Plies

His meteoric rise to the top of the charts didn't prevent Plies from leaving a deep mark on the gangsta rap of the 2000s. Real name Algernod Lanier Washington, he was born in Fort Myers, Florida, on July 1, 1976, and was destined for a career in American soccer, where he excelled, before turning to rap. Noticed by the Slip-N-Slide Records label in 2004, he began by appearing on rapper Trina's third album with the track " So Fresh". So Fresh" and produced four mixtapes, before releasing his debut album, The Real Testament, in 2007, which reached #2 on the Billboard 200 and the same position on the specialist rap chart, and featured the duets "Shawty" with T-Pain and his famous sample of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Fantasy " (#9) and "Hypnotized" with Akon (#14). This fanfare start, which made people forget one of his concerts the previous year in a Gainesville club that turned into a shooting, was followed by collaborations with DJ Khaled, Trick Daddy, Rick Ross and Fat Joe. A second salvo followed in 2008 with the hit "Bus It Baby Pt. 2" and the participation of Ne-Yo, which gave him his best single ranking (No. 7), before the release of the Definition of Real album (No. 2), which welcomed other guests such as Trey Songz, The-Dream with Jamie Foxx and Keshia Cole with J. Holiday. Released six months later, the third album, Da REAList (2008), reached #14 on the Billboard charts and featured credits from Sean Garrett, Ashanti and Chris J, in addition to Plies' loyal producers Drumma Boy and J. R. Rotem. In 2009, the duet with Keri Hilson on "Medicine" heralded the release of the fourth album in three years, Goon Affiliated (#5 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the rap charts), with contributions from Trey Songz, Fabolous and Jeezy, as well as Bei Maejor. As his success waned, Plies concentrated on collaborations and mixtapes, of which he recorded around 15 in a decade, until The Goat (2019). In 2020, he follows up his first album with The Real Testament II. This series of releases sees him collaborate with Rico Love, Lil Wayne, Pleasure P, Young Dolph, Kodak Black, DaBaby and Yung Bleu, among others.