|
Plies - The Real TestamentAlbum Review by:
John Burnett
Monday, August 27, 2007
 Preview/Download
Every year there’s that one ubiquitous joint that jams throughout the entirety of the summer. It’s not unusual for say a Jay-Z, a T.I, a 50 Cent. or a Ludacris to be the creator of said track. This summer, a newcomer held down that role and his name is Plies. It doesn’t matter if you were at the club, in your whip or watching TV, it’s almost a given that you’ll hear his breakout single, “Shawty” featuring the ever-present T-Pain. The Fort Myer’s, Florida native with his debut The Real Testament intends on continuing the momentum the Dirty South currently has while making a name for himself in the rap game.
“The Real Testament”
Plies opens up the album explaining his street philosophy and talks a bunch of shit about how real he is. His rhyme style is simple and straight forward; not many punchlines or metaphors, if any. He also, like many other rappers, relates how rapping was never his dream; nothing attention grabbing about the intro.
“100 Years”
“100 Years” discusses the unbalanced and racist justice system in this country. Plies goes on to rhyme about different instances of his partners getting lengthy jail terms for minor offenses. He says, “ain’t talk to my dog but I know he sick/next fifteen years of his life behind a fence/a cracker find a nigga guilty and hit em with the bench/they wanted my dog [to do] 27 on his first offense.” Based off of the intro, I didn’t expect Plies to deal with much besides how much money he got, how real of a nigga he is etc. but in “100 Years” he rhymes about a real topic (racial inequality in the justice system) in America and covers it well.
“I Know You Workin”
This is the stock “Stop Snitchin’” track where Plies rhymes about snitches and what’ll happen if he finds out you’re a snitch; the 187. This track wastes a decent beat by the likes of Hen & Ro that contains a sample of a police siren, organs, traditional piano key strokes and some heavy bass.
“On My Dick”
First and foremost, on my dick, is slang for being broke. Plies rhymes about the different thoughts you have in your mind when you’re broke and what’ll he do to prevent being broke. The track is effective in expressing the emotions and thoughts of a broke man, but it was difficult taking the track serious with the chorus reads “my money looking funny, nigga just makin’ it barely/shit ain’t how it used to be, nigga ain’t frontin’ the package/gotta choke me a bitch out or somethin’, I gotta have it/I’m on my dick daaawg gotta make it happen.”
“1 Mo Time”
This is the first of the three J.R. Rotem beats on the album. “1 Mo Time” is definitely a track for the ladies. On this joint, Plies raps about an instance when his chick finds him cheating on her. He unapologetically admits to his faults and admits he’ll never change. The gist of this track is Plies asking said female to let him have sex with her one more time before they split. No, seriously…
“I Am The Club”
“I Am The Club” displays the cockier side of the Florida native. Opening the first verse, Plies rhymes “pardon the whip out front/jumped out stuntin/neck full of jewels on/pocket full of money/all the goons around me/so you know I’m coming/half a brick in my pocket, ten stacks on me” over the second of three J.R. Rotem tracks. “I Am The Club” then goes into other over-the-top things goons do in the club i.e. buying out the bar, throwing around mad dough etc. Plies attempts to take his energy and intensity up a notch, but the slower tracks on this disc favor his drawl.
“Runnin My Momma Crazy”
“Runnin My Momma Crazy” provides some real substance in the fashion of Pac with “Dear Momma.” Here, Plies rhymes about the mental duress that he puts on his mom by running the streets, doing crime and other unlawful activities. He talks about the sacrifices she made for him and relates his admiration and respect for her. “Runnin My Momma Crazy” is a candid, honest and sincere dedication to Plies’ mother.
“Shawty”
This is the track that introduced Plies to the mainstream. This track produced by Drumma Boy and Ensayne featuring T-Pain has Plies in his deep southern accent rhyming about introducing a chick to his thugged out lifestyle and subsequently, turning her out. This track keys in on that fantasy women have about wanting to be with a thug. The track does have a light, casual feel to it which lends to its appeal in the summer.
“Friday”
“Friday” doesn’t really focus on one specific subject. It’s a feel good track where Plies rattles off some lackluster verses over the last of the J.R. Rotem tracks.
“Goons Lurkin”
This track has a unique feel to it. The pace drags and it’s laced with synths and 808s. The sluggishness of the beat produced by Midnight Black actually gives you the feel of goons creeping. “Goons Lurkin” has Plies spitting in a crawling pace about exactly what the title is, goons lurking. Plies, in his verses, describe gangsters piled up in a car prepping for the 187 and then executing it.
“Kept It Too Real”
Plies does an excellent job of capturing the emotions he went through from past experiences on this track. On “Kept It Too Real,” Plies rhymes about an ex-close friend of his that betrayed him. His intonation switches and you can feel the bitterness that he has for the ex-friend.
“You”
“You” has single potential. Again, this is another track that’s meant for the opposite sex. “You” features lady’s favorite, Tank, singing on the chorus and Plies spends the majority of the track rhyming about cunnilingus and sexual intercourse in graphic detail which further lets you know that if you’re a male you can skip through this track.
“Money Straight”
This track is about Plies having tall stacks of money.
“Hypnotized”
“Hypnotized” could easily have been subbed in for “Shawty” and would have got the same airplay, especially since the other oft synthesized, ubiquitous R&B megastar, Akon, is featured on it. On this track about being mesmerized by the curves of a woman, Plies rhymes “it’s two o’clock in the mornin’/and I’m yakked up and I’m horny/all I need now is some money/that pussy got me zonin’/ her thighs tell me she wanted/she got to fuck how she on me” which ought to give you an idea of what the track is about.
“Murkin Season”
This is a lackluster conclusion to a surprisingly decent album.
Plies’ debut, The Real Testament, turns out to be a decent showing for a rookie. The in house production—as opposed to seeking out the big name producers—that Plies uses throughout the album meshes well with his seemingly feigned accent (really, I didn’t know cats had accents this thick). There’s a variety of different feels and moods on the The Real Testament. “100 Years” shows anger for the racist justice system, “Runnin My Momma Crazy” expresses remorse for wrong doing while “Goons Lurkin” shows a more nefarious side of Plies and “You,” “Hypnotized” and “Shawty” capture the attention of the ladies. But, lyrically, Plies needs work; a lot of work. His verses come off as tremendously lackadaisical, but I doubt that’ll ever change. He seems intent on selling his audience on how real he is which is evident on every track. Plies’ The Real Testament is a Florida album laden with slang only Floridians are familiar with like jit (young person) and dunk (old school Chevy) that’ll assuredly alienate some that aren’t from the South. If you’re open-minded enough to decipher the extreme accent, you’ll be able to find some good in this album. If you’re the type who hates all that is Southern, well you’ll hate this too.
 ( 76) Comments | Post a comment »
|
|
