Plies has been nominated for the 2008 Online Hip-Hop Awards for the Album of the Year Award (Hip Hop) for DEFINITION OF REAL! Help him win by clicking the banner below!

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Check out Plies on MTV @ 9:58am, MTV2 @ 11:30am and MTVu @ 3:45pm EST TODAY talking about his new album DEFINITION OF REAL.

PLIES new album DEFINITION OF REAL features the BIGGEST Record of 2008 “Bust It Baby Part 2″ with Ne-Yo and the CERTIFIED Sexy Single “Please Excuse My Hands” with Jamie Foxx & The-Dream. In Stores and Online NOW! History Will be Made – buy your copy now!

Plies insists a trio is better than a duo. After his first single, “Bust It Baby Pt. 2,” featured only one guest star (Ne-Yo), he’s going in for the kill by giving fans a pair of collaborators (plus himself, of course) on his next two tracks.

“That record, I feel, is a helluva second single,” he said of Definition of Real’s “Please Excuse My Hands,” which features Jamie Foxx and The-Dream. “To come behind a #1 record and have a person who’s currently relevant in Dream, one of the better songwriters to come through this industry, and then do the Jamie Foxx thing, the boss of all bosses — I wanted to try something differently than I did on my last album. Continue reading the MTV.com article…

Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic recording artist Plies has announced details of his very own non-profit organization, Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions Foundation, Inc., as well as a scholarship program, The “Somebody Loves You” Scholarship Fund. This all comes as the Ft. Myers, Florida-bred rapper continues to ride the wave of success proven by his sophomore release, “DEFINITION OF REAL,” which debuted at 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 215,000 copies in its first week. In fact, the album’s first week sales gave Plies the highest selling first-week numbers in the history of Miami-based Slip-N-Slide Records.

Keeping in the tradition of Plies’ philanthropy, Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions will provide funding for legal representation and aid to needy individuals, specifically those who are incarcerated, with the goal of promoting a more functional, productive, and just community. The organization will also provide educational forums, classes, workshops, trainings, opportunities, and other charitable activities aimed at individuals in the community, in particular focusing on rehabilitation.

In addition, Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions will focus on promoting activities for youth and minorities, including education, mentorship, cultural experiences, and preventative measures aimed at combating incarceration in the Tampa and Ft. Myers, Florida areas.

The organization’s first effort will be the “Somebody Loves You” Scholarship Fund 2008 (named after the song “Somebody (Loves You) “from his current album), which is designed specifically for students attending an accredited college or university, who have a parent(s) that is presently incarcerated and who is financially disadvantaged. The scholarship is open to students who are currently enrolled or who will be entering school this fall. Two scholarships will be awarded to one male and one female in the amount of $5000 each.

According to a published Senate report in September of 2000, as many as 70 percent of children of incarcerated parents will become involved with the criminal justice system unless effective intervention strategies are set in place. Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions, Inc. hopes to inspire and encourage these at-risk youth to break the cycle of incarceration. Co-founder Plies comments, “We want to provide those who have been and continue to be affected by the negative impacts of the prison system with a sense of hope, and to let them know that they are not forgotten. No matter what adversities one may face in life, one thing remains true – and that is that somebody loves you.”

For more information on the organization and scholarship, as well as scholarship application details, visit www.pliesworld.com/somebodylovesyou.

Big Gates and Plies Power of Visions Foundation partners with the Ward 8 Empowerment Group to Host Ward 8 Empowerment Day

Making the commitment to do what others in the hip-hop industry only talk about doing, Big Gates/Slip N Slide/Atlantic Recording artist Plies and his recently founded non-profit organization, Big Gates and Plies Power of Visions, have collaborated with the Ward 8 Empowerment Group and It’s Cool To Be Smart, Inc. to host Ward 8 Empowerment Day. This unprecedented community event is scheduled to take place Saturday, August 23rd, from 12pm – 4pm, in Washington, DC at Ferebee Hope Recreation Center on Yuma Street, which will be completely shut down to accommodate the expected 15,000 local attendees.

The Ward 8 Empowerment Day is FREE to the public and will feature live entertainment, basketball, football, tennis, senior bingo and other tournament games for people of all ages as well as many local and national vendors. In addition, introductions and registration opportunities will also be made available during the day, to provide residents with the opportunity to sign up for year long programs, classes and activities that will assist the community in violence prevention and intervention, as well as provide many necessary life support services. Free food will be provided by Outback Steakhouse, Oxon Hill MD and community churches to ensure that all participants are fed. Additional event sponsors include DCCAP, Microsoft, University of Phoenix, Music World Entertainment and House of Dereon.

The Ward 8 Empowerment Day was established to help combat the direct stings and damaging effects of the many issues resulting from the epidemic of violence and all forms of abuse experienced by residents of the District of Columbia, specifically within the Ward 8 Community. Washington Highlands is among one of the most violent neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. It is the largest residential neighborhood in Ward 8 and the poorest, least developed section of Washington, where approximately one third of the city’s 181 homicides in 2007 occurred.

The collaboration with Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions, It’s Cool To Be Smart and the Ward 8 Empowerment Group, further solidifies Power Of Visions objective “to partner with organizations that mirror our vision and share the same goals. This initial collaboration is the first of many, as we unify for the greater good of serving our communities,” states organization spokesperson, Dionnee Harper.

For more information please visit www.ward8empowerment.org.

Vote to Get Plies Nominated for this Year’s MTV VMA’s!

This year MTV is letting YOU, the fans, decide this year’s VMA Nominations! Voting is now open for the Best Hip Hop Video Category! Go to vma.mtv.com to vote for Plies’ “Bust It Baby Part 2″ video right now!

Voting closes THIS Wednesday 7/30 at 11 AM EST so vote ASAP!

The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards airs LIVE Sunday, September 7th @ 9pm ET only on MTV!

VOTE NOW!!!

Tune in to BET’s 106 & Park tomorrow night 7/23 at 6pm for the WORLD premiere of Plies’ brand new video, for his latest single ‘Please Excuse My Hands’ ft. Jamie Foxx and The-Dream. It’s a NEW JOINT, you don’t want to miss!

Also, if you have not had a chance to check it out, click here , for a sneak peek of the video!