With the recent passing of Murder Inc mastermind Irv Gotti, and the fact that I coincidentally recapped Ja Rule’s discography just a couple of months prior, it’s only right that I give the Inc’s OTHER leading man a chance to shine.

I’ve said many times that the R&B Class of the Mid-2000s had the worst luck. The Lloyds, the Bobby Vs, Marios, J Holidays, Lyfe Jennings and many more gave us memorable hits and solid albums but got lost in the shuffle when R&B went through its well-documented growing pains in the late 2000s/early 2010s.

Lloyd was one of the lucky ones, though, surviving personal and professional storms to deliver successful singles on nearly every project. And while revisiting all his LPs for this post, you can really see his growth over the years.

Let’s look back at that growth today, revisiting and ranking all the LPs (minus mixtapes and EPs) of a kid who truly became a man before our eyes.

5. Lessons in Love (2008)

Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Edd said: Lessons in Love was Lloyd’s last hurrah with Murder Inc., his final project before moving on a couple of years later. By this time, he’s much more confident in his sound, producing a more lively and uptempo project than those that preceded it. It’s a … fine record, but surprisingly forgettable. Seriously, I couldn’t remember any of the singles on this project, and most of the album cuts suffer a similar fate. It’s technically a solid release there’s nothing here that will stick to your ribs.

Forgotten favorites: “Party All Over Your Body,” “Sex Education,” “Have My Baby”

4. King of Hearts (2011)

Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Edd said: In 2011, Lloyd finally stepped outside of Irv Gotti’s looming shadow in search of greener pastures. That journey united him with another strong mentor – Polow da Don, who was at the peak of his production prowess in 2011. With that in mind, on the surface King of Hearts seems like it would be a surefire winner. The production, obviously, is A+, as are the guest stars – Andre 3000, Chris Brown, Jeezy, R. Kelly, Lil Wayne 2 Chainz and more. But that also serves to be a weakness, as Lloyd gets lost among the big stars and overwhelming production. Some of the writing can be suspect too, with “Dedication to My Ex” being full of secondhand cringe. But the song that best encapsulates the good and bad of King of Hearts is “Lay It Down” – a near-perfect radio track that it absolutely wrecked by YODELING LLOYD at the end. There are some good strides made here, and some backward steps too.

Forgotten favorites: “Be the One,” “This is 4 My Baby,” “World Cry”

3. Southside (2004)

Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Edd said: Y’all ready for some THUG LUV!? Lloyd’s debut album feels a little weird in retrospect. The man who would be known for sweet midtempos spent half his debut talkin tough and bustin’ guns or whatever. As a great philosopher would have said, we like Lloyd with the melodies, I don’t like Lloyd when he’s talkin’ tough. Chalk those growing pains up to the Murder Inc influence – besides that, Southside is a promising debut that really shines when Lloyd does his loverman thing on more laid back production. It’s a mixed bag but there’s a lot of promise.

Forgotten favorites: “Feelin You,” “Cadillac Love,” “Feels so Right”

2. Street Love (2007)

Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5

Edd said: When you think of Lloyd, you probably think of this album. His debut was a solid introduction but Street Love is where Lloyd found his voice, becoming his signature project. Sure, it’s home to his most successful singles, including his first No. 1, but there’s more here than “Get it Shawty” and “You.” The mellow production pair perfectly with his tone – he’s not in competition with the beat like so many of the King of Hearts songs. Plus, there’s a lot of sincerity in his lyrics, something that would really shine in later projects. Street Love was great sign of things to come for his career.

And by the way, it’s “SHE’S FINE TOO,” not “she’s 5’2!” Y’all have been annoying me for years with that!

Forgotten favorites: “Valentine,” “Player’s Prayer,” “One for Me”

1. Tru (2018)

Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read our review here

Edd said: Consider this Lloyd’s redemption story. Tru, his fifth LP and his first following a seven-year layoff, is the singer’s most revealing and vulnerable album to date. Tru is a deep dive into Lloyd the lover and Lloyd the man, specifically providing heartfelt reflections on fatherhood and his deceased sister. It might not always be as fun as Street Love, but it’s easily his most personal and powerful. Lloyd truly finds himself as an artist when he strips away the facade of the music industry – which I guess explains that album cover. This is what growth looks like.

Forgotten favorites: “Caramel,” “Excited,” “Holding”

Are you Tru or more about that Street Love? Share your Lloyd faves below.