Lloyd Banks hasn't learned from his mistakes. Lacking charm and stellar narrative chops on his 2004 debut "The Hunger For More," Banks often sounded like a low-rent carbon copy of his mentor 50 Cent. It was his G-Unit affiliation that managed to help that disc reach its multi-million selling status.

On his follow-up disc, "Rotten Apple," the Queens rapper revels in the spoils of his material success without substantially improving on the formula that made him his crew's golden boy. The disc's most obvious exception is "The Cake," an underground hit about stacking dollars and protecting one's riches built on a one-note piano tinkle, a cleverly sampled voice ("money, money, money ... cake") and a teeth-gritting verse from Fiddy.

Elsewhere Banks merely covers the hardcore rap bases, his mumbled sneer offering up rhymes meant to be menacing along the way. On the title track, he explains "Drama is a part of the story that I'ma give you." But his words rarely resonate beyond more than rap bluster or idle sentiment, even when he tries to lighten the mood. The first radio single, "Hands Up" is a lifeless party song about Banks leading a cavalier rap superstar lifestyle. On "Help" featuring newcomer Keri Hilson, Banks plays a sensitive thug trying to impress his boo, but he comes off like crass nouveau riche: "First class trips/ and the bubbly's Cris/ I work so hard to live like this."

The rest of "Rotten Apple" is filled with serviceable, grimy tracks and verses devoted to gangsta guntalk ("Get Clapped"), hometown hubris ("NY NY") and dangerous street life ("Stranger," "Make A Move"). Banks hasn't shown much growth since his debut, and with this effort, we're left wondering if there's more to him than meets the eye.
(Brett Johnson)