When it comes to the real, it's hard to get much realer than Algernod Lanier Washington, better known as Plies. Growing up in Fort Myers, Florida the young rapper has experienced both the hard truth of the streets and the equally hard truth of Mother Nature pounding the coastline. You've all heard of Katrina, but where Plies is from the big names in hurricanes are Charley and Wilma. Despite hardship and devastation Plies rose above it all to successfully release The Real Testament in 2007, going gold off the strength of singles like "Shawty" and "Hypnotized."

The uniquely Floridian southern drawl of Plies on Definition of Real will remind listeners of JT Money and Trick Daddy, the latter of which is no coincidence since Trick was one of the first to spot his talent and the rapper is signed to the Slip-N-Slide imprint. Songs like "Bust It Baby (Pt. 2)" prove that faith was not misplaced, as the J.R. Rotem laced track features Ne-Yo crooning on the hook and lines like "I'm speakin for the goons, thank God for makin you/ Bust it, baby is what I call you." Even though Plies may be a thug, he's a thug with a sensitive side. That's not to say he's not cocky or braggadocious though, as the banging beat of the Midnight Black produced "Who Hotter Than Me" challenges the whole industry to make better music than he does.

Nonetheless the success of Plies lies in his ability to cross over from the streets to the clubs and then to the quiet storm, and "Please Excuse My Hands" will certainly do so with the able help of The Dream and Jamie Foxx. Frank E provides a piano-laced backdrop as Plies and his guests vow all the ways they will hold, soothe and caress a woman into feeling better than ever before. That's the unique appeal of Plies -- songs like "I'm Da Man" hard enough for the most gangster of rap fans meet with songs like "No. 1 Fan" with Keyshia Cole which will appeal to the most refined of women. Plies' Definition of Real is to do whatever feels right, and he always finds a way to make it work.

By Jason Seifer