Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Decatur, Georgia, he began his musical career as a member of the preteen-boy band N-Toon, which was formed by Joyce Irby in 1996.

His second album, Street Love (2007) debuted at number two on the chart and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 singles "You" (featuring Lil Wayne) and "Get It Shawty".

His guest appearance on Young Money's 2009 single, "BedRock" conversely yielded his furthest commercial success, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

[5] His fourth album, King of Hearts (2011) peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the moderately-performing singles "Lay It Down" and "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)" (featuring André 3000 and Lil Wayne)—the latter saw further success internationally.

Following a five-year hiatus, he independently released his 2016 single "Tru", which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In March 2019, Polite joined a lineup of prominent early-2000s contemporary R&B artists for The Millennium Tour, which quickly became one of that year's most popular shows.

Outside of music, Polite first acted in the 2005 UPN television series One on One, in which he starred as the love interest of main cast member Spirit—played by Sicily.

[8] In 2003, Polite was discovered and signed to Irv Gotti's The Inc. as a solo artist and released his debut album, Southside, on July 20, 2004.

The second and final single, "Hey Young Girl" was released in August 2004 and peaked at number 61 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The singer reentered the recording studios to begin work with producers Bryan-Michael Cox, James Lackey, Jazze Pha, Big Reese and Jasper Cameron and The Inc.'s 7 Aurelius.

"The title concept derives from a schoolboy fantasy of mine, where I become a professor of a classroom full of gorgeous girls, and I feel the best thing I can give them that's really worth having is lessons in love!"

[14][15] A song titled "Pusha", produced by The Runners written by Polite, Raymond "Ray-Ray" Gordon, Sean "Slim" McMillion, and The Monarch and featuring Juelz Santana was leaked online.

In January 2013 Polite released a song called "Twerk Off" featuring rapper Juicy J and was produced by Drumma Boy.

[28] On March 14, 2016, it was announced and revealed that Lloyd had earned his GED certificate, encouraging his fans to do the same if they had not finished high school.

[29] In an August 2016 interview with Sway Calloway, Polite explains his hiatus through the lyrics of his song "Tru", expressing how he lost an unborn child to an abortion and that it "left a big hole", while also detailing other family issues.