PLIES  (August 2007) | Interview By: Eddie Gurrola

       Dubcnn recently linked up with Florida MC Plies to discuss his debut album, “The Real Testament.” In addition to going into detail about the new album, we discuss Plies’s beginnings in the rap game, his current tour situation, and his thoughts on becoming famous. Read on to find out about all of this and more in our exclusive interview.
 

As always we have both the transcript and the audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: eddiegurolla@dubcnn.com

 

Interview was done in June 2007.

Questions Asked By : Eddie Gurrola

Plies Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio For Download : Here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dubcnn: We’re here with Plies. How are you doing man?

Good man! How you doing today?


Dubcnn: Good! So, can you start off by telling us how you first got into the rap game…

For me, I lost a lot to get where I’m currently at. A situation happened [where] my brother was federally incarcerated. At the time, we [were] trying to get out to a more legit street environment. When he came home, that’s just what he wanted to do. He had big plans [to become] a major player in the music industry, so I just followed suit. It wasn’t my idea, it wasn’t my dream, [and] it wasn’t my aspiration – I followed suit of my older brother.


Dubcnn: Who would you say are your musical inspirations?

I don’t have a lot of musical inspirations, not from one artist to another. The reason I say that is [because for] a lot of these cats that make good music, I never personally knew any of these artists. So, I didn’t know if the stories they were telling me were legit stories or not.

I think I always respected the business aspect of most artists that were successful, and the ones that stood for something, in terms of having principles and morals. But for me, I never looked up to them as role models because I didn’t even know if the story they were telling me was true.


Dubcnn: That’s fair enough. In the beginning of your career, you pushed your name out by doing mixtapes and shows. What do you feel was the key element that gravitated attention toward you?

Standing for something. For me, [that is] something that’s definitely lacking in this business. In my short experience [with] the music industry, [it’s] very seldom that you meet people that believe in principals and morals. A lot of times, the music industry can direct your career and your beliefs if you’re not careful. For me, it’s an on-going battle everyday to not only make good music and be a productive artist, but at the same time, to maintain my beliefs, principals, and standards.


Dubcnn: That’s definitely something we should respect you for. So, you’re blowing up now, getting your video played on TV and all of that. Is it different going about your daily routine now that you’re becoming famous?

A lot of times, people think it’s that particular person that changes [when one] inherits success. But one thing that I’ve realized is that the bigger you become as a person in terms of your success, the harder it is to maintain a normal life. For me, I don’t think I’ve changed. [I’m] no different than I was four years ago. But the sad part about it is that the streets, and everybody that comes into contact with you – they change.

A lot of times, it ain’t the safest [move] to become successful where I’m from. There’s so much that comes with being successful. My culture ain’t used to success. It’s a sad thing, but I speak freely about it because that’s personally how I feel. Being a street nigga, being African-American: we don’t embrace success nowhere near [as much as] we should. [In] a lot of different cultures…you’ve got White America, where your life is structured for you to be successful. You’re supposed to go to college, [and] your whole life is structured around you becoming successful. I think with my ethnic background, it ain’t always the case. The bigger you become, the more you obtain, [and] the more we hate on it.


Dubcnn: That’s an unfortunate situation. Let’s move on to your single, “Shawty,” with T-Pain. It’s one of the hottest tracks of the summer, so tell us about your experience making the song…

That record was a true blessing for me. I never knew [there was going to be] a time when me and Pain would actually be doing music together. We had crossed paths before, and he was familiar with my situation – I had one of the biggest underground situations in my region [for] the last four years. I definitely was aware of his movement that he created out of Florida. So for us, we initially did the record just thinking it was going to be a good look in terms of satisfying the state of Florida. But the record became bigger than that, and it’s been a true blessing.


Dubcnn: The song is interesting because the production and T-Pain’s hook are smooth and sweet, while your lyrics are pretty explicit. Was that the intention, to show that sort of contrast on the track?

Not for me. I never get on any record and not be myself. If I [did] that, I’d be doing a disservice to myself. So for me, regardless of if it’s a “Shawty” record, or any other record on my album, I’m gonna always stay in my lane and stay true to who I am. At the end of the day, I hope that’s enough.


Dubcnn: Alright, so let’s talk about your album, “The Real Testament.” What do you expect the fans will be getting out of this album?

