Christopher Lloyd Banks

Rapper and G-Unit founding member known for his solo debut The Hunger for More.

Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip-hop group G-Unit, which he formed with childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo in 1999.

Quick Facts

Real name: Christopher Charles Lloyd
Affiliation: G-Unit, EMI
Hometown: South Jamaica, Queens (New York City)
Debut album year: 2004
Status: Active

Lore & Background

Lloyd Banks was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in the South Jamaica section of Queens, New York City. He is of mixed Puerto Rican and African-American descent. His father spent most of his childhood in prison, leaving his mother to raise him and his two siblings. Banks attended August Martin High School but dropped out at 16.

For his stage name, he took his great, great-grandfather's name Banks, which was passed on by his uncles. On September 10, 2001, Banks was shot twice while leaving a nightclub in Southside Jamaica, Queens. He was hit in the back and stomach, and ran to the nearest hospital. He woke up the next morning to news of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and watched from his hospital bed as the Twin Towers fell.

In August 2005, Banks and Young Buck were in a van pulled over in midtown Manhattan; officers found a loaded handgun and another weapon. Charges were dropped on November 8, 2006, after an investigation determined neither was in possession. On January 9, 2010, in a Kitchener, Ontario hotel, an alleged altercation took place between Banks and a concert promoter over performance fees. Banks and three associates were charged with forcible confinement, aggravated assault and robbery, and released on $50,000 bail. Banks left G-Unit Records in June 2018, as announced by 50 Cent.

Reader's Guide

Lloyd Banks began his career as a member of G-Unit, formed in 1999. After G-Unit's debut album Beg for Mercy (2003), Banks released his solo debut The Hunger for More (2004), which peaked atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the top-ten single 'On Fire' and top-20 single 'Karma'. His second album Rotten Apple (2006) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. In 2010, Banks left Interscope Records and signed with EMI alongside G-Unit to release his third album H.F.M. 2 (The Hunger for More 2) in November 2010, which peaked at number 26. Over a decade later, he independently released his fourth album, The Course of the Inevitable (2021), to critical acclaim.

Did You Know?

Lloyd Banks was shot on September 10, 2001, one day before the 9/11 attacks.
His debut album The Hunger for More sold over 1.5 million copies and was certified platinum.