Gucci Mane
Photo: Rick Diamond/ Getty Images

The most important album of Gucci Mane's career is scheduled to surface in stores December 8. For Gucci, the title The State vs. Radric Davis took on an all-too-real relevance a couple of weeks ago when the rapper was sent to jail for 12 months.

He violated the terms of his probation, and at a time when he should be on the road promoting, Gucc is behind bars. He does have a slew of mixtape tracks holding him down in the streets and the clubs. A Gucci set is necessary for just about every hip-hop dance floor now. For the mainstream, the Zone 6 rep left a calling card: "Spotlight" with Usher. Meanwhile, "Wasted" with Plies continues its chart success.

Things couldn't be better for Gucci, career-wise. Despite the LP's grave title, The State vs. Radric Davis finds Gucci in many jovial moments.

The weightiest part of "Heavy" is the beat. Producer Shawty Red makes a track that sounds like it came out of a cartoon and was pimped with roaring bass for the booty-shake clubs. "Real heavy, real heavy," Gucci raps on the hook. "Somebody help me, my chain heavy/ My ego is toooo big/ It's getting' heavy/ My head is gettin' tooo big, it's too heavy."

Jazze Pha uses piano as the soundscape for "The Movie." The track sounds as if an old Charlie Chaplin movie was filmed in today's ATL trap.

"I'm jumping out my coupe with the missing roof," Gucci raps. He then tells the ladies out there he is not looking for any type of serious relationship. " 'Do you remember me from last month?'/ I can't remember nothing but my last blunt," he jokes.

Gucci totally changes his stance on the Zaytoven-produced "I Think I'm in Love." He raps about a woman he feels is "God's gift."

"Bad Bad Bad" has Keyshia Cole on the hook. That record takes a harsh look at love lost. "I can do bad, bad, bad all by myself," Keyshia sings on the chorus. Meanwhile Gucci pleads his case: "I'm a bad boy, but there's still so much good in me/ If you take me out the 'hood, there's still the 'hood in me."

The title says it all on the Rick Ross-featured "All About Money," as does "Sex in Crazy Places" with Bobby V, Nicki Minaj and Trina.

"Stupid Wild" features both Cam'ron and Lil Wayne. The trio stunt and once again plant their flags for being the owners of the rap game.

"Wilder than a jaguar, wildin' in a Jaguar," Weezy spews on the Bangladesh-produced track. "Please don't play with me, I'll put this pistol on your grandpa."

"Let's do the furs, his and hers," Cam comes in on the second verse. "Started gettin' on my nerves, so I hit with the 'burrr'/ ... And your wifey, we use her for her food stamps."

• Gucci Mane
• Lil Wayne
• Cam'ron
• Trina
• Nicki Minaj

Photo: MTV News

• Polow Da Don
• Jay-Z
• Busta Rhymes
• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• DJ Khaled

Plies
Photo: Rahman Dukes/MTV News

Area codes 804, 757, you already know, Mixtape Daily has love for y'all. Shout out to Quan, shout out to the Clipse, big up to all the artists from VA. Today, DJ Khaled shows he's been doing more than just scouting talent in MIA — he's been to VA as well. He scooped up a young cat from Richmond named Red Rum, the newest member of the We the Best record company.

This Week's Main Pick

Street King: Red Rum
Holding It Down For: Richmond, Virginia
Mixtape: The Switch Spot
Real Spit: Red Rum ran up on DJ Khaled. During the filming of the I'm So Hood (remix) video, Rum made his way onto the set and slid the energetic music man one of his early mixtapes. Khaled said he played it in his car that night and reached out. The two have been linked up ever since. Khaled is getting his new protégé warmed up in the street before the album comes sometime next year.

"He flew me down to Miami, but I wasn't no artist then," Rum admits of his initial dealings with Khaled. "I wasn't ready for this. So it took two years, but I ain't stop. My fan base got bigger without nobody helping me, but with the Khaled stamp."

Rum's nickname, the "Switch Man," is pure Richmond, Virginia, slang.

