Lloyd speaks on "King of Hearts" and Young Money

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

By 2007, Lloyd was the only thing keeping Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records relevant. At the time, everyone insisted Murder Inc. was still in good standings. They had just signed a multi-year distribution deal with Universal Records and were comeback-minded.

However, the comeback was derailed, as Ashanti's album fell victim to lack of promotion. Ja Rule, the former flagship of the label, found his album shelved, while Lloyd carried the flack. Things were never the same for Murder Inc. and Lloyd expressed his desire to leave the label.

In 2009, Lloyd said he was off the label and Irv Gotti publicly denied this. After sparring in front of the media for a few weeks, Irv Gotti announced Lloyd had been dropped from the label. Only months later, Lloyd performed the hook for Young Money's "Bedrock," leading people to believe he was close to signing with the label. Throughout his career, Lloyd often collaborated with Lil Wayne. At one point, the two had decided to record a full album together. However, none of this happened and Lloyd signed with Zone 4, Inc., the label owned by producer, Polow da Don.

Two years later, Lloyd has released a string of hits and his album was recently released. His first album in three years, Lloyd is trying to rise to the top of the R&B game. On the album, Lloyd featured R. Kelly, whom he admitted growing up idolizing. Lloyd also featured current R&B kings, Chris Brown and Trey Songz, both of which Lloyd measures himself to. Lloyd said he chose to collaborate with these artists to prove he was also one of the more dominant male figures in the R&B game. When they are all on tracks together, Lloyd said people get to see the distinct difference in their respective styles.

Because of his frequent performances and collaborations with Lil Wayne, many assumed Lloyd would eventually sign with Young Money. Lloyd admitted he strongly considered joining the label. While the label is the home of not only Lil Wayne, but also Drake and Nicki Minaj, he ultimately decided to join Polow da Don at Interscope Records. His reason for doing so was because he feels a great singer needs a great producer. Outside of the hit quality, Lloyd also said Interscope Records is always on top of the music scene, regardless of who their biggest artist is, so he needed to be a part of their movement.