Algernod Lanier Washington
(born July 1, 1976), better known by his stage name Plies
, is an American rapper signed to Slip-n-Slide Records. He 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.
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PLIES TICKETS
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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.
[1] 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.
[2] In the late 1990s, Plies and his brother 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.
[3] 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.
[4]
On July 2, 2006, a shooting at a
Gainesville, Florida nightclub saw Plies charged with illegal possession of a concealed weapon, and members of his
entourage charged with attempted murder.
[5] 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.
[6]
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.
[7] 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".
[8] 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.
[9] The next single was "
Please Excuse My Hands", featuring
Jamie Foxx and
The-Dream.
[10] 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.
[11] 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 April or May 2009, but stated that the exact date depended on the success of his third album.
[12] [13] In May 2009, the album's title was confirmed to be
Goon Affiliated
, which is scheduled to be released in October 6, 2009.
Discography
- The Real Testament
(2007)
- Definition of Real
(2008)
- Da REAList
(2008)
- Goon Affiliated
(2009)
Awards and nominations
- BET Hip-Hop Awards [14]
- *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 [15] [16]
- *2007, Best Rap/R&B Collaboration, "Shawty" with T-Pain [Won]
- * 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
- Plies Biography
- Guns And Roses
- Plies
- Suncoast Births
- Plies - Biography
- 5 shot in downtown club during rap show
- Plies > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles. allmusic. accessed November 20, 2008.
- RIAA database search for artist "Plies". Accessed November 20, 2008
- Lil Wayne Crushes the Competition to Debut at No. 1
- Plies Lines Up Star-Studded Follow-Up Singles Featuring Jamie Foxx, Keyshia Cole
- Plies Readies His Second LP Of 2008; Rick Ross Works On Mixtape, Two New Albums, In Mixtape Monday
- Plies Interview
- Plies
- Ringtone of the Year; Best CollaborationPeople's Champ Award. BET Hip Hop Awards 2008. Accessed November 20, 2008.
- 2007 Ozone Award Winners
- Ozone Magazine Announces Host and List of Nominees for the 3rd Annual Ozone Awards