I’m personally going off on a limb right now and saying that in my heart [I] feel that it’s going to be a star of an album. What I mean by that [is,] I don’t think [there’s] an album I’ve heard over the course of the last six or seven years that stands up [to “The Real Testament,”] in terms of concepts, or what I’m talking about.

I have a lot of different issues that I call “reality issues.” I don’t have [to] talk about what everybody else talks about [and] try to be accepted. I go outside of that, and I tell you about my struggle. I tell you about my pain and my hardships. “The Real Testament” gives you all of that.

There’s a record called “100 Years” on my album that’s talking about the system, and how the judge is hiding motherfuckers. I’ve got another record called “Runnin My Momma Crazy” [that’s] talking about life on the street. It’s just those kinds of records man that I feel separate me from a lot of the music that’s been put out.


Dubcnn: You collaborated with Akon on the song “Hypnotized” from your album. What was that experience like in the studio?

I had the pleasure of getting in the lab with ‘Kon and coming up with a record that’s gonna be just as big as this “Shawty” record. There ain’t no doubt in my mind about it. I know that as soon as the streets get their hands [on] it, it’s gonna be an instant record that responds real quick. I feel real good about that situation as well. That’s my follow up single actually!


Dubcnn: That sounds good! So, what would you say is your favorite track off the album, and why is it so special to you?

My favorite track off the album is probably a record that I wrote called “On My Dick.” It’s just talking about being broke. At the time that I actually wrote that record, I was not in a good situation financially. [Being broke] showed me so much. It showed me who was around [for me.] That was a low point in my life, but it also was a testament to my grind [because] it was a feeling that I didn’t personally like. To me, I think that’s one of the most personal records on my album.


Dubcnn: Has being on a major label changed your creative process, as far as having more people telling you what to do?

There’s a lot of things that change when you go from being independent to being part of a big-time, major label. For me, it’s about getting an understanding and standing for something, like I told you earlier. I’ve got the utmost respect, business-[wise, for] the company that I’m signed to. But at the same time, it doesn’t [stop] them from trying to voice their opinion about the situation. I understand that they spend money on these situations, [so I see] why they want to have an opinion about the [record.] [On] an independent label, you don’t really have to answer to nobody, and you make your own calls, and do what you think is right. And that’s the difference with being signed to a major.


Dubcnn: So now that you’re on Atlantic Records, are you collaborating with a whole bunch of artists that you wouldn’t have seen yourself working with before you signed there?

Not for me - it’s still the same way that I came in from the beginning. [I’m] not riding the coattail of a situation. Any features that I have on my album [are] because those artists were able to provide services that I couldn’t do myself. [If] there was a song that I couldn’t sing, I needed somebody that knows how to sing. Therefore, I hooked up with the T-Pains and the Akons. But for the most part, I pride myself [on] being able to stand up in this business on my own, and set my own foundations.


Dubcnn: Are you planning on going on tour to promote this album?

Yeah, actually I’ve got a tour [going on] now that’s been the highlight of my career. It’s a prison tour. [I’m] going around to 15 different institutions [and] talking to guys that I ran the streets with, relatives of mine, or people that I don’t even know. [I’m] just talking to them and addressing their situations, and being the support system for them. It’s really what my main focus is at this point, and [it’s] the highlight of my career. I’m also going to get on the road and collaborate with some more situations that can help me further promote my album.


Dubcnn: What would you say is your favorite part of being on tour?

For me, [it’s] just being able to see the world. [With] me being from Ft. Myers, [Florida,] I was never really exposed to the world on a mainstream level like I am now. I would have never [even] been to Charlotte, North Carolina if it wasn’t for music. My horizons wasn’t that great. So for me, [I’m] using music to reach out to different parts of the world [that] I probably would have never seen. That’s probably the best part of it.


Dubcnn: Are there any other projects we should be looking out for in the near future?

I had the luxury of just reading my first script for a movie gig, so for me that was pretty good. I’m [also] trying to venture out and do different things on the political side.


Dubcnn: Is there anything else you want to say to everyone on Dubcnn reading this?

Yeah, if you’ve got someone that’s currently locked up, and you’re there for them and supporting them, I take my hat off to you. To all the shorties that’s currently incarcerated, I continue to keep giving you my prayers.