Plies

Prior to becoming a rapper, Washington had a fair amount of success playing football at Miami University from 1995 to 1997. He played wide receiver for the team before transferring to the University of Central Florida, eventually dropping out to focus on his music.

Washington’s stepbrother Ronnell Lawrence Lavatte, also known as Big Gates, established the independent record label Big Gates Records at the tail end of the 1990s. Initially reluctant to rap, Washington lay down a verse on the track “Tell Dem Krackers Dat” and the two traveled to Miami to promote the single, which led to Plies signing with Slip-n-Slide Records in 2004.

In 2007 came the rapper’s debut album “The Real Testament” which was led by the debut single “Shawty” featuring T-Pain and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album later spawned the Akon featured single “Hypnotized” and was certified Gold selling over 500,000 copies. Due to the album's success Washington secured guest slots on singles and albums by artists including DJ Khaled and Fat Joe.

A year later in 2008 Washington released his second offering “Definition of Real” led by the single “Bust It Baby Pt. 2” featuring Ne-Yo and “Please Excuse My Hands” featuring Jamie Foxx and The-Dream. The same year brought his third album “Da REAList” and guest spots on Ludacris’s single “Nasty Girl” and Khaled’s “Out Here Grindin’”.

Washington has subsequently release the albums “Goon Affiliated” in 2010 and “Purple Heart” in 2014, as well as the 2014 mixtape “Da Last Real Nigga Left”.