Plies: Definition of Real

I'll be honest. Plies has never really appealed to me as an artist but my level of respect for the guy has grown, especially in the last few months. Not often does an artist drop albums so close together but with, Definition of Real, Plies seems poised to capitalize on the success he had with last year's The Real Testament.

Featuring the ghetto love induced hood anthem "Shawty", Plies --with the help of hook maestro T-Pain--had the clubs in a frenzy; and, seemingly, Plies is sticking with that same formula. This time around, however, Ne-Yo croons about his "shawty"but unlike last year, Plies has a different name for that special lady of his. As you've all heard by now, "Bust It Baby Pt. 2" has been a monster at urban radio and even I, too, can't deny the impact that Plies has as an artist. His brand of ghetto love songs makes for a winning formula and you know what? In spite of the fact that he's very limited as a rapper, his "definition of real" is not only something his fans will enjoy but, something that Webster's dictionary should [arguably] look into adding.

Again, I'll be honest. As much as I hated The Real Testament and criticized it for it's lack of content, I was weary in listening to the Definition of Real. Like I said, I'm not much of a fan of Plies to begin with anyway but, imagine my surprise in realizing that I actually enjoyed this new album. For what it's worth, I never really gave The Real Testament a chance so with D.O.R., I decided to be a little more optimistic and focus more on what Plies had to say. Surprisingly, Plies comes off hungrier than before; and although a majority of his music comes off as a foul mouthed, profanity laced commentary, it's [again] proven that surface value overshadows content any day.

Point blank. Plies may be hard to swallow for some but his music is not intended for the general public. His music [as a whole] speaks directly to the streets and likewise, those same streets have embraced him back. Songs like "Who's Hotter Than Me" and "Watch Dis" are surefire anthems for the summer but it's Plies versatility that allows him to, also, pull off songs like "1 Day" and "Somebody (Love's You)". From that standpoint, I respect Plies for being able to connect emotionally with his fans and, in doing so, I feel like a legitimate level of realness is achieved in the process. Plain and simple, real recognizes real and Plies is the epitome of real.

Unfortunately, this album is not the epitome of a classic, however, but Plies should be commended for a well-rounded effort. Save for "Bust It Baby pt. 2" and the Jamie Foxx and Dream assisted "Please Excuse My Hands", this album has very little [clean] material for radio play and that could be it's undoing. Also, aside from the fact that subject matter is still a problem, Plies has shown limited growth but you can tell that he still hasn't quite grasped the importance of concepts when it comes to song structure.

Overall, the Definition of Real is solid for what it is but can only really be appreciated by those who can fully relate. I, for one, was not able to associate myself with any of the material but, it's not like that's a bad thing. Besides, the way I look at it, we all have our own definitions of real, so to speak; the only question is, which one means more? An opinion or, what we hold true as our own belief?

Rating: 6.5 headphones out of 10