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It is ironic that Plies never intended to be a rapper. Plies (government name: Ronell Lawrence Levatte) worked for his brother’s music label, Big Gates Records, as a talent developer and initially refused to rap. Following a guest shot on the track “Tell Dem Crackers Dat,” Plies recorded a couple of mix tapes for Big Gates before releasing the wildly successful THE REAL TESTAMENT in 2007.  DEFINITION OF REAL, Plies’ second official release, is, if you are a fan of the genre, even better.

Before we go any further, it needs to be said to the uninitiated that Plies is a practitioner of the Dirty South school of rap. Actually, he puts the “dirty” into “dirty south.” This gent makes Juvenile sound like a Mormon. Or a Quaker.  DEFINITION OF REAL is unvarnished, unapologetic, in-your-face gangsta rap. “Ol’ Lady” is uh, a challenge to a homey, wherein Plies describes in graphic detail what he’s going to do to his antagonist’s “Ol Lady.” This would include having the female in question paint Plies’ name on her nails, but is by no means the only thing he intends to do. I thought “Bushes” was going to be another tiresome anti-Bush-43 rant, but instead it’s about a couple of guys pulling off an urban assassinat ion that they plan to execute by hiding with their shotguns in the target’s bushes. Then there’s “Worth Goin’ Fed Fo’.” If you’re over 30, some explanation might be in order. “Going Fed” can mean doing time in a Federal penitentiary (usually for selling drugs) or it can refer to something that is fun or pleasurable. Guess which one this track refers to? Yeah, you right. Then, there’s “Feel Like F**kin” which may well hold the dubious distinction of being the most obscene rap track ever recorded. The production on THE DEFINITION OF REAL, however, is impeccable; the bottom is so full it could walk down North Claiborne Street in New Orleans and get shout outs, and every second of the beats is perfect. The standout track on DEFINITION OF REAL, however, is “Bust It Baby (Part II)” which features Ne-Yo. As improbable as this pairing might seem, it works, in fact, it does more than that. Ne-Yo turns the track into a neo-soul call and response with Plies’ rapping providing a point-counterpoint. It could have clashed, or resulted in Ne-Yo hijacking the project. Instead, it results in an almost hypnotic, erotic groove that insists on being played repeatedly and remains stuck in your head.

Plies' visibility just keeps increasing. He has developed a reality show, Bust It Baby, for television and plans to release his third official project, THE REALIST, by the end of 2008. Given his current moment, there’s no way20he can miss. Recommended, with strong cautions re: topic and language.