Top 5: Lloyd Banks top five punchline rappers of all time

Former G-unit member Lloyd Banks, recently interviewed with Jalen & Jacoby on ESPN2 to discuss basketball and promote his new album, The Course of The Inevitable 2 which was released just weeks ago. However, the conversation quickly turned to hip hop as the hosts asked the rapper who his top five punchline rappers were. Featuring some big names, the rapper’s answers were interesting with some opinions being highly debatable.

Yes, the artist picked himself for the number five spot as, naturally, the artist considers himself among the best. A confident Banks was quick to put himself on the list and did so without hesitation. Banks definitely had a smash hit with ‘Beamer, Benz or Bentley?’ in 2010 and has had a fairly successful solo career independent from G-unit.

Brooklyn rapper Fabolous took the number four spot for Banks. The artist, (real name John Jackson), has undeniably had some hits over the years, including the likes of ‘Can’t Let You Go’, which landed at number four on the Billboard 100 in 2003 and ‘Baby’, which peaked at number seventeen. This is an interesting choice from Banks as many wouldn’t consider Fabulous a highly lyrical artist. Nevertheless, he’s number four for the rapper.

Yonkers rapper Jadakiss (commonly known as just Jada) slipped in at number three. A former member of rap trio The Lox along with Styles P and Sheek Louch, Jadakiss is considered by many to be one of the best rappers from the early noughties. With interesting flows and technical rhyme schemes, the artist has proven to be extremely versatile over the years. With his debut album Kiss Tha Game Goodbye being certified Platinum by the RIAA, some of his most popular songs include ‘Why?’ featuring Anthony Hamilton and ‘U Make Me Wanna’ alongside Mariah Carey.

A slightly more old-school artist, Lord Finesse (real name Robert Hall), began his career in the 1980s, with his success coming shortly after in the early 1990s. The lead single of his debut album, Return of the Funky Man, entered the rap singles chart at number 13. With many of Hall’s songs being self-produced, the artist went on to have great success as a producer in hip hop as opposed to a rapper. However, his early material was (lyrically) of an extremely high standard.

Banks gave his number one spot to Harlem native Big L, a legend of hip hop. Known for his elite use of wordplay, L has been certified as one of the most auspicious storytellers in hip hop history, with Banks considering him still unmatched to this day. Some of Big L’s most renowned tracks include ‘Put It On’ and ‘MVP’.

So that completes the top five punchline rappers according to Lloyd Banks. Do you agree? You can watch the full interview with Jalen and Jacoby below.