With the exception of the occasional feature, former Murder Inc. and Cash Money starchild Lloyd has spent some time away from the game. While he may not have been visible to the public, the ATL crooner was working behind the scenes, learning to play the guitar and strengthening his family ties. This was all to ensure that his return to the spotlight would live up to fans’ expectations.

His latest single “TRU” is a retreat from the uptempo, pop-friendly sound people are used to hearing from Lloyd, and according to him, it’s his most honest and most personal record yet.

“’TRU’ is about being a fighter. It’s about speaking truthfully and honestly on your life and not shying away from your imperfections,” Lloyd told BET. “It’s really about embracing the idea that there’s never a failure there is only lessons to be learned and character to be built. I wanted to shed light on that and I wanted to go towards that light and not run away from it. I got with Justice League, who produced the track and I wrote it with my good friend Shakespeare and it’s basically me bleeding my heart out to the music.”

Like the song itself, the visuals for “TRU,” which is being released independently by Empire, find the singer going back to basics and exuding a rawness unparalleled in the “Get It Shawty” singer’s career to this point.

“With the song and the content of the music, I wanted the content of the visual to match the authenticity. I didn’t want a bunch of LED lights. I didn’t want a bunch of special effects. I didn’t even want it to be digital. I wanted to shoot it on real film,” Lloyd revealed. “I got my good friend Payne Lindsey I’ve known since we were teenagers. We got real film, we shot it in select locations in Atlanta, we filmed some stuff with me and my niece on old school 8mm film. And just like in my life, nothing came as easy as I thought it would but in the end it was worth it.”

Peep the exclusive premiere of Lloyd’s “TRU” below: