Plies is a multi-platinum-selling American hip-hop artist from Fort Myers, Florida, whose late-2000s smashes "Shawty," "Hypnotized," and "Bust It Baby Part 2" turned him into one of Southern rap's most distinctive voices. Born Algernod Lanier Washington on July 1, 1976, in Fort Myers, he played college football at Miami University in Ohio and the University of Central Florida before fully pursuing music alongside his brother and longtime business partner Big Gates.

His 2007 debut album, The Real Testament, arrived on Slip-N-Slide and Atlantic Records and produced two major hits — "Shawty" featuring T-Pain, which reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Hypnotized" featuring Akon, which cracked the top 20. The album earned gold certification and quickly established Plies as one of Southern rap's most-played new voices.