VIBE MAGAZINE DECLARES THE FUTURE OF RAP
IS NEWCOMER “PLIES” ON DECEMBER COVER
– The Rap Star Appears on His First-Ever VIBE Cover for the December 2008 Issue –
– This Month’s VIBE Features Two Exclusive Interviews with
R&B Superstars Brand y & Maxwell –
– VIBE Takes a Look at the Short Life and Tragic Death of Music Producer Static/Major –
– On Newsstand s November 18th –
NEW YORK (November 10, 2008) – Plies, one of today’s fastest-rising rap artists, is set to make his first-ever appearance on the December cover of VIBE. This is a groundbreaking and coveted win for VIBE considering in his hit single “Heard of Me,” Plies pronounces “you won’t see me on a cover of a magazine.”
In this month’s cover story — on newsstand s November 18th – VIBE takes an in-depth look at the life and career of the artist the magazine declares as the future of rap.
>From his days of being crowned homecoming king in his hometown of Fort Myers, FL, to this year earning a spot on the Forbes list of “The Year’s Hottest New Music Stars,” Algernod Lanier Washington (aka. Plies) seems to have always been on the fast-track to success.
In less than two years, Plies has exceeded expectations of any new artist. He has collectively sold more than 1 million copies of his first two albums, and to-date, more than 5.5 million digital singles and ringtones combined.
His new album, Da REAList (Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic), is set for release on December 16th.
In a one-on-one interview with VIBE Senior Editor Benjamin Meadows-Ingram, Plies reveals why he considers himself the “realest” rapper in the game:
Plies discuses how his 2006 arrest on weapons charges changed his views on the life: “I thought I knew what ‘real’ really meant, in terms of what the streets call real…I honestly thought that what the streets called real was legit.”
Plies responds to the criticism he’s received from other rap artists: “People don’t allow themselves to be honest with themselves until you’re no longer a threat…I don’t concern myself with anyone who’s not coming to my funeral.”
The December 2008 issue also features an exclusive interview with R&B superstar Brand y, providing the first look into her life after her fatal car accident and a four-year hiatus from the spotlight. “I really didn’t know what to do. I was in limbo for a long time,” she says of the tragedy. “I didn’t go outside for months.”
The Grammy Award-winning singer also speaks with VIBE about reuniting with long-time producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins for her upcoming album Human (Atlantic), as well as her relationship with ex-husband Robert Smith and her daughter.
R&B superstar Maxwell grants a rare interview in this month’s issue. The reclusive artist speaks cand idly to VIBE Senior Associate Editor Keith Murphy about his seven-year absence from music as he reappears with a successful new tour and with the pending release of his latest project Black Summer’s Night (Columbia).
VIBE takes a look at the short life and tragic death of music producer Stephen “Static/Major” Garrett. With a career spanning more than 15 years creating hits for artists such as Aaliyah (“Are You That Somebody”), Jay-Z (“Change The Game”), and most recently Lil Wayne (“Lollipop”), his tragic death due to complications from a medical procedure has shaken up and saddened the music industry.
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