Lloyd | |
|---|---|
 Polite in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lloyd Polite Jr.[1] |
| Born | (1986-01-03)January 3, 1986 (age 39) New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S.[2] |
| Origin | Decatur, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B[3] |
| Occupations |
|
| Discography | Lloyd discography |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | N-Toon |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | officiallloyd |
Lloyd Polite Jr. (born January 3, 1986)[4] is an AmericanR&B singer. Born inNew Orleans,Louisiana, and raised inDecatur, Georgia, he began his musical career as a member of thepreteen-boy bandN-Toon, which was formed byJoyce Irby in 1996. The group disbanded in 2001, and Polite signed with record executiveIrv Gotti'sMurder Inc. Records, an imprint ofDef Jam Recordings in 2003 to pursue a solo career. His 2004 debut single, "Southside" (featuringAshanti) peaked within thetop 40 of theBillboard Hot 100 and led his first albumSouthside (2004), which entered theBillboard 200 at number 11. His second album,Street Love (2007) debuted at number two on the chart and was supported by theBillboard Hot 100-top 20 singles "You" (featuringLil Wayne) and "Get It Shawty".
His third album,Lessons in Love (2008) peaked at number seven onBillboard 200, although its singles were less commercially successful. His guest appearance onYoung Money's 2009 single, "BedRock" conversely yielded his furthest commercial success, peaking at number two on theBillboard Hot 100. After his departure from Murder Inc., he signed with Atlanta-based producerPolow da Don's record labelZone 4, an imprint ofInterscope Records in March 2010.[5] His fourth album,King of Hearts (2011) peaked at number ten on theBillboard 200 and was supported by the moderately-performing singles "Lay It Down" and "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)" (featuringAndré 3000 and Lil Wayne)—the latter saw further success internationally. Following a five-year hiatus, he independently released his 2016 single "Tru", which receivedplatinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It preceded the release of his fifth albumTru (2016)—his first independent album.
In March 2019, Polite joined a lineup of prominent early-2000scontemporary R&B artists for The Millennium Tour, which quickly became one of that year's most popular shows. Outside of music, Polite first acted in the 2005UPN television seriesOne on One, in which he starred as the love interest of main cast member Spirit—played bySicily. He made his film debut as Gregory Williams—founding member ofSwitch—inTV One's original biopic,The Bobby Debarge Story.
Lloyd Polite Jr. was born on January 3, 1986, inNew Orleans,Louisiana, to Lloyd Polite Sr. and Robin Lewis Polite. He grew up in theCalliope Projects inCentral City, New Orleans[6][7] and then moved toDecatur, Georgia. In Decatur, Polite found his desire to sing and later relocated to New York City where he metIrv Gotti.[8]
In 2003, Polite was discovered and signed toIrv Gotti'sThe Inc. as a solo artist and released his debut album,Southside, on July 20, 2004. It debuted at number 11 on the USBillboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The album's lead single, "Southside", featuring R&B singerAshanti, managed to peak at number 24 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The second and final single, "Hey Young Girl" was released in August 2004 and peaked at number 61 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Later that year he featured on8Ball & MJG's "Forever" and Tango Redd's "Let's Cheat". In 2004, Polite was featured on label-mateJa Rule's "Caught Up"; the song saw minor success in the United States, reaching number 65 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. However, on theUK Singles Chart the song peaked at number 20.
