Plies (rapper)
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Plies (born Algernod Lanier Washington on July 1,1976) is an American rapper from Fort Myers, Florida. Plies graduated from Fort Myers High School in 1994 and began pursuing his rap career soon after.[1] He signed to Slip-N-Slide Records, but chose to stay with Atlantic rather than move over to Def Jam.
His first single, "Got 'Em Hatin'" was a street and club banger. His debut album, The Real Testament, was released on August 7, 2007.
Plies was the creator of the song "I Wanna Love You" (also called "I Wanna Fuck You"), which is a hit song for rappers Akon and Snoop Dogg. "I Wanna Love You" achieved unexpected sudden success, reaching the 17th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 without a promotional video or physical CD release, and then topping the chart for two consecutive weeks.
Arrest and "I Wanna Love You"
Plies was arrested on July 2, 2006 for illegal gun possession while two members of his entourage were charged with attempted murder after a shooting broke out at 238 West Nightclub in Gainesville, Florida. Plies was performing a concert when he was informed that his show would be cut 15 minutes short in order to give time for Lil' Boosie to perform right after. In response, Plies' entourage opened fire on the crowd, resulting in the injury of 5 people with non-life threatening wounds. Shortly after, Plies was released after paying $10,000 bail.[2]
He could continue to promote "I Wanna Love You," but it was feared that the incident would give the single bad publicity, and since a version with Snoop Dogg was already circulating unofficially in the mixtape scene, that was chosen instead. Akon and Snoop Dogg's management also agreed to participate on each other's forthcoming album.
Presale of The Real Testament
Plies is offering a free poster for everyone who pre-orders The Real Testament. The first 100 pre-sales will receive an autographed poster. In a recent video on pliesworld.com, Plies announces that he will personally call everyone who pre-orders his album, not a message, but him personally.
Bio
"I'm not tryin' to impress anyone on how hard my struggle was, or how messed up the conditions were where I came from," says Plies. "I feel like most of the people in my situation come from the same type of background, the same type of environment."
Hailed as "one of the realest niggas you will ever know," the Ft. Myers-based rapper has already established a phenomenal underground and street presence on the strength of his infamous mixtapes and live show. Plies is a real life block hugger who happened to learn how to tell his story in rhyme. This is why the streets love him. And he reveals his revelations of earning stripes with the summer '07 release of his Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic debut, "THE REAL TESTAMENT."
Born in Ft. Myers, Florida, a city famous for its year-round warm weather, pristine sandy beaches, and inviting tourism, Plies was raised on the not-so-sunny side of town. "It's a small town, but it's a town that reflects so much to me. You've got two separate sides – you've got the serious side, then you've got the gutter side. I called it Pakistan because kids 11, 12 years old were running around with choppers and shit." Despite coming of age in the Michigan Court Projects, Plies says he wouldn't change it for the world. "The only thing adversity does is reintroduce you to yourself."
Plies first became involved in music because of his brother. "He started pursuing music, and I saw his vision," explains Plies. "It wasn't a dream of mine. It kind of happened accidentally. But at the same time, I'm a believer that nothing happens on accident."
Accidental or not, Plies and his brother, Big Gates, started Big Gates Records in the late ‘90s. The small label had three artists and dropped a handful of independent albums, but not from Plies. In fact, the now rapper refused to touch the mic in the beginning. It wasn't until he became frustrated trying to teach one of his artists a particular hook that Plies grabbed the mic. "He never could get the hook down, so the next day I let my brother hear the hook, and he told me to stay on there," recalls Plies. The song, "Tell Dem Krackers Dat," spread quickly through South Florida and fell into the lap of Miami-based powerhouse Slip-N-Slide. Impressed by Plies' movement, the nationally distributed label made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
Plies describes his major label debut, "THE REAL TESTAMENT," as "the most anticipated situation in the streets right now." And rightfully so. On the album's Nitti-produced buzztrack, "Got 'Em Hatin'," the Ft. Myers bad boy explains exactly why underachievers are jealous of his 26-inch rims, blue diamonds, and stacks on deck. Over an up-tempo beat of menacing synths, heavy bass drops, and sparse snares, Plies boasts: "Some wanna see me broke/Some wanna see me in the Feds/The haters hate you when you're living/Love you when you dead/He just a mad rapper/He ain't blew yet/The streets don't feel him/I ain't have to go through that."
But Plies is about more than just moneymaking and bussing heads. On the breezy, mid-tempo "Shawty," Plies and fellow Florida boy T-Pain serenade their ghetto queens like only a true thug can: "Soon as I seen her, told her I'd pay for it/'Lil mama the baddest thing around and she already know it."
"I ain't got real problems," says Plies. "I've got the problems that come with being successful, but I ain't got real problems. There's some dude in the world that just got a life sentence today. That's a real problem. I make reality music. I don't make music that's out of touch. There's so much in the world that I can talk about that'll help people through their struggles." It's this key philosophy that differentiates Plies from other rappers.
In addition to "THE REAL TESTAMENT," Plies wrote the somber, slow-moving song "Bid Long" (not featured on the album) to specifically address those locked up in the prison system. Atop simple bass and snare and high-pitched piano chimes, he harks about how people tend to turn their backs when you have a 40-year prison sentence: "Nobody loves you when you got nothing to give/But when you got it, they love you when you're out here/They was my friends when they was out/And they are my friends now/Right now, they need me the most so I got to help them out."
"I like to win in life, but to me, every dude who's in the prison system has lost it," explains Plies. "To me, that's not impressive." Plies has plans to embark on a nationwide prison tour, in hopes of reaching out to those currently locked up who come from the streets.
"I'm always coming up with reality situations in my music," says Plies. "I never run out of shit to talk about. As long as I'm in these streets, I'll always have something to talk about."
Discography
Albums
| Album Photo | Information |
|---|---|
| File:TheRealTestament.JPG | The Real Testament
|
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Shawty" (featuring T-Pain) | 12 | 5 | 2 | The Real Testament |
| 2007 | "Hypnotized" (featuring Akon) | TBR | TBR | TBR | The Real Testament |
Featured Singles
| Year | Song | U.S Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "I'm So Hood" DJ Khaled (featuring T-Pain, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, & Plies) | TBR | TBR | TBR | We The Best |