The Bottom Line
Banks signals his return to rap with "Hands Up," the lead single from his album, Rotten Apple. The relevance and legacy of G-Unit rides on the lyrics and success of his album. Banks raps with an unforeseen tense urgency that manifests itself throughout the song. The song is as solid as its formula--the guest appearance courtesy of 50 Cent.
Pros
- Great chorus
- Smart first single
Cons
- Little lyrical value here
Description
- "Hands Up" is the official first single from Banks' forthcoming Rotten Apple.
- Produced by Eminem.
- Features G-Unit General 50 Cent.
Guide Review - Lloyd Banks featuring 50 Cent - Hands Up (G-Unit / Interscope)
The theme of survival and success reigns, as Lloyd Banks finds himself dishing out chauvinistic lines, I'm soakin' it all up /While your girl suckin' me /It means the world to her /It's nothing but a nut to me." It's a battle against unassuming, non-obliging (and non-participatory) club patrons; Banks makes sure to do everything faster, better, and dirtier. The song, unsurprisingly, recycles and re-uses bits of his first hit, "On Fire". That song worked for its ingratiating misogyny and innocuous advances, Banks steers clear of any chivalry as he runs through scenario after scenario in which the girl is the adversary, "Look miss, get a grip /and let a motherf***r be /I'm a rap star /Who wants to be ridin' around in that car, or worse, the victim, I bet the mansion and the swimming pool got 'em pissed /I ain't a cuddler, I f**k the drool outta chick." Banks marches unfazed by the breadth (and breaths) of his lyrics and seems undeterred to not only finish, but to prove he can finish in first and in style.
Ultimately, it may be the only speak-able downside to the song. Banks legitimately, forcibly, and tragically tries to grind out a hit through shocking, sordid, and sumptuous details that come off too hard, dirty, and unbelievable. The infectious, and often brilliant, hook greets the lyrics with amnesty and rescues the song from overkill. The grueling, pounding synth drums drown the lyrics of its buoyancy and transform this song into a guaranteed hit. The formula always works.
