Jasper. I got my immediate crew. Without all of us, really nothing transpires. I feel good about that because we’re at a place where we control the tempo, and we determine what is trendsetting. We’re not relying on no one else’s opinion. And I think every artist wants to get to that point. It would help to have everyone’s involvement be a little bit more, but hey, it is what it is. You just gotta embrace what you got. When I first came in, I was really unpolished. I had other people writing some of my songs, I had other people producing my records, and I was pretty much taking direction. Now I know the direction; I produce my shit, I write my shit, I’m doing my thing. What tracks did you write on Lessons in Love? Just to name one, I wrote the single, “Girls Around the World.” I wrote and produced the track. I’ve been producing quietly for some time. My homie Matty P used to let me push buttons on his machine, but it wasn’t until we started making the album that I finally gained the courage to go in there and ask for permission to just try something. I didn’t wanna waste nobody’s time, but I thought I had something that would be dope and it came out nice. Why’d it take you so long to finally get on the board and start producing? I didn’t want to intimidate anybody. Sometimes it’s intimidating to people who have done their thing in the past for someone new to come along. It’s just like with Barack Obama. Why should any respectable black leader before him speak down on him, and not support him, and not be in his corner? When he first started running a lot of the old black leaders were supporting Hillary, maybe because they felt that he’s a threat to 60 // OZONE MAG
their significance in American history. Maybe he’s just doing some things that they couldn’t do, so they feel threatened. So when you’re dealing with somebody who has been producing for a long time and is used to getting all the credit, and now they have someone younger who can do all of that and more, they might feel like they’re losing significance. But what they should do is embrace that young person and make them better, because that would only make them look better for what they’ve accomplished in the past. How much time do you spend in the studio? I’m always in the studio. I’m totally dedicated to the studio. At this point ain’t nothing outside the studio for me, and if I’m not in the studio I go crazy thinking about the studio. I’m either in the studio or I’m with a girl. Now, you worked with Jasper on Lessons in Love as well, right? Of course. I like working with Jasper, he’s like Luther Vandross meets Cee-Lo. He’s from the A, and he’s influenced by Atlanta music, but he’s also influenced by soul music, so when you mix that together you get Atlanta soul. So if Jasper is Luther meets Cee-Lo, then who are you? I’m like Bobby Brown mixed with Michael Jackson. Damn, that’s a hell of a statement. But I will say that after last year’s OZONE Awards we got a lot of positive feedback about your performance with Wayne. Yeah, Doug E. Fresh came up to me after last year’s show and told me that I put on the best show; that was dope. Performing is part of me.
I mean, who doesn’t want to get on a stage and just rock that shit? I grew up watching movies like House Party, Crush Groove, Purple Rain, Moonwalker; it was inspiring to be able to generate that kind of excitement when you touch the stage. You and Wayne seem to work well together. How do you have such good studio chemistry? We have a lot in common. We both grew up fatherless, we’re both from New Orleans in one the worst hoods in American history, and we both got into music real early. More importantly, we both have a real respect and appreciation for what we’re doing, which is making music and making people move. Anytime you have two people who are in it to be the best, and not just for the bread, it’s bound to be something special. It’s like Kanye said. “I don’t do it for my health, man. I do it for the belt.” What does your family think about your career? My mom always knew I had music, but she always stressed having a Plan B. She was heavy on the school thing, so for her to see [my music] turn into something that’s real, something that is helping to support her now, and is helping my sister get through medical school, it’s just a trip, man. I mean, who expected this to be something real? What do you consider to have been your big break, or has it not come yet? I haven’t had it yet. I think I’ve had a few breakthroughs, but naw, I haven’t had the biggest breakthrough yet. It’s still coming. But the secret to success is always giving people more than they expect, and that’s what I plan to do. // www.myspace.com/lloyd