" 'Switch Man,' " he explained, "that all comes about because of where I'm from. ATL calls it 'trappin,' we 'catch switches.' That's what it is, I was on the block. Now I'm catching switches with the music. I got fans, they're spending money to see me, they wanna see Red, dummy. 2010 we getting it in. I promise. The Switch Spot just lets everybody know I am an independent artist, as well as a mainstream artist. I'm independently trying to take over this game. I just don't wanna be no rapper. I'm in here, straight up."

Joints To Check For

"On My Mama": "That defines my grind. On my mama, no lies. I'm not gonna sit here and lie on my mama, I put my heart into this. This is what you want, this is what you get. No fake stuff. My mama has no other choice but to hear the song. They play it all on the radio. She loves the grind. She knows where we come from and what we took it to. She has no choice but to respect it."

"Get It In": "That's with Yo Gotti," he says. "It lets you know every city I go to, I get it in. Every time I swing that corner in that Caddy, they know I get it in. Standing alone again."

"One More Time": "It was inspired by DJ Kool from DC," Rum explains. "That made them 20,000 people — me being independent with no help, had 20,000 people — rocking. Wait till the world hears it — its gonna be number one on the charts."

Streets Is Talking: News And Notes From The Underground

Plies' Goon Affiliated should be out within the next few months, but he's playing it close to the vest as to which MCs are coming on the LP. He did give a clue when we saw him at the BET Hip-Hop Awards earlier this month.

"I'll just drop one in your lap. I didn't have the rap feature thing before so I'm doing something with a cat that's real, real big in Atlanta. Some people says it's this person, some people say it's that person. But it's a special situation. A major situation for this album."

When asked if it's the person he got with on the song "Wasted," Pies just smiled and said, "It could be. It could be."

Although Plies wouldn't spill the beans — for real, for real — we've been hearing it may not be Gucci Mane but a man who's known for his motivational rap songs.

Plies says that regardless of who he collaborates with, you'll see his growth.

"We painted the best picture we can paint. You'll see the evolution of who I am as an artist from the production standpoint as well as the lyrical content side. I'm excited about this one. More excited than I was about my previous three. ... Let's put it all in the kitty and let the streets tell us what it is."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: Polow Da Don, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, More

• Gucci Mane
• Plies
• DJ Khaled

Plies
Photo: Ray Tamarra/ Getty Images

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive

Plies' brother Ronell "Big Gates" Levatte returned home in April after a three-year prison stint, and we got a chance to meet him during BET Hip-Hop Awards weekend in Atlanta. Gates was a very humble cat, saying he heard nothing but great things about us and we definitely say the same.

One of Gates' first duties was picking all the songs for his baby brother's new Goon Affiliated album. With "Becky" already a juggernaut in the clubs, it's safe to say he knows what he's doing.

"Hey, man, P got a lot of songs," Gates told us exclusively on the BET red carpet.

"He actually records a lot of songs he don't put out," Gates continued. "Going through that whole process of all them songs — just about all of them are hits anyway — it was a hard process. But I think I got it pretty much nailed to the T."

Any favorites?

"All of them," Gates added. "My whole purpose was to pick 18 classic songs. I wanted to like all 18 the same. I wanted to say, 'This my favorite, this my favorite, this my favorite.' So I think we got that."

"We ain't calling it a classic — we calling it an antique," Plies chimed in. "It ain't just me that's saying it, the streets are saying it. We ain't doing the classic, we did them the last three [albums], so it's fortified: Goon Affiliated the antique."

"We done stepped up," Gates declared. "New terminology — antique instead of classic."

Plies' new single is "Medicine," featuring Keri Hilson. Goon Affiliated has no official release date at press time.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily Video: Lil Boosie, Big Gates, Young Jeezy More

• Plies

Plies
Photo: Rahman Dukes/MTV News

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive

Respect comes first for Plies. He has to respect you as a man, then as an artist, for him to collaborate with you. For the first time ever, working on his new project, he reached out to fellow rappers. Although he still won't divulge names, he said he collaborated with one MC in Atlanta. Plies said the mainstream audience "won't understand" another collaborator, but the underground will definitely tune in.

