The Real Testament

The Real Testament is the debut studio album by American rapper Plies. It was released on August 7, 2007, by Big Gates Records, Slip-n-Slide Records and Atlantic Records. Upon its release, the album was well received by music critics.

The Real Testament
Studio album by Plies
Released	August 7, 2007
Recorded	2006–2007
Genre	Southern hip hop dirty rap gangsta rap
Length	57:36
Label	Big Gates Slip-n-Slide Atlantic
Producer	Kane Beatz Akon DJ Nasty & LVM Drumma Boy DVS Ensayne Gold Ru$h Hen & Ro Jay E J. R. Rotem Midnight Black Papa Duck The Beat Eaters
Plies chronology
The Real Testament (2007) Definition of Real (2008)
Singles from The Real Testament
"Shawty" Released: July 10, 2007 "Hypnotized" Released: September 11, 2007

On January 31, 2020, Plies released a sequel mixtape, The Real Testament II.

History

The album features guest appearances by Akon, Tank, and T-Pain. The first single "Shawty", released on July 10, 2007, features T-Pain and was produced by Drumma Boy and Ensayne.

The second single "Hypnotized" features and was produced by Akon.

There was also a series of web-only singles "100 Years", "Running My Momma Crazy", and "Got Em Hatin", there is a video for each of them, most of them were released in October and November, 2007. The third single was scheduled to be "You", featuring Tank, but it was changed to "I Am the Club".

The album was released in five different versions which included different bonus features depending on where the buyer purchases the album from.

The album was originally titled The Real Nigga Bible but was changed to The Real Testament for business reasons. The original cover showed Plies with a cigar filled with marijuana in his mouth, but was edited for certain retail outlets. An instrumental version of the album was released on iTunes on September 25.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
DJBooth	[2]
RapReviews	[3]

AllMusic editor David Jeffries said that the album had a few "redundant tracks and some potential unreached", but praised both studio and street tracks being supported by capable producers and guest artists throughout. He concluding with: "An energetic artist with little refinement, Plies puts his rough edges to good use on The Real Testament, an exciting, sometimes promising, debut."^[1] Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews spoke about the record: "In lesser hands this would have been one of a hundred no-name rap albums that end up in your local store's bargain bin but thanks to good beats and well-chosen singles in The Real Testament, Plies makes a favorable impression both on radio and his CD. So long as he avoids any more unfortunate nightclub incidents Plies has a promising future ahead that doesn't involve '100 Years' behind bars."^[3]

Chart performance

The Real Testament sold 96,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200.^[4] The following week the album dropped seven spots to number nine.^[5] In its third week, the album sold 27,000 copies, dropping from number nine to twenty one.^[6] As of April 8, 2019, The Real Testament has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Real Testament" (Intro)	Plies George Wegans Ronell Levatte Alexander Martin	PapaDuck	2:09
2.	"100 Years"	Plies Tracey Sewell	Midnight Black	3:50
3.	"I Know U Workin'"	Plies Henson Willingham Romero Graham Levatte	Hen and Ro	4:16
4.	"On My Dick"	Plies Buddy Long	GoldRu$h	3:54
5.	"1 Mo Time"	Plies Jonathan Rotem	Jonathan "J.R." Rotem	3:47
6.	"I Am the Club"	Plies Rotem	Jonathan "J.R." Rotem	3:44
7.	"Runnin' My Momma Crazy"	Plies Daniel Valbrun Joseph Valbrun Levatte Martin	DVS Productions	4:15
8.	"Shawty" (featuring T-Pain)	Plies Christopher Gholson Ferrell Miles Faheem Najm Maurice White Verdine White Eddie del Barrio	Drumma Boy Ensayne	4:15
9.	"Friday"	Plies Rotem Eric Coomes	Jonathan "J.R." Rotem	3:39
10.	"Goons Lurkin'"	Plies Sewell	Midnight Black	3:52
11.	"Kept It Too Real"	Plies Tommy Caesar, Jr.	The Beat Eaters	4:55
12.	"You" (featuring Tank)	Plies Philip Lawrence Jason Epperson	Jay E	3:38
13.	"Money Straight"	Plies Willingham Graham Levatte	Hen and Ro	4:23
14.	"Hypnotized" (featuring Akon)	Plies Aliaune Thiam	Akon	3:09
15.	"Murkin' Season"	Plies Willingham Graham Levatte	Hen and Ro	3:49

Best Buy bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Water"	Plies Brandon Green	Bei Maejor	3:28
17.	"Ain't Slippin'" (featuring 4orty)	Plies Johnny Mollings Lenny Mollings	DJ Nasty & LVM	3:38
18.	"Got 'Em Hatin'"	Plies Chadron Moore	Nitti	3:38

Deluxe edition bonus track

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Bid Long"	Bei Maejor	4:08

Sample credits

• "Shawty" contains samples from "Fantasy", written by Maurice White, Verdine White, and Eddie del Barrio; performed by Earth, Wind & Fire.

Chart positions

Weekly charts Chart (2007) Peak position US Billboard 200[8] 2 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 2 US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[10] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2007) Position US Billboard 200[11] 157 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] 44 Chart (2008) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 51

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[14]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Jeffries, David. "The Real Testament - Plies". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
2. Slavik, Nathan (August 12, 2007). "Plies - The Real Testament". DJBooth. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
3. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (August 21, 2007). "Plies :: The Real Testament :: Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic Records". RapReviews. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
4. Hasty, Katie (August 15, 2007). "After Five-Year Absence, UGK Scores First No. 1 Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
5. The Billboard 200 – The Real Testament. Billboard. Accessed August 29, 2007.
6. "Hip-Hop/R&B Album Sales: Week Ending 6/1/08". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
7. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
8. "Plies Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
9. "Plies Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
10. "Plies Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
11. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
12. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
13. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
14. "American album certifications – Plies – The Real Testament". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 13, 2019.