| Rotten Apple | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Lloyd Banks | ||||||||||
| Released | October 10, 2006 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 2005–2006 | |||||||||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop, gangsta rap | |||||||||
| Length | 61:56 | |||||||||
| Label | G-Unit, Interscope | |||||||||
| Producer | 50 Cent (Exec.), Sha Money XL (co-exec.), Eminem, Needlz, Younglord, Ron Browz, Havoc, 9th Wonder, Midi Mafia | |||||||||
| Lloyd Banks chronology | ||||||||||
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Rotten Apple is the second studio album by G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks. Released October 10, 2006 on G-Unit Records and Interscope Records. The album sold 143,000 copies in its first week.[1] It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. The title of the album is a play on the New York City nickname "Big Apple". The album cover resembles the cover of the film King of New York.
Contents |
Originally the album was titled The Big Withdrawal, but because of two women he had a ménage à trois with in 2005 who leaked a unmastered copy of the album he had left at their home, the album was scrapped. Soon after, Banks began working on Rotten Apple.
The album featured guest appearances from 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, Rakim, Scarface, Mobb Deep, 8 Ball, Keri Hilson, and Musiq Soulchild. Production was provided by Eminem, Needlz, Sha Money XL, Younglord, Ron Browz, Havoc and 9th Wonder. Banks also wanted to show the darker side of New York City, and allow listeners to hear what it was like growing up in South Jamaica, Queens.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllHipHop | link |
| Allmusic | link |
| HipHopDX | link |
| RapReviews | (8/10) link |
| Rolling Stone | link |
| The Source | |
| Stylus Magazine | (C-) link |
| XXL | link |
| DJBooth.net | link |
The album received positive reviews.[2] Rolling Stone's Evan Serpick gave it 3 out of 5 stars and said that "Eminem, Mobb Deep’s Havoc and a host of G-Unit regulars produce an album’s worth of chunky, ominous beats to fit Banks’ foul mood, but it runs a little thin over sixteen tracks".
But XXL gave it a L/XXL and said "Not falling far from 50 Cent’s platinum-rooted tree, Rotten Apple is fertilized with potent doses of sonic strength and catchy hooks. But overall, it isn’t the new massacre that'll shake New York hip-hop down to its core." Also Allmusic's David Jeffries gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars and said that "The highlights are way high, but the album as a whole is fans-only."
After 5 weeks of sales the album was at number 71 on the Billboard charts with 15,000 copies sold that week and 250,000 copies sold total.[3] Despite not being certified in the United States, the album managed to strike Gold in Canada[4]
Debuting at number 3 with 143,000, Banks fell more than 40,000 albums short of a chart-topping repeat[5] the album fell to number 15 the following week with sales of 49,000.[6] In its third week the album sold 25,000.[7] In its fourth week the album sold 19,000 to land at number 43 on the album chart.[8] In its fifth week the album sold 15,000 to land at number 71 on the charts.[9] The album had sold a total of 351,000 copies.[10]
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Rotten Apple" (featuring 50 Cent & Prodigy) | Havoc, Sha Money XL (co.) | 4:26 |
| 2 | "Survival" | Young RJ | 3:47 |
| 3 | "Playboy 2" | Ron Browz | 3:44 |
| 4 | "The Cake" (featuring 50 Cent) | Fatin "10" Horton | 2:46 |
| 5 | "Make a Move" | Midi Mafia | 4:46 |
| 6 | "Hands Up" (featuring 50 Cent) | Eminem, Dangerous LLC, Bang Out (co.) | 4:00 |
| 7 | "Help" (featuring Keri Hilson) | Ron Browz, Sha Money XL (co.) | 3:54 |
| 8 | "Addicted" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) | Daniel Jones, Jermaine Mobley, Sha Money XL (co.) | 3:00 |
| 9 | "You Know the Deal" (featuring Rakim) | Product, Whitton | 4:05 |
| 10 | "Get Clapped" (featuring Mobb Deep) | Needlz | 5:01 |
| 11 | "Stranger" | Nick Speed | 3:10 |
| 12 | "Change" | Prince, Machavelli | 3:35 |
| 13 | "NY NY" (featuring Tony Yayo) | Eminem, Luis Resto (co.) | 3:29 |
| 14 | "One Night Stand" (featuring Keon Bryce) | 9th Wonder | 3:57 |
| 15 | "Iceman" (featuring Young Buck, Scarface & 8Ball) | Dave Morris | 5:28 |
| 16 | "Gilmore's" | Richard "Younglord" Frierson for The Hitmen | 2:50 |
| Charts (2006)[11][12] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums Chart | 65 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 27 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 36 |
| UK Albums Chart | 40 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 1 |
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