"Goon Affiliated, I had the pleasure of having my brother home for this album," he told us of the LP's title while parked on his tour bus in ATL. "He actually came up with the title of this album. The three previous albums, 'real' was incorporated into the album title. For me, we felt Goon Affiliated wasn't too gangsta, wasn't too soft. It was right in the middle. Kids in the suburbs could have goon friends and be goon affiliated. You could be a street cat and not call yourself a 'goon' but have goon homeboys and be goon affiliated. Or you could be a goon and be goon affiliated. It's a whole diverse situation for me."

Plies said having big bro Big Gates home is just adding to his overall project. In addition to the album title, Gates is also helping to critique records.

"For me, to have my brother home ... I was more than excited about ... having the chance to go through the album the other day and have that other ear I didn't have," Plies described. "It's some songs I put on my album that the streets ended up loving, but I had better songs than that. People will see this time, with this fourth album, there won't be nothing like it."

Plies already leaked the brash track "Becky," and another cut he said to check for is based on a TV program.

"I got a song right now called 'First 48,' " the Florida native revealed. "It's wrapped around the whole TV series 'The First 48 Hours.' I'm telling you on the record: 'Everybody is a goon until they catch a case/ When the detectives get to the talking/ All that gangsta sh-- fades away/ The first 10 minutes, dog, you started off straight/ Detective applied a little pressure, you turn around and break.'

"That whole situation for me, that intro, I'm sitting here watching TV, and I didn't know it was that many unreal dudes still left in the streets," he continued. "I just focused on that situation. That's one of them records on my album I call 'choir rehearsal.' I know everybody is gonna sing it every time I perform it."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: Plies, Ghostface, Soulja Boy, Diddy, More

• Plies

Plies
Photo: Atlantic Records

If these rappers stick to their schedules, September is going to be a huge month for hip-hop. Jay-Z announced his Blueprint 3 for September 11, while Gucci Mane and 50 Cent also told MTV News they are dropping that month as well.

Add one more name to the list now: Plies. He's coming with Goon Affiliated less than six months after putting out Da Realist. The Florida native chose MTV News to debut his first single, "Becky."

"Some of you all will be mad at me for saying this, but I'm in love with Becky!" the MC said in a statement.

As promised, Goon Affiliated will feature some special guest MCs, a first for a Plies album.

Plies told us in April that there were three Big Apple spitters he was thinking about reaching out to for his album. "I was open about being a big supporter of Jadakiss," Plies said of the LOX member. "I met him in Philly, but like I told him, I was f---ing with him for a while. I never forget the line he used about how he was 'the first man to cook base on a Foreman grill.' That was the sh--! And then I'm a big Maino fan, as well as [Fabolous]. Those three dudes I always f--- with."

Look for an exclusive interview with Plies about "Becky," his album and a new direction of tracks he's going with on his LP in the coming days on MTVNews.com.

• Plies

Plies
Photo: Yamila Lomba/FilmMagic

Plies' new single "Plenty Money" drops soon and, after that, he's going to shift his focus to a whole new album that he hopes to have out in late summer or early fall. But, unlike his previous three LPs, the Florida native will have guest rappers on this project — and he already has a handful of MCs in mind.

"Actually, right now I got a list of five," he revealed to MTV News recently. "I ain't really gonna go over that five in terms of this particular project, 'cause I don't want a compilation album. I know a lot of times I see a lot of artists that come out and they got people on their album that collectively may have sold 20 million records. And at that point, I don't really know if it's about you, but it allows you to tap into other people's markets that probably wouldn't have been checking for you. And for me, I just want to make good music.

"But in terms of the top five that I got on there, that's one of the things I wanted to be a big surprise," he continued. "But I'm going into every session that I have had with all these other artists and I'm putting together something that's real, real special that I'm releasing probably the first week in June. Letting everybody know the top five, doing a countdown of all the artists I'm working with on this album."

The featured guests hail from all over the map. "I got up top, got Atlanta, got Memphis — got two from Atlanta, actually," he explained. "And one from Memphis. I ain't got my New York artist yet, 'cause I got two that I'm a really big fan of."

Actually, Plies has three Big Apple spitters he's thinking about reaching out to for his album. "I've always told him that I was open about being a big supporter of Jadakiss," Plies said of the LOX member. "I met him in Philly, but like I told him, I was f---ing with him for a while. I never forget the line he used about how he was 'the first man to cook base on a Foreman grill.' That was the sh--! And then I'm a big Maino fan, as well as [Fabolous]. Those three dudes I always f--- with."

