Q&A: Plies

by Toshitaka Kondo

Plies’ two gargantuan "goon" chains and the ski mask he’s sporting on the cover of his sophomore album, The Definition of Real, don't exactly scream "sex symbol." However, the Fort Myers, Florida native has unwittingly become just that with his inclination for serenading females, in addition to reppin’ the streets. Anthems like “Shawty,” featuring T-Pain, made his debut, The Real Testament, one of the few hip-hop albums to legitimately go gold in 2007. Less than a year later, he’s doing it for the ladies once again with the Ne-Yo-assisted “Bust It Baby, Pt. 2,” which samples Janet Jackson’s “Come Back to Me.” Rhapsody sat down with Plies to talk about his edgy album cover, dropping his sophomore project on the same day (June 10) as Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III, and the benefits of media training.

Rhapsody: In the past, you haven’t been as forthcoming in talking about producers you’ve worked with. You've gone as far as refusing to disclose their names in some interviews. For “Bust It Baby, Pt. 2,” you allowed J.R. Rotem to put his tag at the beginning. What changed?
Plies: I had such a great rapport with J.R. He had three records on The Real Testament. I went out to L.A. for my last album and [worked with J.R.]. That was the first time that a guy that actually produced the track was in the same room with me. He’s one of the few dudes that I have an instant chemistry with in terms of coming up with good music. Also, there was an agreement between him and the label, so I was able to get records from J.R. with a different price tag on ‘em than some other people. Anytime I think it’s a level of mutual respect when it comes to business, I don't mind a plug. If ya’ll want me to plug the situation, let’s have the numbers reflect that. If you’re not willing to have the numbers reflect that, then I don't think you should look for that from me. Actually, the first time he sent me the record, he had his tag damn near in Ne-Yo’s chorus, and I told him if I’mma keep it, I can’t keep it there. If it’s tagged on the front of the record before the track built up and started, then he got his tag out there, and it didn’t interrupt the flow of the record.

One thing that has surprised a lot of people is your ability to make "girl records."
When I actually got in the game, whether it was DJ Smallz’s Southern Smoke series or DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz series, those records have always worked for me. I didn’t just start making female records. I think my first big record on an underground level was “Ms. Pretty P*ssy.” I didn’t think that people would actually gravitate to it on a national level, and it ended up being one of my bigger records. Then I came back and changed Young Buck’s “Shorty Wanna Ride” to “Shorty Wanna F*ck Me.” “Get You Wet” was another underground record that was real, real big. I was able to make the gutter records. But the one or two female records that I made, people seemed to always gravitate to ‘em. I get a lot of negative feedback sometimes from being a street artist that make female records, but I’m not mad all the time. I don’t live my life tryna be hard everyday. Who wouldn’t want females supporting their situation? If you go to any format at radio, whether Urban, Rhythm or Top 40, the top notchin’ records is female-driven.

Speaking of gutter records, talk about “Sh** Bag.” How real is that coming from your background?
[Laughs.] I just know where I’m from, we always told n*gg*s if you f*ck with us, we gonna sh*t bag you. It’s just one of those records I can’t wait to hear in the club. It’s a concept that I feel like most n*gg*s in the streets feel. Actually, I got a cat that I was pretty cool with and it was crazy ‘cause last time I was home he just got f*ck*d up, and supposedly he’s on the sh*t bag. He got shot, and so for me, it was weird ‘cause I had three people approach me on that record like, "Boy, I can’t wait to hear that “Sh** Bag.” [Laughs.] It was just strictly off the title of the song. I don’t think I would’ve looked at the tracklisting and been like, “Oh I can’t wait to hear that ‘Sh** Bag.’” [Laughs.] I seen my aunt and her boyfriend is actually on the bag. But he’s in a wheelchair, so his bag is connected to his chair. He got shot up leaving a night club in his car.

Damn, that’s serious. So, was there a conscious decision to put your album out the same day as Wayne?
Naw. My release date was June 24 originally, and then when we let the “Bust It Baby Pt. 2” go to single, it reacted so quick that we knocked my date down to June 10.  I was on June 10 for probably about a month and a half before their situation came about. I’m blessed to be able to come back with two albums in 10 months. I have my own following, and the day that I heard that it was gonna be another situation happenin’ on my same day, I didn’t feel  any ill way about it. I had a number one record with “Shawty,” a top five record with “Hypnotized,” and now to come back with “Bust It Baby Pt. 2,” that’s over 12,000 spins on pace to be the biggest record I ever put out. And to be able shake what people like to call the sophomore jinx, I can’t feel that I made a wrong decision.

