Is Lloyd Banks Better at Rap or Porno?
He won his “adult Oscars.” Next up: the Grammys.
It’s awards season for 50 Cent protégé Lloyd Banks. Next month, he’s up for the Best Male Rap Performance Grammy for the single “On Fire.” But he’s already a winner: On January 8, in Las Vegas, he won two porn Oscars—Best Interactive DVD and Best Music—at the AVN Awards for his work on Groupie Love. At the Sands Expo Center, with a diamond-encrusted G-Unit logo the size of an English muffin around his neck, the 22-year-old seemed relaxed in the crush of bodyguards, fans, and silicone. But how’d the Queens native get into this business in the first place? “I was 21: No kids, no girlfriend, no obligations. I asked my mother—that was the only worry I had. She said, ‘Get the money.’ ” Banks doesn’t perform in the video per se—he’s more of a host, throwing a few rhymes and mingling with the talent. Last fall, rumors circulated that he had starred in a gay porn movie, Bam 2: Thug, but it turned out the actor just bore a strong resemblance. Still, while Banks isn’t really a porn star, he is deeply invested in the product. “I was on set the whole time. I wanna give my own input as far as the music and how it takes place.” He’s already casting the sequel. “Next year, I’ll have more notoriety in the porn industry because they know me in the rap world.” He smiles. “It’s the best of both worlds.”
–Lissa T. Rodgers

EDITED BY CARL SWANSON

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