There is also talk about collaborating with big-name producers such as Timbaland on the new album, which is currently untitled.

• Plies

Plies
Photo: Courtesy of Plies

People are buying into Plies' next single "Plenty Money," and the Florida MC is paying attention.

"I can honestly say that song is the biggest street song in my career," he told us last week of the banger from his third LP, Da Realist. "In my opinion, I've had a sh--load of successful street records, whether it be 'I Am the Club' or 'Goons Lurking,' 'I'm the Man.' I've had my share of big street records. I've been a part of big street records as well, but it's nothing compared to this 'Plenty Money.' "

The bragging is unabashed on the song. In one verse, he raps, "Wonder why I bought the Bentley when I had the Maserati?/ What I paid for the goon chain? 140 [thousand]." But does the Fort Myers, Florida, native feel any guilt about releasing such a decadent anthem during a worldwide recession?

"You need to feel like [you have plenty of money], bruh," Plies rationalized. "Regardless of how bad it is, you need to feel better, man. The people that ain't got no money now, it was the same people who didn't have money four years ago. Now it's justifiable not to have money. In terms of the street perspective, it isn't as much money circulating in the streets as it once was. But in terms of our [national] economy, the recession was a scapegoat for corporate America, who can file bankruptcy now and re-create a whole 'nother company, debt-free. The people who are struggling now been struggling. Anytime you can create music and give hope, anytime you can make a person feel good ... that record makes you feel good whether you hear it at 10 in the morning or 3 in the morning in the club. It makes you feel good.

"The first time I saw that record work, that sh-- scared the f--- out of me," he continued. "It was probably a couple of thousand people there. Sold out. I didn't do that record first, I did that record third or fourth on my set. I came out to 'Me and My Goons.' That mutha----a is almost equivalent to 'Plenty Money,' but "Plenty Money,' anytime they hear the first two seconds of that mutha----a, it's a problem."

"Plenty Money" also marks what its author is calling a milestone in his career: It's a street record with a chance to do some damage on the charts. What makes it even sweeter is that he doesn't have an R&B feature on the song.

"I played it on the bus [when I first made it] for my staff and told them, 'This is the record right here,' " he recalled. "I didn't know it was gonna be on this level, but I felt good about the record. That's the record, bruh, that you can't hide from. Probably one of the biggest elements missing from me is that piece of the puzzle that takes me right into my fourth project. From a radio standpoint, I have had the pleasure of having two #1's, three top-five records. How can you get tired of hearing what works? But I think this record completes the puzzle I needed — a street record that's all of me — and now it will bring in my world that only knows 'Bust It Baby,' 'Shawty,' 'Want It, Need It.' This is the piece I've been missing that'll take me into my fourth project."

Plies shot the video (funded from money out of his pocket) during Super Bowl weekend, and it should be out any day now.

"I had a whole week full of events. I tried to sneak the video in before my car show. I had a 'Plenty Money' car and bike show," he described. "The show got so crazy, it was like 10,000 or 15,000 people. The police was gonna shut it down. They called me, put the fire marshal on the phone and told me that I had to get there within 45 minutes or they was gonna shut it down. I had to stop the video and go and perform before they shut it down."

Plies' fourth album is still untitled but should be out sometime in late summer, early fall.

• Plies

Plies
Photo: MTV News

Some call it horrifying, some say it's inspiring, some label it hilarious — but everyone is fascinated by it. Plies recently released an online teaser for his reality show "Goonette," and the Internet is chatting about the show that focuses on women who show "grace" and beat the odds.

"Ah, man — I feel like it was a great move for me," Plies said about "Goonette," which is still in development.

The Fort Myers, Florida, MC says he's pleased that he chose to do a "Goonette" show, and he should have a deal in place with a cable network within the next few weeks.

"This whole 'Goonette' movement is something I'm really excited about," he said. "Today, it's a bigger movement than the 'Bust it Baby' situation. For me to have the chance to put the trailer together and shop it around, I think it's the best move I made in my career."

