PLIES

Song: Plenty Money

Since his debut, the Ft. Myers, Florida native Plies has racked up two #1 Billboard singles (2007's RIAA platinum "Shawty" and this year's RIAA gold "Bust It Baby Part 2"), as well as top 5 (2007's RIAA gold "Hypnotized") and top 10 ("Please Excuse My Hands") hits. Even more impressive were the first-week sales numbers of Definition of Real: in just seven short days, Plies pushed over 214,000 copies of his second album, making his first-week numbers the highest in the history of his label, Slip-N-Slide Records.

Plies is set to build upon his current success with Da REAList, and if the album's first single, "Put It On Ya," is any indication, the Southern rapper is poised to pick up right where he left off. Featuring the silky R&B vocals of newcomer Chris J. (the first artist signed to Plies' Big Gates record label), "Put it On Ya" once again places Plies at the top of the pop charts and in the hearts of his female fan base, thanks to his flirtatious lyrics and infectious melodies.

When it comes to supplying the streets and female listeners, there is no one better than Plies. While "Put It On Ya", the first single from Da REAList is burning up Top 40 radio, Plies' "Heard of Me" has become an underground favorite. On the hard-as-nails track, the rapper takes shots at the industry for overlooking his many accomplishments, rapping, "May never see me on the cover of a magazine/'Cause I ain't willin' to kiss ass to be seen," in his distinct Southern drawl. "It's a record some people may call rebellious, but it defines my current state and how I feel about my position from a music aspect," says Plies. "It's one of my most favorites that I ever done." The slow-thumping "All Black" is sure to be another street anthem; the murderous track finds Plies exploring the mind of a killer who dons an all-black outfit to conceal his identity.

When you combine Plies' pop-appeal with his unwavering street credibility and then add his socio-political stance, you get the realest artist in rap. "Any project that I put out will definitely have real incorporated into the title in some shape, form, or fashion," he says. Da REAList is no different. "It's not like I woke up one morning and said let me name my album Da REAList. I think that was a title that was given to me from the streets."

Keeping in tradition, on his third album Plies is not utilizing a single rap feature, choosing to give his fans an uncompromised look. "I just personally feel like I've always been a dude that can stand on my own," he says. "To accomplish what I've accomplished, in a climate that has been the worst climate in hip-hop's history, and to not feel like I had to lean on another proven individual and get that stamp of approval, it reflects who I am as a person."

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