What’s up with wearing a ski mask on the album cover?
I had the blessing to kind of be the founder of making that term “goon” national. It’s something I don't ever wanna lose sight of. That represents the struggle for me. I may be in a better place right now financially, but it’s a huge part of the country, and it’s still a part of that struggle. That’s my celebration to this whole June 10 situation. All my promotion is calling it Goon 10th.  The label wasn’t totally comfortable with that decision [for my album cover] because they felt like suburban America might shy away from my album when they see the cover. [Atlantic Records President] Julie [Greenwald] was skeptical in terms of, “You got this huge, huge record, and you really wanna come with this [album cover]?”  We took a million other pictures. We never was gonna rock with that picture. I had another picture that had me with all my chains on that was like one of our favorite pictures, but it didn’t have my head in it. It was just my chest and midsection. When we started going through the pictures, I remember looking at that picture that’s currently on my album cover and it was just powerful to me.

Given that you were forced to changed your first album title from The Real N*gg* Bible to The Real Testament, how did you feel about Nas having to change his title? 
Sometimes, you have personal decisions that you want to make, and from a corporate perspective, everyone don’t have to embrace your decision making. I don’t think they can turn you away, but retail can choose not to accept your project. Right now, I’m going through that with my international sales; they want a totally different album cover. My brother and me are tossing it back around and forth and I’m like, "Man this is what it is." But at the same time, I try not to let my personal feelings get in the way of business because if you following your personal feelings, they can cause you to make the wrong business decision.

Given that you really rep being a “goon," how do you feel when writers or others comment about being surprised at how articulate you are when they speak to you?
If you look at the successful people in this business and in life in general, they was able to cut it on and off, and be able to work more than one hat. Musically, I’mma always give off my problems in terms of what I am currently going through in my life. Business-wise, that’s a totally different animal. I think whether I’m sitting down with a publication or a website, I owe them a different level of respect. I need to be able to sit down with corporate people and conduct my own business, as opposed to every three words I’m sayin’, “Ya know what I’m sayin’?” So for me, I challenge myself with that.  It’s a bittersweet situation because it’s a compliment and I embrace it, but then I say, "Damn, is most rappers dumb?" I don’t know because for me I hear a lot like, “Damn, you smart. You way more educated than I thought.”

Did Atlantic try to make you do media training?
Actually, I tried to buck media training at first. I took it the wrong way like, “You think I don't know how to talk?” But how can I allow myself to turn away knowledge and information? I think I ended up doing it two days, and it was like two hours a day. She was just preparing me for some of the thirsty writers in this business and givin' me the heads up. One thing I did take from it is anytime you doing an interview, the first couple questions, them the b*llsh*t questions. The questions that they really sat down to ask you they gonna ask you at the end. They just want you to be comfortable with him or her early on, and then they gonna ask you the real thirsty questions. [Laughs.] That’s why I always pace myself. I’m always lookin' like, "Yeah, okay. You ask me the nice sh*t first, but what you really wanna know is at the bottom of that paper."

Did it bother you given your claims on “Who Hotter Than Me,” that you weren’t included on XXL’s recent cover with Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Trina and Flo Rida?
I don’t know, man. I think a lot of times when you dealing with publications, people have different agendas. I was happy for Khaled, Flo Rida, Ross and Trina. Ross is one of the few artists that I really allowed myself to open up to and vibe with and kick it with. It ain’t really nothing that Ross could ask me to do that I wouldn’t do because I feel like there’s always been that level of respect. Not only from him, but from [Rick Ross' manager] E-Class and that whole Poe Boy situation. If I feel like the level of respect is mutual, I’ll go to war for you. One thing I learned from being a new artist, I think T-Pain has done something in the last two and a half, three years that I can’t go back and know a person that’s accomplished what he’s accomplished. Before I get mad and aggravated, I always remind myself, I’ve never seen Pain on the cover of none of these national publications. This is the person who’s on 30-some records. I think what he’s done for this industry, a lot of times, is overlooked due to directions that publications and networks go in. I use his situation and say, "He’s accomplished way more than I have, and I don’t feel that he’s still getting his just due." So it allows me to say, "Maybe people consider my situation to be a fluke." I just gotta wait my turn, man.

Comments

[Nk]

Would You work with a up incoming Producer that has no credit to there name but their beats are fresh and new? and creative in not like your typical hip-hop Beats.

[Bubblez]

For you, was it hard to put your personal life aside while dealing with buisness?