I used to be a strong advocate for Trey Songz being the undisputed king of the sensual rap hook. Don’t get me wrong, Songz has proven himself to be above and beyond any young boss trying to claim the top spot. I dunno, maybe it’s the untimely passing of a certain other R&B/Pop sensation that has me super stoked for Lloyd.

Where Trey Songz offers some of the most offensive and appealing hooks to rap tracks, Lloyd offers a genuine, good-hearted melody to tracks that might otherwise be unmemorable or confusing. His Jackson 5 type voice, and heart-felt lyrics make otherwise entirely misogynistic tracks seem as if they were written for the ladies. What Lloyd, as well as many other R&B artists, does is elaborate on a mood already determined by the beat of a particular track.

Take a down-tempo track like ‘Ghetto Queen’ by Jody Breeze. By itself, the beat evokes sensuality and intimacy; and though Breeze’s voice is tailored to match this particular beat, there’s a hood element that confuses the mood. In comes Lloyd to put the track back on… track. The childish high points of Lloyds vocals create an ambiguity that acts as a perfect contrast between the male-dominant ‘hood’ elements of the verses, and the sensuous beat that is surely intended to appeal to a female audience. Repeat this a number of times, and you have a number of different reasons to love Lloyd.

These, however, are only a few reasons to appreciate Lloyd. Fact is, the man has a number of his own tracks that shine without the help of his hip-hop peers, dating back as far as 2004. Some may consider Lloyd a ‘new-jack’, but the fact is at 23 years old Lloyd has accomplished a lot. Don’t take my word for it though. Check out these tracks below, and join me in looking forward to Lloyd’s Fourth release (and sequel to 2008’s Lessons In Love) Lessons In Love 2.0.

Lloyd – Pusha (Ft. Pusha T from Clipse)
[Via: Fader]
Young Money (Ft. Lloyd) – Bed Rock
Lloyd – Do The Damn Thing
I’m wit It