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Rotten Apple (album)

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Rotten Apple
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 10, 2006 (2006-10-10)
Recorded2005–2006
Genre
Length61:56
Label
Producer
Lloyd Banks chronology
The Hunger for More
(2004)
Rotten Apple
(2006)
H.F.M. 2 (The Hunger for More 2)
(2010)
Singles from Rotten Apple
  1. "Hands Up"
    Released: September 3, 2006

Rotten Apple is the second studio album by American rapper Lloyd Banks, released October 10, 2006 via G-Unit and Interscope. The title of the album is a play on the New York City nickname, "The Big Apple". 50 Cent's song "Rotten Apple" is on his mixtape Guess Who's Back? (2002) and should not be confused with Banks' song of the same name on this album. Rotten Apple Entertainment is also the name of Banks' former label owned by 50 Cent in the past.[1][2] The album cover also resembles the cover of the film, King of New York.

Background

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The Big Withdrawal was originally intended to be Lloyd Banks' second album. However, two women Banks had a ménage à trois with in 2005 leaked an unmastered copy of the album he had left at their home. The album was scrapped and 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 on the album was provided by Eminem, Needlz, Sha Money XL, Younglord, Ron Browz, Havoc and 9th Wonder. Banks stated that he 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.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(51/100)[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Entertainment WeeklyD+[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
Now[3]
The Phoenix[7]
RapReviews(8/10)[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Stylus MagazineC−[10]
Vibe[3]

Rotten Apple received generally mixed reviews from critics. The album so far has a score of 51 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "mixed or average reviews".[3] 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."[9] AllHipHop gave it a score of three-and-a-half stars out of five and said that it was "primed to remind folks what crew controlled the game before his hiatus."[11] DJ Booth gave it three stars out of five and said it "doesn't offer the same amount of high energy bangers. Subsequently, the label is now left to wonder what would have been if their decision on a lead single was different from the jump off."[12]

But XXL gave it a L/XXL (the equivalent of three stars out of five) 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."[13] 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."[4] HipHopDX gave it a similar score of two-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "Much like Banks' rapping, the beats just plod along. It is easy to expect less from some of his less talented G-Unit brethren, but Banks has shown himself to be capable of a lot. Minus a few moments where he shines, this album is as rotten as the City."[14]

After five 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.[15] Despite not being certified in the United States, the album managed to achieve Gold status in Canada.[16] [citation needed]

Commercial performance

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Debuting at number 3 with 143,000, Banks fell more than 40,000 albums short of a chart-topping repeat.[17] The album fell to number 15 the following week with sales of 49,000.[18] In its third week, the album sold 25,000.[19] In its fourth week, the album sold 19,000 to land at number 43 on the album chart.[20] In its fifth week the album sold 15,000 to land at number 71 on the charts.[15][21]

Track listing

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Rotten Apple track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Rotten Apple" (featuring 50 Cent and Prodigy)4:27
2."Survival"Young RJ3:47
3."Playboy 2"Ron Browz3:44
4."The Cake" (featuring 50 Cent)10 for the Triad2:52
5."Make a Move"Midi Mafia4:46
6."Hands Up" (featuring 50 Cent)4:00
7."Help" (featuring Keri Hilson)
  • Ron Browz
  • Sha Money XL
3:54
8."Addicted" (featuring Musiq Soulchild)
  • Daniel Jones
  • Jermaine Mobley
3:00
9."You Know the Deal" (featuring Rakim)Major Music Productions Inc.4:05
10."Get Clapped" (featuring Prodigy)Needlz5:01
11."Stranger"Nick Speed3:10
12."Change"
  • Prince
  • Machavelli
3:35
13."NY NY" (featuring Tony Yayo)
3:29
14."One Night Stand" (featuring Keon Bryce)9th Wonder3:57
15."Iceman" (featuring Young Buck, Eightball, & Scarface)Dave Morris5:28
16."Gilmore's"Younglord2:50
Total length:61:56
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[34] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ On Verge Of Blowing Up, 50 Cent Finds Value In His Street Cred
  2. ^ Rotten Apple Entertainment Roster
  3. ^ a b c d "Critic Reviews for Rotten Apple". Metacritic. Retrieved on March 3, 2013.
  4. ^ a b AllMusic review
  5. ^ Dombal, Ryan (October 6, 2006). "Rotten Apple Review". Entertainment Weekly. p. 131. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  6. ^ Los Angeles Times review
  7. ^ The Phoenix review
  8. ^ RapReviews review
  9. ^ a b "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved 2014-07-12.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Stylus Magazine review". Archived from the original on 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  11. ^ AllHipHop review
  12. ^ "DJ Booth review". Archived from the original on 2011-10-29. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
  13. ^ XXL review
  14. ^ HipHopDX review
  15. ^ a b Hale, Andreas (2006-11-15). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 11/12/2006 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  16. ^ "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - January 2005". Cria.ca. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  17. ^ Harris, Chris (2006-10-18). "Lloyd Banks Can't Catch Rod Stewart's Classics In Race For Billboard #1 - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  18. ^ Hale, Andreas (2006-10-25). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 10/22/2006 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  19. ^ Hale, Andreas (2006-11-01). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 10/29/2006 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  20. ^ Hale, Andreas (2006-11-09). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 11/5/2006 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  21. ^ Lloyd Banks Preps 'Hunger for More' After Going Gold | Billboard
  22. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 24.
  23. ^ "Lloyd Banks Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  24. ^ "Lescharts.com – Lloyd Banks – Rotten Apple". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lloyd Banks – Rotten Apple" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  26. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Lloyd Banks". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Lloyd Banks – Rotten Apple". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  30. ^ "Lloyd Banks Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  31. ^ "Lloyd Banks Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  32. ^ "Lloyd Banks Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  33. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  34. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Lloyd Banks". Music Canada.
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