Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 12:28, 28 December 2009

Algernod Lanier Washington (born July 1, 1976), better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper and founder of Big Gates Records. After dropping out of college, he founded Big Gates Records with his brother. Signed to Slip-n-Slide Records, from 2007 to 2008 he released three albums. Plies debuted in 2007 with The Real Testament with the chart-topping singles "Shawty" and "Hypnotized". Plies also recorded two bestselling albums in 2008, Definition of Real and Da REAList and plans another album in 2009.

Biography

Early life and career

Plies was born Algernod Lanier Washington on July 1, 1976, in Fort Myers, Florida and grew up in East Dunbar, Florida. While at Fort Myers Senior High School, he played in the football team, was crowned Homecoming King, and was named the "Best Dressed" student of his class. He attended Miami University for a year and played in its basketball team, then transferred to the University of Central Florida for sophomore year and dropped out. In the late 1990s, Plies and his brother Ronnell Lawrence Lavatte, also known as Big Gates, established an independent record label, Big Gates Records. Although Plies initially refused to rap, after a demonstration for one of his artists, Big Gates decided to keep Plies' verse on the track "Tell Dem Krackers Dat". Big Gates and Plies promoted the single and traveled many times to Miami, which eventually led to a deal for Plies on Slip-n-Slide Records. Plies's girlfriend Brandy Lacole Lyons gave birth to a son, Nijier Lanier Washington, at the University Community Hospital in Tampa, Florida on October 20, 2003. After signing to Slip-n-Slide in 2004, Plies released several mixtapes.

On July 2, 2006, after a shooting at a Gainesville, Florida nightclub, Plies was charged with illegal possession of a concealed weapon, and members of his entourage charged with attempted murder. The shooting, in which 5 people were injured, started after Plies' microphone was cut off for Lil' Boosie to perform, after Plies' performance ran over time. According to the promoter Jonathan Smith, Plies became "enraged". A fight began with fists and shouting, and ended with at least six rounds of bullets being fired.

The Real Testament

The Real Testament was released in August 2007. His debut single "Shawty" featuring T-Pain topped the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart and peaked at number nine on the Hot 100. "Hypnotized", the second single, featured Akon, and peaked at number three on the Rap chart and 14 on the Hot 100. The third single was "I Am the Club". On February 29, 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album Gold for having sold over 500,000 units; five days later the RIAA did the same for singles "Shawty" and "Hypnotized". Plies made a guest performance on Fat Joe's single "Ain't Sayin' Nuthin" from The Elephant in the Room in early 2008.

Definition of Real

Definition of Real, his second album, was released in June 2008, 10 months after releasing his first album. The lead single was "Bust It Baby Pt. 2" featuring Ne-Yo, which peaked at number two on both the Hot Rap Tracks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts and number seven on the Hot 100. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling over 214,000 copies its first week. The next single was "Please Excuse My Hands", featuring Jamie Foxx and The-Dream. RIAA certified Gold "Bust It Baby" on September 17 and Definition of Real October 14.

Da REAList

Plies released his third album, Da REAList, in December 2008, six months after the release of his second album. The first official single off this album is "Put It on Ya", featuring Chris J. The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and has sold over 114,000 copies. The second single is "Want It, Need It", featuring Ashanti. He did a guest performance on Ludacris's single "Nasty Girl" from Ludacris's album Theater of the Mind.

Goon Affiliated

In an interview with Plies and according to Slip-n-Slide Records, the rapper announced that he completed a fourth album. Tentatively, he planned to release it in February 16, 2009, but stated that the exact date depended on the success of his third album.

Lyricism and public persona

David Jeffries of allmusic described Plies's debut album The Real Testament as tracks covering both gang life and love. Similarly, Jeffries described the lyrical content of Da REAList as having "a spectrum that runs from irresponsible gun talk to irresponsible sex talk". A profile of Plies in the December 2008 issue of Vibe magazine observed that Plies constantly referred to himself as "real" in his music and album titles. However, it pointed out that the word "has virtually synonymous with 'criminal' and, in some cases, almost superseded the idea of being able to actually rap". In July 2008, hip hop website HipHopDX published an investigative report suggesting that Plies exaggerated his criminal background.

Discography

• The Real Testament (2007)
• Definition of Real (2008)
• Da REAList (2008)
• Goon Affiliated (2010)

Awards and nominations

• BET Hip-Hop Awards
  • 2008: Ringtone of the Year ("Bust It Baby Pt 2") with Ne-Yo (Nominated)
  • 2008: People's Champ Award ("Bust It Baby Pt 2") with Ne-Yo (Nominated)
  • 2008: Best Collaboration ("Bust It Baby Pt 2") with Ne-Yo (Nominated)

• Ozone Awards
  • 2007, Best Rap/R&B Collaboration, "Shawty" with T-Pain
  • 2008: Best Rap Album, The Real Testament (Nominated)
  • 2008: Best Rap/R&B Collaboration, "Bust It Baby Pt. 2" with Ne-Yo (Nominated)
  • 2008: Club Banger of the Year, "I'm So Hood" with DJ Khaled, Trick Daddy, T-Pain and Rick Ross (Nominated)

References

1. ^ "Plies Biography". ArtistDirect. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
2. ^ Meadows-Ingram, Benjamin (December 2008), "Guns And Roses", Vibe, vol. 16, no. 12, pp. 93–99
3. "Suncoast Births". St. Petersburg Times. 2003-12-03. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
4. Kellman, Andy (2007). "Plies - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
5. Pakkala, Tiffany (2006-07-03). "5 shot in downtown club during rap show". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
6. ^ Plies > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles. allmusic. accessed November 20, 2008.
7. ^ RIAA database search for artist "Plies". Accessed November 20, 2008
8. Hasty, Katie (2008-06-18). "Lil Wayne Crushes the Competition to Debut at No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
9. Reid, Shaheem (2008-08-05). "Plies Lines Up Star-Studded Follow-Up Singles Featuring Jamie Foxx, Keyshia Cole". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
10. Reid, Shaheem (2008-09-19). "Plies Readies His Second LP Of 2008; Rick Ross Works On Mixtape, Two New Albums, In Mixtape Monday". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
11. "Plies Interview". DJ Booth. 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
12. "Plies". Slip-N-Slide Records. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
13. Jeffries, David (August 7, 2007). "The Real Testament: Review". allmusic. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
14. Jeffries, David (December 16, 2008). "Da Realist: Review". allmusic. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
15. Arnold, Paul W. (July 28, 2008). "DX-clusive: Plies Lied About Criminal Past?". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
16. Ringtone of the Year; Best CollaborationPeople's Champ Award. BET Hip Hop Awards 2008. Accessed November 20, 2008.
17. Hale, Andreas (2007-08-14). "2007 Ozone Award Winners". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
18. "Ozone Magazine Announces Host and List of Nominees for the 3rd Annual Ozone Awards" (Press release). Hip Hop Press. 2008-07-16.

External links

• Official Website
• Template:MySpace

• African American rappers
• Atlantic Records artists
• People from Fort Myers, Florida
• Rappers from Florida
• University of Central Florida alumni
• Miami RedHawks men's basketball players
• 1976 births
• Living people