"Rubberband Banks" is a song by American
hip hop recording artist
Young Dro, released as the second single from his debut studio album ''
Best Thang Smokin'
''Best Thang Smokin is the debut studio album by American rapper Young Dro. It was released on August 29, 2006, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. ''Best Thang Smokin serves as Dro's major label debut, following his independent album, ...
'' (2006). The song, like its predecessor, was
produced by
Grand Hustle
Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...
in-house producer
Cordale "Lil' C" Quinn. The song's title refers to the act of storing large quantities of
banknotes
A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand.
Banknotes were originally issued ...
using
rubber band
A rubber band (also known as an elastic band, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845 by Stephen P ...
s.
Reception
Andres Tardio of
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
considered "Rubberband Banks" too similar to "
Rubber Band Man
"Rubber Band Man" is a song by American rapper T.I., released December 30, 2003 as the third single from his second studio album ''Trap Muzik'' (2003). Production from David Banner was noted by music reviewers, particularly the ascending organ ...
" by Young Dro's mentor
T.I., highlighting the song as an example of what he perceived to be Young Dro's lack of musical identity on ''Best Thang Smokin: "...in the
end, he doesn’t differentiate himself from the pack".
Steve Juon of ''RapReviews'' wrote critically of the song's lyrics and Young Dro's writing abilities, arguing that "normally criticizing a rapper's punchlines one would note that they are either far too commonly used or lazy in execution, but in Young Dro's case it's almost like he's trying too hard. "Shorty say she want Dro, I think she want an ounce of me." C'mon, that's not even funny."
In contrast, David Jeffries of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
praised "Rubberband Banks" as "snide and loopy like the Grand Hustle team almost always nails";
in an otherwise mixed review of ''Best Thang Smokin, Clover Hope of
''Billboard'' wrote that Young Dro "flexes his creativity" on "Rubberband Banks", singling out the lyric "Diamonds look like passion fruit" as showing how Young Dro's "originality lies more in his odd food-obsessed rhymes... than in his lyrical content or flow, which he rarely alters".
Charts
Release history
References
2006 singles
2006 songs
Young Dro songs
Grand Hustle Records singles
Atlantic Records singles
Songs written by Lil' C (record producer)
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