Lloyd Banks

Rotten Apple

G-Unit/Interscope

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Pundits say Republicans know how to stay on message, but those politicians have nothing on G-Unit. These rappers are called soldiers because they follow a simple game plan, mixing chest-puffing gangster braggadocio, washed-out production, plenty of G-Unit posse cuts and a few R&B-flavored slow jams for the ladies. Rotten Apple, the sophomore album by one of the clique's other Queens rappers, Lloyd Banks, backs up the brand in a big way. A typically Gothic string vamp on the opening track accompanies a guest spot by the big boss 50 Cent, who shows up on two other tracks. Fiddy's guest verses, all weighed down and one-dimensional, serve as a sharp contrast to Bank's smoother, slicker delivery. It's the difference between a jock and a playboy, and Banks is definitely the latter. Spitting out gangster clichés, he still sounds too gruff to glide. He does strut convincingly over beats like the dissociative organ on "Playboy 2" and the subtle piano of "Stranger." But he needs to go beyond the G-Unit formula to really step up his game. A guest spot by legendary New York rapper Rakim, on the track "You Know the Deal," is a reminder that Banks has more work to do to be among the best of the five boroughs.

-- Pat Sisson