The lovin's comin'

Come Friday night, Lloyd, one of the hip-hop world's hot young things, will hit the capital for a live appearance — not just a club set, mind — and if there's one song that's going to get us there, toes tapping, it's Dedication To My Ex (Miss That). Thanks to its refrain of "no, no, where did my lovin' go" (and Andre 3000 as a rapping cat), the young New-Orleans-born star finally took over the airwaves outside his home country of the US.

"This is the most international success that I've had on any of my albums," said Lloyd over email from the US of the overseas sales of his latest, King Of Hearts.

"I wouldn't say that my life has changed, but I've been busy, which is a good sign. It's always good to have success and share the stage with some big names like Diddy, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ro$$ who I toured with last year. I look forward to some international tours this year."

He chatted about finding success, the integrity of hip-hop, and that ex...

Is this your first time in the Middle East?

No, this will be my third time in the UAE and second time in Abu Dhabi. Last time I was only here for a few hours, so this time I'm looking forward to spending more time and checking out the city.

What can the audience expect from your performance — is it a club appearance or will you be singing live?

I'll be performing live. They can expect an energetic show with some of their old favourites and some of my new music. Hopefully I can stick around after the show and meet some of my UAE fans.

You've had success with your past albums but since featuring on Lil Wayne's Bedrock you went really global. Do you think direct support from an established artist is the only way that talented young artists can find success today?

The support from an established artist can help, but it's more about what you bring to the table as an artist yourself. A lot of new artists have established themselves by having hit records without any features — Wiz Khalifa, Bruno Mars.

Is the music industry tuned in to accepting young artists who don't come from reality TV shows or YouTube? Do you think hip-hop has more integrity in this sense because most artists don't come through shows like American Idol?

The game is always changing. Radio changed the game, then music videos, then the internet, now reality TV. There are more avenues to make it than ever before. Hip-hop has integrity because a lot of times the people — the fans — choose the artist based on the buzz that the artist creates for themselves. Not something forced by a label or by radio/TV. You can't argue with what the people want.

With artists like Lil Wayne having their own record labels, does this help support young artists?

Definitely. I think all labels try to tap into the youth. There's a movement of young artists going pretty strong right now with Lil Twist, OMG Girlz, Mindless Behavior.

You left record label The Inc in 2009 saying you wanted to "grow in general". Have you grown, and in what way?

Yea, I've grown is a number of ways. I think creatively I grew with the music on this album. It's more broad and global. I'm always growing and learning as a person.

The label change was just something that needed to happen to get a fresh start.

Are your songs written from your own experiences? If so — who is the girl in Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)?

For the most part my songs are inspired from my own experiences, but not necessarily from one in particular. Three past experiences might inspire one song, so the girl is really a combination of different girls.

I haven't experienced everything, so some songs are based on experiences from friends or family.

What's next for you? You've done a lot of collaborations — who would you like to work with next?

I'd love to work with Kanye West. Either as a producer or artist. I'll be starting on the new album this summer, so you never know.

Tell us about an artist on your iPod that we might be surprised to hear on there?

There's a Danish artist name Medina that I was recently introduced to. I went to Denmark a couple weeks ago to perform on The Voice and while I was there I had the chance to do a record with her. She's real dope.

Don't miss it
Lloyd (with DJ Emtee) performs at Etoiles, Emirates Palace, on Friday. Door policy applies. Call 02-6908960.