Years after he blew up on the rap scene as a member of the Queens-based outfit G-Unit, rapper Lloyd Banks released his third solo album Hunger For More 2, the sequel to 2004’s Hunger For More. Now, with a messy label dispute behind him, the hard-hitting Beamer, Benz or Bentley lyricist has his eyes on the prize and his feet facing forward.

To Banks, time heals all wounds and rather than harping on issues of the past, including stale inner and outer crew beefs with his famed group mates and fellow New York City hip-hop collection Dipset; his focus remains on growing as an artist, making the best music possible and most importantly, learning from past mistakes.

Recently, Banks exclusively spoke with Yo! Raps about building his own brand, the new album, reuniting with Young Buck and The Game, and ultimately how he was able to squash the beef and keep it moving, all while providing some necessary advice to younger rap upstarts.