Plies 'Definition Of Real' album

Big Gates /Slip-N-Slide /Atlantic recording artist Plies gets even more real with the release of his highly anticipated sophomore album, "DEFINITION OF REAL." The collection -- which features the top 2 hit single, "Bust It Baby Part 2 (Feat. Ne-Yo)," and the official street anthem, "Who Hotter Than Me" -- arrives in stores and at all online retailers today, June 10th. The Fort Myers, Florida-based MC will team up with Ne-Yo for a pair of major television appearances, including an appearance today on BET's "106 & Park." Tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, June 11th, will see Plies and Ne-Yo busting out "Bust It Baby Part 2" on MTV's "TRL" as part of its "Spankin' New Music Week" programming.

To celebrate the release of "DEFINITION OF REAL," beginning today, Plies will show his love for his home state with a series of in-store events throughout Florida. Cities on his trip include Fort Myers, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Miami, Ocoee, Jacksonville, and even a stop in College Park, Georgia on Friday. In addition, Plies will host a very special album release party tonight in Tampa. The celebration will be held at the all new Club 360 (1609 E. 7th Avenue) in Ybor City at 9PM.

Plies -- who recently came in at #6 on Forbes' list of "The Year's Hottest New Music Stars" -- kicked off his busy schedule this past weekend in Orlando with a live "MySpace presents The Release" show at a packed-out Voyage Nightclub. Check out MySpace this week, where the rapper will be a featured artist. Plies will next appear at the "Biggest Hip-Hop Concert in the South," HOT 107.9's Birthday Bash 13 at Atlanta's Philips Arena on Saturday, June 14th.

"DEFINITION OF REAL" will be available in a variety of retail exclusive editions. The Best Buy version includes three exclusive tracks (including "Bust It Baby Part 1"), while Target's adds an exclusive 30-minute DVD interview. Fans who purchase the album at Circuit City will receive a "DEFINITION OF REAL" t-shirt (while supplies last). Kmart will offer "DEFINITION OF REAL" with an exclusive Plies voicetone. Finally, iTunes' "Bonus Version" features the companion video clips for "Bust It Baby Part 2" and "Who Hotter Than Me."

"Bust It Baby Part 2," the first single from "DEFINITON OF REAL," has already proven to be another massive hip-hop hit for Plies. The track is currently #2 at both Urban and Rhythmic radio outlets nationwide. What's more, "Bust It Baby Part 2" is turning out to be a mainstream summer sensation, coming in this week at #6 on Billboard's "Hot 100 Airplay" ranking, as well as #14 on the overall "Hot 100."

The "Bust It Baby Part 2" companion video is also a favorite at BET, where it recently hit #1 on the network's "106 & Park." The clip has just premiered on MTV's "Sucker Free," having already been added to MTV2. "Bust It Baby Part 2" has also reached MTV's "TRL" countdown, coming in at #7 last week.

"Bust It Baby Part 2" is also continuing Plies' incredible run of blockbuster ringtones. The single is currently #3 on Nielsen Ringscan's "Top 200 Mastertones" ranking.

The next single from "DEFINITION OF REAL" will be the lustful "Please Excuse My Hands (Feat. Jamie Foxx and The Dream)." In addition, Plies has also unleashed a new video for the album's "I'm Da Man (Feat. Trey Songz)," which is currently streaming at the rapper's new website, www.myspace.com/plies. As if all that weren't enough, also showing on Plies' website is the companion video to the recently released street track, "Who Hotter Than Me."

In conjunction with the release of "DEFINITION OF REAL," Plies is holding a special "Real Things" promotion in which two diamond chains will be awarded to a pair of very lucky fans. The promotion -- which will run for three weeks, beginning on the album's June 10th street date -- allows fans to enter for a chance to win either a diamond "Plies Bust It Baby" chain or a diamond "Goon" chain.

"DEFINITION OF REAL" arrives hot on the heels of the rapper's 2007 RIAA gold debut, "THE REAL TESTAMENT." The album -- featuring the blockbuster hit singles, "Shawty (Feat. T-Pain)" and "Hypnotized (Feat. Akon)" -- entered the Billboard 200 at #2 upon its release last summer and continues to run strong, coming in this week at #14 on Billboard's "Top Rap Albums" ranking. In addition, "THE REAL TESTAMENT" has spawned a series of smash hit ringtones, with at least six tracks from the album hitting Nielsen Ringscan's "Top 200 Mastertones" chart.

Plies has also become an online powerhouse, with his hugely popular www.pliesworld.com, www.youtube.com/pliesworld, and MySpace sites. The rapper is currently top 5 among MySpace's "Top Hip-Hop Artists - Major," as well as top 10 on the overall "Top Artists - Major" charts.

biography
“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 n****s 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 realest 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, Plies grew up in the East Dunbar section of the city. “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 young gits 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 quickly made him an offer.

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 n****s when they was out/And they are my n****s 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,” 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.”

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Plies - Definition Of Real