Plies (rapper)
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Plies | |
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Background information | |
Born | July 1, 1976 |
Origin | Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
Genre(s) | Southern rap, hip hop, dirty rap |
Occupation(s) | Rapper |
Years active | 2005 - present |
Label(s) | Big Gates Records, Slip-n-Slide Records, Atlantic Records |
Associated acts | T-Pain, Akon, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Lil Wayne, Trina, Flo-Rida, Trey Songz, T.I., DJ Khaled, Ne-Yo |
Website | Pliesworld.com |
Algernod Lanier Washington (born July 1, 1976[citation needed] in Fort Myers, Florida), better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper. His debut album The Real Testament entered the Billboard 200 chart at number two. Plies' debut album has been certified Gold by the RIAA.
Contents |
Biography
Big Gates
Plies grew up on the streets of Fort Myers, FL. He also attended University of South Florida before him and his brother Ronell Lawrence Levatte a.k.a. Big Gates, started Big Gates Records back in 1999. Levatte served as CEO, while Plies initially developed the label's artists.
Plies initially refused to rap, however after a demonstration for one of his artists, Ronell decided to keep Plies' verse on the track "Tell Dem Krackers Dat". Levatte and Plies promoted the single and travelled many times to Miami, which eventually led to a deal for Plies on Slip-N-Slide Records.[1]
After the success of "Tell Dem Krackers Dat", Big Gates Records would go on to release two more Plies mixtapes, including "36 Ounces" and "100% Real Nigga".
The Real Testament
The Real Testament was released on August 7, 2007. His debut single "Shawty" featuring T-Pain topped the Hip Hop charts and became one of the most played songs via radio in the nation.[citation needed] "Shawty" went on to chart at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. He later released his second single, "Hypnotized" featuring Akon. The third single from his debut album was "I Am the Club." The album has been certified gold by the RIAA.
Present
Plies is currently signed with Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic and is working on his second album. He recently announced his second album, Definition of Real, will be released on June 10, 2008. He released a two-part single entitled "Bust It Baby" and "Bust It Baby Pt. 2."
Plies launched a Bust It Baby reality show to find a woman of his dreams. Hundreds of women turned out in Tampa, Florida to audition for the reality show. He is currently in talks to bring the show to television, and three major networks are currently bidding for the rights to air it.[2]
Arrest
Plies and a member of his entourage were arrested on July 3, 2006 for a shooting. His brother Levatte (Big Gates) and a member of his 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. Allegedly, Plies and his entourage opened fire on the crowd, resulting in the injury of five people with non-life threatening wounds.[3] Shortly after, Plies was released after paying $10,000 bail.[4]
Levatte would later go on to accept a plea deal of possession of firearm by convicted felon and 1 count of discharge of a weapon inside an occupied building or dwelling and will serve 3 years for the two offenses.[5]
Discography
Albums
- 2007: The Real Testament
- 2008: Definition of Real
- 2008: Da Realest
References
External links
- Plies at MySpace
- Atlantic Records biography
- Plies Official Website
- Plies at LyricWiki
- All Hip Hop news article on the shooting
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