When Ja Rule brought out Lloyd for his 2025 HOT 97’s Summer Jam tribute to the late Irv Gotti, it wasn’t just a surprise — it was a full-circle moment. The R&B singer got his solo start under Irv’s Murder Inc. Records in the early 2000s, dropping his breakout single “Southside” with Ashanti in 2004. After the song flooded the scene, the rest was history... a history that they brought to life on stage with the performance.
After the set, Lloyd caught up with REVOLT for a quick chat, where he opened up about what it meant to honor Gotti that night, how being around his “big brothers and sisters” keeps him grounded, and which collaborations, past and future, still stick with him.
Being part of that Irv Gotti tribute with Ja Rule must’ve hit different. What comes to mind when you think about the impact he’s had on your journey?
Oh my God, yeah, so tonight was [really] special for me on a few levels. One, because the song that me and Ja performed tonight, which a lot of people don’t know, was the first freestyle I ever did when I came to New York and I recorded it at Irv’s studio, The Crackhouse. It's called “Get Paid.” It’s a freestyle over one of Snoop Dogg’s beats, and it’s the first time me and Ja ever worked together. So, to be here at HOT 97, performing that song with Ja as a tribute to Irv, who introduced me in the beginning of that song for the first time to New York, because, you know, he [says] “ATL in this motherf**ker.” He literally introduces me on the song. It was surreal. I had goosebumps, man.
You’ve been in the game for a long time. How do you keep your performances feeling fresh every time?
Because I live a purpose-driven life. This is my dream. This is a passion. This is what brings me joy and peace. So, you know, I don't take it for granted, and moments like where I’m reminded of why I do it, where I started. And being around my big brothers and sisters keeps that humility in you. And then the crowd just turns you up — [they're] gonna make you love it.
You’ve had so many iconic collaborations. Are there any artists you still hope to work with or that you would enjoy working with again?
Well, my dream collab is always Sade. And the collab I would do over again is... I would do Nipsey [Hussle] again because, in real time, sometimes we don't know what we have as far as life, as far as each other, as far as time. You know now that he's gone, and I can never perform with him again. I miss him, so I would love to just live in that moment again.