The woman taking the lead role in Plies' trailer is Fire, a stripper and mother of two. "Fire is from Tampa," Plies explained of his friend. "I had a chance to meet her probably two years ago. I watched her a little bit — me and her been in some of the same clubs together. I just always grew a liking for her because I seen so many great qualities in terms of her strong inner personality. That was the most important thing for me in terms of making her the first official face of this whole reality series.

"I heard about [the strip club] she worked at first, before I went there and seen it myself. I heard about how she was hustling. She was always the chick that, no matter what spot we was in, what [regular night] club we was in, she always ended up being the chick that turned the spot out. She always was with her clique. They always danced and partied. I used to see her dance all the time, but I didn't know that's what she did as far as her profession. I got whiff of it. For me, that was the icing on the cake."

America's #1 goon has a camera crew all set to travel to Dallas to film another young lady he stumbled across in his travels.

"I already had four different young ladies I already shot footage with it," he said. "I was gonna run and have the show be an online situation so it could be as raw as I wanted it to be. But some people made me reconsider that."

Cable, however, will still allow the show to air uncensored, which he claims is perfect, despite some criticism on the Net calling the program "too ghetto."

"It's kinda a no-lose situation for me to be narrating this whole situation," Plies said. "And then bringing interesting people to the forefront, it's a two-way win-win situation."

• Plies

Plies and his brother Big Gates
Photo: Julia Beverly

Plies is breathing a little easier these days — his brother, Ronell "Big Gates" Levatte, has been released after three years in prison.

"I thank everybody that continued to support not only me, but my situation. I thank everybody that continued to pray for my situation with my brother," Plies said on Friday, the day after Big Gates' release. Gates began his sentence in 2006 for his involvement in a shooting at a club in Gainesville, Florida.

"I had an opportunity yesterday — April 9, a day I'll never forget — I had a chance to go down to Coleman correctional facility and see him walk out," Plies said. "That meant everything to me. I haven't had a chance to enjoy an Easter with him over the course of the last three years, man. I told him I was gonna take yesterday off — let's take time to smell the roses. But he came home straight in work mode. Thank God for the opportunity, man, and everybody who prayed for the situation around the country. It means everything to me. That was a part of my life I've been missing for a few years. That was his second time in prison I told him either one of us can go down this road. We don't do each other good for me to go to prison or him to go to prison. For me to see him come home was everything to me."

Plies has often talked about his brother — as well as others in the black community who have been incarcerated — in songs such as "100 Years," "Die Together" and "2nd Chance," off his current album, Da Realist.

"I think it's important," he said about addressing the prison system and its inequities. "[Me and my brother] talked a long time yesterday and, like I said, it's so many more people. He gave it to me in the simplest form possible. He said, 'Behind that wall, there's more people who are suffering, struggling, disappointed, sincerely hurting.' People will never understand it unless you are a part of that system. People tell you that some people deserve to be there. I can't never say they wrong. But I do know it's a lot of people in those situations. It's a lot of pain and struggle that they go through. My new vow that I made to myself is that regardless of my situation and my fame, [rapping about the penile system] that's something that's always gonna be a part of me and my responsibility to do everything I can to make sure that those people's voices behind those walls live on. I'll always be a representation of them."

Plies' next single, "Plenty Money," is due later this year, and he also plans to drop a new LP in August or September. The MC's reality show, "Goonette," is currently being shopped to various cable networks.

• Welcome Home Big Gates

• Plies

Rick Ross, Keri Hilson, Big Boi, More At BMI Awards

• Yung Joc
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Keri Hilson
• Janelle Monae
• Plies

Should Plies Be One Of The "Hottest MCs?"

• Plies

Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige And More Come Out For Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash 2009

• Lil Wayne
• Trey Songz
• Plies
• Shawty Lo
• Pleasure P

2008 BET Hip-Hop Awards Red Carpet

• T-Pain
• N.E.R.D.
• T.I.
• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• Plies

T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West And More At Atlanta's Birthday Bash 2008

• T.I.
• Young Jeezy
• Webbie
• Game
• Plies

Plies, Rick Ross, Lloyd, More At 2nd Annual Ozone Awards

• Papoose
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Trey Songz
• Lloyd
• DJ Drama