The singer reentered the recording studios to begin work with producersBryan-Michael Cox, James Lackey,Jazze Pha,Big Reese and Jasper Cameron and The Inc.'s7 Aurelius. Released on March 13, 2007,Street Love debuted at number two on the USBillboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums charts, with sales of 145,000 copies emerging as Lloyd's highest debut and biggest first week.[9] It eventually received agold certification, and has sold over half a million copies domestically.[10] The album's lead single, Jasper Cameron-penned "You", featured rapperLil Wayne, was a big commercial success, becoming his first top ten single on the Hot 100. In addition, it reached the top position on theBillboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single reached number 45 in theUnited Kingdom and number 25 inNew Zealand. The second single "Get It Shawty" reached number 16 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It also reached number 37 in the United Kingdom. The third and final single, "Player's Prayer", was released and peaked at number 74 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was not promoted and didn't receive a music video. Later in 2007, he was featured onHuey's "When I Hustle" andDem Franchize Boyz's "Turn Heads", both songs saw minor success in the United States, reaching number 80 and 75 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Lessons in Love was released on August 4, 2008. "The title concept derives from a schoolboy fantasy of mine, where I become a professor of a classroom full of gorgeous girls, and I feel the best thing I can give them that's really worth having is lessons in love!" he said about the issues worked into the tracks.[11] The album debuted at number seven on theBillboard 200 and number one on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, with moderately successful first-week sales 51,000 — about half as many as his previous effort, number two albumStreet Love.[12][13] "How We Do It (Around My Way)", featured rapperLudacris, was released as the first single, peaking at number 77 on the USBillboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 75 on theUK charts. Due to the low success of the song, it only appeared on select versions of the album as a bonus track. The second single, "Girls Around the World", featuredLil Wayne and was a moderate hit. It peaked at number 64 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The third and final single was "Year of the Lover". The single version featured rapperPlies. It only peaked at number one on theBillboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles.
In June 2009, it was announced that Polite would depart fromThe Inc. Records. Lloyd stated that he was "focusing on just growing in general".[14][15] A song titled "Pusha", produced byThe Runners written by Polite, Raymond "Ray-Ray" Gordon,Sean "Slim"McMillion, and The Monarch and featuringJuelz Santana was leaked online.[16] Juelz Santana was later replaced on the song byLil Wayne but later both verses were put together and was released as the lead single from hisEP,Like Me: The Young Goldie EP.[17] Polite also collaborated with Lil Wayne on the song "BedRock" which is the second single from Lil Wayne's record labelYoung Moneycompilation album. On March 13 it was confirmed that Lloyd signed toInterscope Records.[18]
In May 2010, Polite teamed up with fellow New Orleans nativeMystikal and recorded "Set Me Free". The video was shot primarily in theCalliope Projects of New Orleans. The song featured heavy brass sounds and a sample of "Unchain My Heart" byRay Charles.[19] On July 25, 2010, Lloyd announced viaTwitter that his new album will be entitledKing of Hearts. It was released on July 5, 2011, and on August 16, 2010, Polite released the first single entitled "Lay It Down". The second single was "Cupid" and the third single released was "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)"; to date the single is Lloyd's biggest international hit peaking at number three on the Australian and UK charts. The song featuresAndré 3000 ofOutKast and is narrated byLil Wayne.
On October 29, 2012, Polite released his first mixtapeThe Playboy Diaries Vol. 1.[20][21] It featuresLil Wayne,August Alsina,Trae Tha Truth among others. In January 2013 Polite released a song called "Twerk Off" featuring rapperJuicy J and was produced byDrumma Boy.
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On May 6, 2016, he released his first single in five years titled "Tru", with the audio for the song released on YouTube 12 days later.[22] On June 23, 2016, during an interview, Polite revealed that he had signed a new distribution deal withEmpire.[23] Lloyd announced the release of his fifth studio album titledOut My Window on October 25, 2016.[24] On November 7 Polite announced via his Instagram that he would be releasing a new EP before his album on December 9, 2016, titledTru.
On July 9, 2018, Polite released "Caramel" as the first single from his albumTru. The album was released on August 31, 2018.[25]
On September 3, 2010, Polite cut off his signature long hair and donated it to charity.[26][27] On July 6, 2011, Lloyd revealed a new tattoo of "Guns & Roses" that was tattooed on the back of his head.[28] On March 14, 2016, it was announced and revealed that Lloyd had earned hisGED certificate, encouraging his fans to do the same if they had not finished high school.[29] In an August 2016 interview withSway Calloway, Polite explains his hiatus through the lyrics of his song "Tru", expressing how he lost an unborn child to an abortion and that it "left a big hole", while also detailing other family issues. In September 2017, Polite's girlfriend gave birth to their son River. The two welcomed their daughter in late 2018.[30][31]
Studio albums
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