off of his chest, but that tone stayed there the entire album. There seemed to be no contrast to this project or an actual theme followed like previous albums. I still support Blue and the movement, but he needs someone that will make his moment in the lime light have an impact.
It’s good to get the more personal side of Lazy Lloyd. Being able to understand what he went through and his thought process, and I wish him the best. Looking forward to playing this a bit more.
Really well said! Lloyd Banks has clearly grown as man, his skills hasn’t diminished, but I do think that his lethargic voice still continues to haunt him. You’re right on the money when you said that the album sounds like a mixtape. I just think Lloyd stays in a pocket that is quite appealing to folks that aren’t major hip-hop fans (That’s not necessarily a bad thing).
Classic ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Classic? 😳😳😳 I think it’s an extremely solid album, but I respeck your opinion lol
Yeah you cunt it’s a fucking classic